User:Necrothesp/Notability criteria for recipients of honours

There are often questions in AfD discussions and elsewhere as to which honours and decorations qualify a recipient for "inherent" notability under WP:ANYBIO #1. The following is not in any way official, but has been formulated after long experience of editing Wikipedia, participating in AfD discussions, and studying honours systems.

In general, I would consider that notability requires one first-level award, any two second-level awards for service, any two second-level awards for gallantry, or any three second- or third-level awards. Fourth-level awards do not count towards the total unless a large number have been awarded.

Honours and decorations in italics are no longer awarded.

Note that this is a work in progress, which generally explains omissions.

Australia edit

Australian citizens are also eligible for Commonwealth honours and decorations, which may be considered in combination with Australian honours and decorations.

First-level service awards edit

Order of Merit (OM)
Knight, Dame, Companion, or Officer of the Order of Australia (AK, AD, AC, AO)
Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO)

Second-level service awards edit

Member of the Order of Australia (AM)
Lieutenant or Member of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO, MVO)

Third-level service awards edit

First-level gallantry awards edit

Victoria Cross for Australia (VC)
Cross of Valour (CV)

Second-level gallantry awards edit

Third-level service awards edit

Canada edit

Canadian citizens are also eligible for Commonwealth honours and decorations, which may be considered in combination with Canadian honours and decorations.

First-level service awards edit

Order of Merit (OM)
Any grade of the Order of Canada (CC, OC, CM)
Commander of the Order of Military Merit (CMM)
Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (COM)
Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO)

Second-level service awards edit

Officer or Member of the Order of Military Merit (OMM, MMM)
Officer or Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (OOM, MOM)
Lieutenant or Member of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO, MVO)
Any grade of the National Order of Quebec (GOQ, OQ, CQ)
Saskatchewan Order of Merit (SOM)
Order of Ontario (OOnt)
Order of British Columbia (OBC)
Alberta Order of Excellence (AOE)
Order of Prince Edward Island (OPEI)
Order of Manitoba (OM)
Order of New Brunswick (ONB)
Order of Nova Scotia (ONS)
Order of Newfoundland and Labrador (ONL)

France edit

First-level service awards edit

Grand Croix, Grand Officier, or Commandeur of the Légion d'honneur
Grand Croix, Grand Officier, or Commandeur of the Ordre national du Mérite
Commandeur of the Ordre des Palmes académiques
Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Commandeur of the Ordre du Mérite agricole
Commandeur of the Ordre du Mérite maritime

Second-level service awards edit

Officier, Chevalier, or Légionnaire of the Légion d'honneur
Compagnon de la Libération
Officier or Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite
Officier or Chevalier of the Ordre des Palmes académiques
Officier or Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Officier or Chevalier of the Ordre du Mérite agricole
Officier or Chevalier of the Ordre du Mérite maritime
Médaille de la Gendarmerie nationale
Médaille de l'Aéronautique

First-level gallantry awards edit

Grand Croix, Grand Officier, or Commandeur of the Légion d'honneur for courage
Médaille d’honneur pour acte de courage et de dévouement Or or Vermeil

Second-level gallantry awards edit

Officier, Chevalier, or Légionnaire of the Légion d'honneur for courage
Médaille militaire
Médaille d’honneur pour acte de courage et de dévouement Argent

Third-level gallantry awards edit

Croix de guerre
Croix de la Valeur militaire
Médaille d’honneur pour acte de courage et de dévouement Bronze

Germany/West Germany edit

First-level service awards edit

Pour le Mérite für Wissenschaften und Künste

First-level gallantry awards edit

Pour le Mérite (Blue Max)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross)^[1]

New Zealand edit

New Zealand citizens are also eligible for Commonwealth honours and decorations, which may be considered in combination with New Zealand honours and decorations.

First-level service awards edit

Order of Merit (OM)
Order of New Zealand (ONZ)
Knight or Dame Grand Companion, Principal Companion, Knight or Dame Companion, Distinguished Companion, or Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (GNZM, PCNZM, KNZM, DNZM, DCNZM, CNZM)
Knight or Dame Grand Cross, Knight or Dame Commander, or Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO, KCVO, DCVO, CVO)

Second-level service awards edit

Lieutenant or Member of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO, MVO)
Queen's Service Order (QSO)
Officer or Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM, MNZM)

Third-level service awards edit

Queen's Service Medal (QSM)
New Zealand Antarctic Medal (NZAM)
New Zealand Distinguished Service Decoration (DSD)

First-level gallantry awards edit

Victoria Cross for New Zealand (VC)
New Zealand Cross (NZC)

Second-level gallantry awards edit

New Zealand Gallantry Star (NZGS)
New Zealand Bravery Star (NZBS)

Third-level gallantry awards edit

New Zealand Gallantry Decoration (NZGD)
New Zealand Bravery Decoration (NZBD)

United Kingdom, British Empire, and Commonwealth edit

This system was formerly used by all Commonwealth countries, and citizens of Commonwealth Realms are still eligible for these honours and decorations in addition to their own.

