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Earl Kitchener of Khartoum

Earl Kitchener of Khartoum and Broome

Orders and Medals
By Allan Woodliffe

Earl Kitchener of Khartoum examines his great uncle's medalsThe following is a list of the Orders and medals that Horatio Herbert Kitchener received during his long and very distinguished career.

Two of the foreign orders have only the Sovereign’s private permission to accept, which means that they should only be worn at official functions attended by dignitaries of the country that presented them; however, in the well known photograph of Kitchener in Field Marshal’s uniform, taken in 1910, he can be seen wearing the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun – it would have been a brave soul who attempted to tell him to take it off.

Two of his medals were given as souvenirs, and he never wore them – and of course his Great War medals were issued posthumously. During his long career, Kitchener was promoted through several classes, or levels, of many of his Orders, and when this happened, the insignia of the lower class was no longer worn, so it is not practical to use the dates that he was first installed in the respective order.

British Orders (in order of precedence)

  • Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (KG)
  • Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of St.Patrick (KP)
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (GCB)
  • The Order of Merit (OM)Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India (GCSI)
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (GCMG)
  • Knight Grand Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE)
  • Knight of Justice of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem

Foreign Orders (in chronological order)

  • Grand Cross of the Order of the Medijidieh (Turkey for Egypt)
  • Grand Cross of the Order of the Osmanieh (Turkey for Egypt)
  • Grand Cross of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers (Japan)*
  • Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (Belgium)
  • Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (France)
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Savoy (Italy)*

Campaign and other Medals (in wearing order)

Kitchener actually wore his Jubilee and Coronation medals before his campaign medals, as was customary at the time.

  • Queen’s Egypt medal with 3 clasps (1884): THE NILE 1884 – 85, GEMAIZAH 1888, & TOSKI 1889
  • Queen’s Sudan medal (1896)
  • Queen’s South Africa medal with 3 clasps (1900): JOHANNESBURG, PAARDEBERG & RELIEF OF KIMBERLY
  • King’s South Africa medal with 2 clasps (1902): SOUTH AFRICA 1901 & SOUTH AFRICA 1902
  • VRI Diamond Jubilee medal (1897)
  • EVIIR Coronation medal (1902)
  • EVIIR Delhi Durbar medal in gold (1903)
  • GVR Coronation medal (1911)
  • Khedive of Egypt’s Bronze Star (1884)
  • Khedive of Egypt’s Sudan medal (1896) with 7 clasps; FIRKET, HAFIR, SUDAN 1897, ABU HAMED, THE ATBARA, KHARTOUM & SUDAN 1899
  • French Croix de Guerre (War Cross) with palm (1916)
  • French medal for the volunteers of the war of 1870-71 (1916) with clasp ENGAGE VOLONTAIRE
  • 1914 star**
  • British War Medal**
  • Victory Medal**
  • Gold Badge of a Japanese Field Marshal (Gensui) (1909)***
  • The New Zealand Long and Efficient Service medal (1910)***
  • The King’s Empire Veterans and Empire Veterans Association Cross (1910)***

* The Sovereign’s private permission to accept and wear.
** Posthumous medals (1921) issued to next of kin.
***Given as a souvenir on foreign visits, and not worn.