Obituaries Australia

Knight Bachelor is a rank bestowed in the British system of honours. The rank of Knight Bachelor is the oldest honour in the United Kingdom and existed during the reign of King Henry III in the 13th century. It is also the lowest form of knighthood as those knighted are not members of the Orders of Chivalry.

Historically, knighthoods were presented for achievements in battle. The term 'Bachelor' is said to derive from Norman French battalere: one who fought on the battlefield. In 1381, William Walworth, Lord Mayor of London, became the first civilian to be knighted for his role in defending King Richard II during the Peasant’s Revolt. The award is now made for 'a pre-eminent contribution in any field of activity' that is sustained, inspirational and normally at a national level.

The rank of Knight Bachelor is usually conferred by the monarch. The dubbing ceremony entails the knight-elect kneeling on an investiture stool in front of the monarch; the blade of a sword (Queen Elizabeth II uses the sword that belonged to her father, King George VI) is then laid on the right and then the left shoulder. The new knight rises and is presented with the badge of a Knight Bachelor. Each year some twenty ceremonies take place at Buckingham Palace, London; one at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh; and less frequently at Cardiff Castle, Wales.

Until the twentieth century, no insignia accompanied the honour. The presentation of a badge was first mooted in 1627 but it was not until 1926 that King George V issued a Royal Warrant authorising the wearing of a badge. The badge is in the form of an oval medallion that features a gilt, sheathed sword, belt and spurs encircled by a gilt scroll on a vermilion background. In medieval tradition, the badge is worn on the left-hand side of an outer garment, thus 'close to the heart' and on the side of the body that would have been protected by a shield. After the investiture, Knights Bachelor may use the title 'Sir', but the rank carries no post-nominal letters. By definition, only men are eligible for the honour of Knight Bachelor; women worthy of the rank are appointed Dames Commanders of the Order of the British Empire.

As members of the Commonwealth, Australians were eligible to receive British honours including the rank of Knight Bachelor. Since 1901, over nine hundred Australians have been appointed a Knight Bachelor; making it the nation’s most frequently awarded knighthood. In 1992, seventeen years after the introduction of an Australian honours system, the Australian government announced that it would no longer make recommendations for British honours.