121-573: Sidney Torch MBE (born Sidney Torchinsky ; 5 June 1908 – 16 July 1990) was a British pianist , cinema organist , conductor , orchestral arranger and a composer of light music . Torch was born of Russian Jewish origin to a Ukrainian father, Morris Torchinsky, and an Estonian mother, Annie, at 27 Tottenham Court Road in St Pancras , London . He learned the rudiments of music quickly from his father, an orchestral trombonist, who used to sit next to fellow trombonist Gustav Holst in such places as
242-410: A dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal , whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order. The order was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V , who created the order to recognise 'such persons, male or female, as may have rendered or shall hereafter render important services to Our Empire'. Equal recognition was to be given for services rendered in
363-527: A GBE (in recognition of his role as chairman of the Scottish War Savings Committee) and the award of medal of the order to Lizzie Robinson, a munitions worker. The order had been established primarily as a civilian award; in August 1918, however, not long after its foundation, a number of awards were made to serving naval and military personnel. Four months later, a 'Military Division' was added to
484-428: A brand new snooker set we've constantly been urged And yesterday this very startling fact emerged: We've only got the colours left, the reds have all been purged. At Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh. Each week the closing music for the show consisted of four verses of the song, rising a semitone from one verse to the next. Over the years Horne and Murdoch wrote more than 500 verses for it, including topical material in
605-404: A broad riband or sash, passing from the right shoulder to the left hip. Knights Commander and male Commanders wear the badge from a ribbon around the neck; male Officers and Members wear the badge from a ribbon on the left chest; female recipients other than Dames Grand Cross (unless in military uniform) normally wear it from a bow on the left shoulder. An oval eight-pointed star is worn, pinned to
726-538: A burning building containing explosives. In December 1922 the statutes of the order were amended; there having been a large number of awards for war work prior to this date, these amended statutes placed the order on more of a peacetime footing. For the first time numbers of appointments were limited, with the stipulation that senior awards in the Civil Division were to outnumber those in the Military Division by
847-399: A cheerful cockney with an extreme and contagious glottal stop that infected the pronunciation of those around her. Mr Greenslade, played by Parsons, was an excitable and loquacious Bristolian , who spoke faster and faster as he became more excited. He always finished with his catchphrase, "Oh, I never let the grass grow under my feet". Fifi de la Bon-Bon, known as Mademoiselle Fifi, was
968-449: A circlet bearing the motto of the Order; the reverse bears George V's Royal and Imperial Cypher. (Prior to 1937 Britannia was shown within the circlet.) The size of the badges varies according to rank: the higher classes have slightly larger badges. The badges of Knights and Dames Grand Cross, Knights and Dames Commander, and Commanders are enamelled, with pale blue crosses, crimson circlets and
1089-466: A citizen of a Commonwealth realm can convert their appointment from honorary to substantive, and they then enjoy all privileges of membership of the order, including use of the title of Sir and Dame for the senior two ranks of the Order. (An example of the latter is Irish broadcaster Terry Wogan , who was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order in 2005, and on successful application for British citizenship, held alongside his Irish citizenship,
1210-526: A consistent time; Much-Binding was eventually set to be regularly broadcast at 7:00 pm. Between January and June 1948 Murdoch wrote six instalments of The Chronicles of Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh , a spin-off series, published monthly, in The Strand Magazine . The cast from series one returned and were joined by the sopranos Janet Davis and Gwen Catley . Catley, an established opera performer, left after six programmes as she thought her voice
1331-478: A different view of Costa's character, calling him "the amiable chump who always got things wrong, driving his superiors mad". Denham's principal character was the eager, obliging, upper-class Dudley Davenport, always keen to please ("Dudley Davenport at your service"). Dudley became celebrated for his characteristic gurgling laugh (spelled in the script "Keogh-keogh-keogh!"), his enthusiastic expression of approval—"Oh, jolly D!"—which became well known and much used at
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#17328560766351452-778: A few early programmes by Joyce Grenfell , and in October 1944 Sam Costa joined the cast and became a permanent fixture as the OR aircraftsman . In the early years Horne and Murdoch wrote in their office at the Air Ministry. Later they would meet either at Murdoch's house near Tunbridge Wells , Horne's flat in Kensington or the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall . They would toss ideas about and make notes of them; one of them would then turn