First-level service awards edit

Peerage (Duke/Duchess, Marquess/Marchioness, Earl/Countess, Viscount/Viscountess, Baron/Baroness, Lord of Parliament), including all heirs and successors, but excluding women who only hold the title through their husbands and men who hold only courtesy titles as sons, grandsons, or great-grandsons of peers
Baronetcy, but not including heirs and successors
Knight Bachelor
Order of the Garter (KG, LG)
Order of the Thistle (KT, LT)
Order of St Patrick (KP)
Any grade of the Order of the Bath (GCB, KB, KCB, DCB, CB)
Any grade of the Royal Guelphic Order (GCH, KCH, KH)
Order of Merit (OM)
Any grade of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI, KCSI, CSI)
Any grade of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG, KCMG, DCMG, CMG)
Any grade of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE, KCIE, CIE)
Knight or Dame Grand Cross, Knight or Dame Commander, or Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO, KCVO, DCVO, CVO)
Knight or Dame Grand Cross, Knight or Dame Commander, or Commander of the Order of the British Empire (GBE, KBE, DBE, CBE)
Order of the Companions of Honour (CH)
Order of the Crown of India (CI)
Order of Burma (OB)

Second-level service awards edit

Lieutenant or Member of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO, MVO)
Officer or Member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE, MBE)
Royal Red Cross 1st Class (RRC)
Kaisar-i-Hind Medal

Third-level service awards edit

Royal Red Cross 2nd Class (ARRC)
Order of British India 1st and 2nd Class
Meritorious Service Medal (MSM)
Royal Victorian Medal (RVM)
British Empire Medal (BEM)
Queen's or King's Police Medal (QPM, KPM)
King's Police and Fire Services Medal (KPFSM)
Queen's Fire Service Medal (QFSM)
Queen's Ambulance Service Medal (QASM)
Queen's Volunteer Reserves Medal (QVRM)
Colonial Police Medal (CPM)/Overseas Territories Police Medal
Polar Medal, when awarded for merit only
Imperial Service Medal (ISM), when awarded for merit only

First-level gallantry awards edit

Victoria Cross (VC)
George Cross (GC)
Indian Order of Merit 1st Class (IOM)
New Zealand Cross
Empire Gallantry Medal (EGM)
Albert Medal in Gold (AM)
Edward Medal in Silver (EM)

Second-level gallantry awards edit

Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
Indian Order of Merit 2nd or 3rd Class
Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC)
Royal Red Cross 1st Class for Gallantry (RRC)
Albert Medal in Bronze (AM)
Edward Medal in Bronze (EM)
Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM)
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (CGM)
George Medal (GM)

Third-level gallantry awards edit

Order of the British Empire for Gallantry (CBE, OBE, MBE)
Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC)
Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)
Military Cross (MC)
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
Air Force Cross (AFC)
Royal Red Cross 2nd Class for Gallantry (ARRC)
Order of British India 1st or 2nd Classes for Gallantry
Indian Distinguished Service Medal (IDSM)
Distinguished Service Medal (DSM)
Military Medal (MM)
Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM)
Air Force Medal (AFM)
Sea Gallantry Medal (SGM)
Burma Gallantry Medal (BGM)
Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM)
Meritorious Service Medal for Gallantry (MSM)
British Empire Medal for Gallantry (BEM)
Queen's or King's Police Medal for Gallantry (QPM, KPM)
Queen's Fire Service Medal for Gallantry (QFSM)
King's Police and Fire Services Medal for Gallantry (KPFSM)
Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry (CPM)

Fourth-level awards edit

Mention in Despatches
Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service
Queen's Commendation for Bravery
Queen's Commendation for Bravery in the Air
Imperial Service Order (ISO), awarded for long service
Imperial Service Medal (ISM), awarded for long service
Territorial Decoration (TD)
Efficiency Decoration (ED)
Emergency Reserve Decoration (ERD)
Volunteer Officers' Decoration (VD)
Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (VD/VRD)
Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration (VD)

United States of America edit

United States awards are more difficult to classify as they are decentralised and every government department and many local agencies award their own completely separate collection of honours and bravery decorations. It is therefore not certain that multiple awards may make an individual notable.

First-level service awards edit

Second-level service awards edit

First-level gallantry awards edit

Medal of Honor

Second-level gallantry awards edit

Third-level gallantry awards edit

Silver Star
National Intelligence Medal for Valor
Intelligence Star
Silver Lifesaving Medal
ATF Medal of Valor
FBI Medal of Valor
Award for Heroism
Award for Valor
Department of Transportation Medal for Valor
FAA Valor Medal
The highest award for valour awarded by individual major police departments (e.g. Los Angeles Police Medal of Valor, New York City Police Department Medal of Honor)

Fourth-level awards edit

Footnotes edit

^ It is my personal opinion that, given the large numbers awarded and the actions for which many of them were awarded, the Knight's Cross should actually be considered a second-level decoration; however, consensus appears to be that all recipients are notable.

[1] It is my personal opinion that, given the large numbers awarded and the actions for which many of them were awarded, the Knight's Cross should actually be considered a second-level decoration; however, consensus appears to be that all recipients are notable.

[1]