1981 Special Honours

Last updated April 10, 2025

As part of the British honours system, Special Honours are issued at the Monarch's pleasure at any given time. The Special Honours refer to the awards made within royal prerogative, operational honours and other honours awarded outside the New Years Honours and Birthday Honours.

Life peer

Baronesses

Felicity Jane, Mrs. Ewart-Biggs, Widow of Christopher Thomas Ewart-Biggs, C.M.G., O.B.E., formerly H.M. Ambassador, Dublin.^[1]
Miss Felicity Lane Fox, O.B.E., vice-president, Royal Association of Disability and Rehabilitation. Chairman, The Phipps Respiratory Unit Patients' Association, St. Thomas's Hospital, London.
Rachel Trixie Anne, Mrs. Gardner, Member, Greater London Council. British Chairman, European Union of Women.
Beryl Catherine, Mrs. Platt, C.B.E., Vice-chairman, Essex County Council.

Barons

Professor Sir Max Beloff, lately Principal, University College at Buckingham.
The Right Honourable Edward Stanley Bishop, Member of Parliament for Newark, Nottingham 1964–1979; Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 1974–1979.
Alan Robertson Campbell, Q.C. A Recorder of the Crown Court.
Hugh Gater Jenkins, Member of Parliament for Wandsworth, Putney 1964-1979 ; Minister for the Arts 1974–1976.
John Mackie, Member of Parliament for Enfield East 1959–1974; Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 1964–1970. Chairman, Forestry Commission 1976–1979.
William John Molloy, Member of Parliament for Ealing North 1964-1979 ; Member of European Parliament 1976–1979.
Dafydd Elystan Morgan, Member of Parliament for Cardigan 1966-1974 ; Parliamentary Under-secretary of State, Home Office 1968–1970.
Sir Arthur Desmond Herne Plummer, T.D., D.L., chairman, Horserace Betting Levy Board. Formerly Leader of the Greater London Council.
The Right Honourable James Anthony Stodart, Member of Parliament for Edinburgh West 1959- 1974 ; Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 1972–1974.
Hugh Swynnerton Thomas, Historian. Chairman, Centre for Policy Studies.
Geoffrey Johnson Tordoff, Manager, Public Affairs (Chemicals) Shell U.K. Limited. Chairman, Campaigns Committee, Liberal Party.

Royal Victorian Order

Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (DCVO)

Miss Gillian Gerda Brown, C.M.G.^[2]

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO)

Andrew Eustace Palmer.

Member of the Royal Victorian Order, 4th Class (LVO)

Commander Francis Noel Ponsonby, Royal Navy.

Member of the Royal Victorian Order, 5th Class (MVO)

Peter Warren Chandley.
Maurice Leonard Dalton.

Order of the British Empire

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Lieutenant Colonel John Robert Collins (455000), The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's).
Lieutenant Colonel Michael John Reece, Royal Marines.^[3]
Lieutenant Colonel Colin Gordon Thomson (461669), The Parachute Regiment

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Major William Douglas Cantley (485686), Royal Tank Regiment.
Major Timothy Richard Cottis (472515), The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's).
Major Brian Keith Glover (443340), Ulster Defence Regiment.
Major Christopher Gordon Fleet Mitchinson (479301), The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment).
Major George Eustace Maurice Stephens (377206), Ulster Defence Regiment
Captain Robert Alan Fry, Royal Marines.
4026874 Warrant Officer Class 1, Michael David Heath, Royal Army Ordnance Corps.

George Medal (GM)

Flight Lieutenant Michael Julian Lakey (4232923), Royal Air Force.
Trevor James Lock, Constable, Metropolitan Police.^[4]

Air Force Medal (AFM)

23947293 Sergeant Alan Owbridge, Army Air Corps.

Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM)

Bar to the Queen's Gallantry

24008470 Staff Sergeant Peter Guy Brunton Ellis, Q.G.M., Corps of Royal Engineers.

Queen's Gallantry Medal

23938393 Warrant Officer Class 2, Malcolm Charles Boscott, Royal Army Ordnance Corps.
W/459004 Corporal (Acting Sergeant) Jane Elizabeth Freeman, Women's Royal Army Corps.
24060244 Staff Sergeant John Edward Kerr, The Royal Green Jackets.

Royal Victorian Medal

Silver

Frank James Duffy.

Bronze

Cecil James Smith.

British Empire Medal

Military Division

Colour Sergeant Robert Ernest Balment, PO22095H, Royal Marines.
Sergeant Arthur Alan Bowden, P024018C, Royal Marines.
24262128 Sergeant Ian Andrew McPherson, Royal Army Ordnance Corps.
24275953 Sergeant David Purvis, Ulster Defence Regiment.
24056326 Staff Sergeant Peter Victor Richart, Royal Tank Regiment.

Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air

24168248 Lance Corporal Philip Worviell, Army Air Corps,

Mention in Despatches

Major (now Acting Lieutenant Colonel) David Robert Chaundler (476479), The Parachute Regiment.
Lieutenant Colonel John Muir Clavering, M.C. (465919), Scots Guards.
23682016 Warrant Officer Class 1 (now Lieutenant), Eric George Cook, Royal Army Ordnance Corps.
24215075 Sergeant John Leslie Dickens, 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers.
24087618 Sergeant (now Acting Staff Sergeant) Graham Frederick Dyer, Intelligence Corps.
23849707 Warrant Officer Class 2 Terence James Ellison, The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's).
24167931 Bombardier (Acting Sergeant) Clive Frank Flint, Royal Regiment of Artillery.
24393910 Lance Corporal Stephen Andrew Harbord, Royal Tank Regiment.
Colonel Patrick Rolf Shaun Jackson, O.B.E. (420860), late Royal Regiment of Artillery.
Captain Roger Guy Tyson Lane, Royal Marines.
Lieutenant John McCubbin, Royal Marines.
Lieutenant (Acting Captain) Robert Alan McFarland (499625), Royal Tank Regiment.
24099485 Corporal Stephen Francis Miller, The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's).
23996405 Warrant Officer Class 2 Henry Alexander Pinchard, Intelligence Corps.
Corporal Gary James Pipe, PO35651N, Royal Marines.
Lieutenant Colonel John Keith Pitt, O.B.E. (430177), Royal Corps of Transport.
24469517 Private Tony John Portsmouth, The Parachute Regiment.
24072917 Sergeant David Bernard Ian Powlesland, Royal Tank Regiment.
24280296 Sergeant (Acting Warrant Officer Class 2) Alexander Roy, Ulster Defence Regiment.
Major William Gaskell Rudd (493451), Ulster Defence Regiment.
24211677 Sergeant Steven Arthur Smith, The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's).
Major James Edward Snape (492396), Corps of Royal Engineers.
24282933 Lance Corporal Mark Anthony Snelson, Royal Army Ordnance Corps.
Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Nicholas Tarver (457286), The Queen's Regiment.
24102285 Staff Sergeant Aled Wyn Thomas, Royal Regiment of Artillery.
Major Charles Gerard Courtenay Vyvyan, M.B.E. (484776), The Royal Green Jackets.
23991727 Warrant Officer Class 2 Eric John Watt, Royal Tank Regiment.
Lieutenant Colonel Roger Greville Webster (454947), Royal Regiment of Artillery.
Lieutenant Colonel Clive Anthony Wilkinson (443595), Royal Regiment of Artillery.
Lieutenant Colonel David Anthony Williams (475901), Royal Tank Regiment.

References

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[1] THE LONDON GAZETTE MONDAY 13th APRIL 1981

[2] The London Gazette Tuesday 26th May 1981

[3] The London Gazette Monday 13th April 1981

[4] The London Gazette Monday 13th April 1981

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e British honours lists
New Year Honours	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902† 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940† 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 † Not issued because of Birthday Honours of the new monarch (1902) and World War II (1940)
Birthday Honours	1860 1861 1862 1863§ 1864§ 1865§ 1866 1867 1868§ 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876§ 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887† 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897† 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911† 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937† 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953† 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 § Not issued † Not issued because of Jubilee Honours (1887, 1897) and Coronation Honours (1911, 1937, 1953)
Coronation Honours	1821 1831 1838 1902 1911 1937 1953 2023† † Not issued
Jubilee Honours	1887 (Golden) 1897 (Diamond) 1935 (Silver) 1977 (Silver) 2002 (Golden) 2012 (Diamond) 2022 (Platinum)† † Not issued
Demise Honours	2002 (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret) 2021 (The Duke of Edinburgh) 2023 (Queen Elizabeth II)
Dissolution Honours	1874 1885 1892 1895 1900† 1906† 1910† 1918† 1922 1923† 1924 1929 1931 1935† 1945 1950 1951† 1955† 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974 (February) 1974 (October) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017† 2019 2024 † Not issued
Prime Minister's Resignation Honours	1895 1905 1916 1923 1924 1945 1951 1955† 1957† 1963 1964 1970 1976 1979† 1990 1997 2007† 2010† 2016 2019 2022 (Johnson) 2022 (Truss) 2024† † Not issued
Special Honours	1923 1952 1972 1973 1974 1977 1979 1981 1982 1983 1985 1987 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1999 2001 2004 2006 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Additional Honours	1911 (Delhi Durbar) 1953 (Korea) 1969 (Investiture of The Prince of Wales) 1990 (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's 90th Birthday)
Honours by nation	Australia Canada Ceylon India New Zealand