1573-443: A gold central medallion. Officers' badges are plain silver-gilt, while those of Members are plain silver. From 1917 until 1937, the badge of the order was suspended on a purple ribbon, with a red central stripe being added for the military division in 1918. Since 1937, the ribbon has been rose-pink with pearl-grey edges (with the addition of a pearl-grey central stripe for the military division). Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear it on
1694-443: A huge number of recordings during his lifetime, some of them produced by George Martin . Many of Torch's cinema organ recordings have been re-released on CD and can, therefore, still be bought today. A recording of Torch's "Off Beat Moods Part 1" was chosen by Stanley Kubrick as the theme for the fictitious BBC news programme "The World Tonight", seen aboard the spaceship Discovery in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey . Torch had
1815-421: A monologue outlining the news—ranging from incongruous to bizarre—from Much-Binding over the past week. This would be followed by the first musical interlude, after which Horne would enter, greeted by Murdoch with "Good morning, sir. It is good to see you", and then, as Barry Johnston , Horne's biographer, puts it, "they would be off, gradually bringing in the other characters one by one". In the seventh episode of
1936-658: A musical show to which comedy interludes were introduced. From this the BBC developed comedy shows aimed at each of the three branches of the armed forces: Eric Barker 's HMS Waterlogged for the Royal Navy , Charlie Chester 's Stand Easy for the Army and, for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh , Ralph Reader and his Gang Show and Café de NAAFI . All the programmes were largely written and performed by serving members of
2057-445: A new, civilian setting, although Murdoch was unavailable as he was about to start a national tour. They considered replacing him with either Eric Barker or Robb Wilton and moving the location from an RAF station to the "Much Binding Enterprises Ltd" factory or a crammer for backward schoolboys, but it was finally agreed that the two former Much-Binding officers, discovering their old station up for sale, should buy it and turn it into
2178-477: A professional actor and entertainer for twelve years before the war, was well known to listeners from his pre-war role as co-star with the comedian Arthur Askey in the show Band Waggon . On 4 January 1944 Horne and Murdoch appeared on a BBC programme for the armed forces, ENSA Half Hour , for a one-off show based on an idea from Horne based on life at "Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh", a fictional Royal Air Force station in remote rural England. Murdoch believed
2299-488: A proportion of six to one. Furthermore appointments in the civil division were to be divided equally between UK and overseas awards. With regard to the Medal of the Order (but not the order itself), a distinction was made in 1922 between awards 'for gallantry' and awards 'for meritorious service' (each being appropriately inscribed, and the former having laurel leaves decorating the clasp, the latter oak leaves). In 1933 holders of
2420-622: A reputation as a disciplinarian, according to the singers and musicians he conducted. One such performer described the "crackle" which came from starched shirt cuffs on his swift downbeats. It has been said that singers dreaded "the glare of the Torch" if they did not live up to his expectations. Despite this, his private generosity was also recalled by musicians who were in need of temporary financial help. Torch insisted upon smart attire from his musicians: he always had an extra pair of black socks or gloves kept on standby if required. According to David Ades of
2541-407: A revolver". By the mid-1950s tastes in comedy had changed and many of the wartime favourites—including ITMA , Stand Easy and Waterlogged Spa —were no longer on air, replaced by programmes featuring a new generation of performers and writers. According to Johnston, "the gentle humour of Much-Binding now seemed rather old-fashioned" and the programme was not renewed. Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh
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#17328560766352662-512: Is an image of Britannia surrounded by the motto, with the words "For Meritorious Service" at the bottom; on the reverse is George V's Imperial and Royal Cypher, with the words "Instituted by King George V" at the bottom. The name of the recipient is engraved on the rim. This medal is nicknamed "the Gong", and comes in both full-sized and miniature versions – the latter for formal white-tie and semi-formal black-tie occasions. A lapel pin for everyday wear
2783-931: Is not a member of the College of Arms , as are many other heraldic officers; and the Lady Usher of the Purple Rod does not – unlike the Order of the Garter equivalent, the Lady Usher of the Black Rod – perform any duties related to the House of Lords . Since the Second World War, several Commonwealth realms have established their own national system of honours and awards and have created their own unique orders, decorations and medals. A number, though, continue to make recommendations for appointments to
2904-631: The BBC . Torch was the man who created the BBC Light Programme show Friday Night is Music Night , which began in 1953, and continues to be broadcast to this day (currently as 'Sunday Night is Music Night'). Torch also conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra for nearly every Friday Night show until his retirement in 1972. This came after a disagreement with the BBC: Torch snapped his baton in half at
3025-541: The Order of Canada . On the other hand, the Australian Honours System unilaterally created in 1975 did not achieve bi-partisan support until 1992, which was when Australian federal and state governments agreed to cease Australian recommendations for British honours; the last Australian recommended Order of the British Empire appointments were in the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours . New Zealand continued to use
3146-515: The Robert Farnon Society, Torch's music "was also often entertaining to watch as well as hear"; his "London Transport Suite" and "Duel for Drummers" being "ideal examples requiring, as they do, such athletic participation from the percussion section." His personality was described by some of his choral singers and instrumentalists as "tyrannical"; in a 1983 he admitted to having been "cruel" when working with others. However, he also felt that
3267-566: The 1954 series of Much Binding Nicholas Parsons stood in for him, but did not attempt Denham's multiplicity of roles. In a history of British radio comedy Barry Took comments that Horne's "naïve, boring and foolish Senior Officer" was "the opposite of what he was in real life". He was given to asking, "Did I tell you about the time I was in Sidi Barrani ?" before attempting to tell a boring anecdote, usually headed off by Murdoch. The "quick-thinking, amusing and gentle CO" played by Murdoch
3388-464: The 21st century quotas were introduced to ensure consistent representation among recipients across nine categories of eligibility: with the largest proportion of awards being reserved for community, voluntary and local service. Non-military awards of the British Empire Medal resumed in 2012, starting with 293 BEMs awarded for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee . In 2017 the centenary of
3509-487: The British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry , rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service . It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or
3630-788: The British Empire . Rather than using this chapel, the Order now holds its great services upstairs in the nave of the cathedral. In addition to the Chapel of the Order of the British Empire, St Paul's Cathedral also houses the Chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George . Religious services for the whole Order are held every four years; new Knights and Dames Grand Cross are installed at these services. Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander prefix Sir , and Dames Grand Cross and Dames Commander prefix Dame , to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix Lady to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Knights or spouses of Dames. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when
3751-490: The British Empire for Gallantry. Any individual made a member of the order for gallantry after 14 January 1958 wears an emblem of two crossed silver oak leaves on the same ribbon as the badge, with a miniature version on the ribbon bar when worn alone. When the ribbon only is worn the emblem is worn in miniature. It could not be awarded posthumously , and was replaced in 1974 with the Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM). If recipients of
Sidney Torch - Misplaced Pages Continue
3872-806: The Chief Organist of the new Gaumont State Cinema , Kilburn . He continued to play the Wurlitzer there up until 1940, when he was drafted into the RAF and stationed near Blackpool . Torch would play and make recordings on the numerous cinema organs in the Blackpool area during his spare time. While in the RAF, he became the Conductor of the RAF Concert Orchestra, where he learned to arrange music and to conduct . Following
3993-529: The Italian, Winston the dog, Gregory the sparrow, Group Captain Funnybone, Lieutenant-General Sir Harold Tansley-Parkinson and the receptionist at Much-Binding, Ivy Clingbine ("Oh, what have I sayed!"). Diana Morrison's characters included the negative Miss Catcheside (catchphrase "Naah"!); the landlady, Mrs Wimpole; the effusive Miss Gibbs (Gladys), whose amorous clutches Murdoch was anxious to avoid; and Annie Potter,
4114-785: The Military Division of the order from the UK and across the Empire. Recommendations for all appointments to the Order of the British Empire were originally made on the nomination of the King's United Kingdom ministers (recommendations for overseas awards were made by the Foreign Office , the Colonial Office , the India Office and the Dominions Office ); but in the early 1940s the system was changed to enable
4235-485: The Much-Binding Country Club. The first series under the name Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh ran for thirty-eight weeks from January to September 1947, and included a bank holiday special. After the signature tune (the "Much-Binding" tune, for orchestra only) and opening announcement, usually by Philip Slessor, "Much-Binding takes the air!", Horne would introduce "Your old friend, Richard Murdoch!", to deliver
4356-436: The Order of the British Empire for Gallantry received promotion within the order, whether for gallantry or otherwise, they continued to wear also the insignia of the lower grade with the oak leaves; however, they used only the post-nominal letters of the higher grade. When the order was founded in 1917, badges, ribands and stars were appointed for wear by recipients. In 1929 mantles, hats and collars were added for recipients of
4477-513: The Order of the British Empire. In 2024 appointments to the order were made by the governments of: Most members of the order are citizens of the United Kingdom or Commonwealth realms that use the UK system of honours and awards. In addition, honorary awards may be made to citizens of nations where the monarch is not head of state ; these permit use of post-nominal letters, but not the title of Sir or Dame . Honorary appointees who later become
4598-404: The Order, however, are not assigned any special precedence. As a general rule, only wives and children of male recipients are afforded privileges. Knights and Dames Grand Cross are also entitled to be granted heraldic supporters . They may, furthermore, encircle their arms with a depiction of the circlet (a circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of
4719-631: The Overseas Recorded Broadcasting Service (ORBS), which were transmitted to British forces in the Middle East. His work with ORBS brought him into contact with Flight Lieutenant Richard Murdoch ; with a great deal in common in their backgrounds and a similar sense of humour, the pair quickly formed a friendship. Horne informed Murdoch of a squadron leader vacancy in his section at the Ministry, and Murdoch became his colleague. Murdoch,
4840-667: The Queen's Hall Light Orchestra for the Chappell catalogue, using his own name and the pseudonym 'Denis Rycoth' (an anagram of Sidney Torch). He was enlisted by the publishers Francis, Day & Hunter to conduct the New Century Orchestra in 1947, when their library was established, remaining with them until 1949, when a Musicians' Union ban stopped all work of this kind in Britain. Torch conducted many orchestras and bands, particularly those of
4961-519: The Trocadero Cinema, Elephant and Castle and was followed at the Regal until 1932 by Reginald Foort . Torch's tenure at the Regal lasted until 1934. His signature tune became "I've Got To Sing a Torch Song" (from the film Gold Diggers of 1933 ), which had his own special lyrics added. Torch then played the organ in a number of London cinemas (amongst others, the Regal, Edmonton) and in 1937 he became
Sidney Torch - Misplaced Pages Continue
5082-485: The UK and overseas. Today the majority of recipients are UK citizens, though a number of Commonwealth realms outside the UK continue to make appointments to the order. Honorary awards may be made to citizens of other nations of which the order's sovereign is not the head of state. The five classes of appointment to the Order are, from highest grade to lowest grade: The senior two ranks of Knight or Dame Grand Cross and Knight or Dame Commander entitle their members to use
5203-460: The United Kingdom; those who would formerly have met the criteria for the medal were instead made eligible for the MBE. In 2004, a report entitled A Matter of Honour: Reforming Our Honours System by a Commons select committee recommended phasing out the Order of the British Empire, as its title was "now considered to be unacceptable, being thought to embody values that are no longer shared by many of
5324-450: The addition of a vertical pearl grey stripe in the centre for awards in the military division). From time to time the order was expanded: there was an increase in the maximum permitted number of recipients in 1933, and a further increase in 1937. During the Second World War, as had been the case during and after World War I, the number of military awards was greatly increased; between 1939 and 1946 there were more than 33,000 appointments to
5445-457: The aeroplane, instead of using net, The other day we painted it, and much to our regret, We did it so successfully we haven't found it yet, At Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh. Alternatively, during the time of McCarthyism in the US, the lyrics went: At Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh We're nearly always short of filthy lucre. At Much-Binding-in-the-March We play a lot of after-dinner snooker, To get
5566-503: The best-known on BBC radio, was Horne's. He suggested to Murdoch that it would be a good idea if they had a song that began: They worked out the shape of the rest of the tune and got their accompanist, Sidney Torch , to polish it and write it down in musical score. It consisted of an eight-line verse, of which a typical example is: At Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh Security has never been neglected. At Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh, We're careful that our station's not detected. To camouflage
5687-468: The cathedral. That year, Commonwealth awards made up 40% of all OBEs and MBEs awarded (and 35% of all living recipients of the higher awards). Gradually that proportion reduced as independent states within the Commonwealth established their own systems of honours . The last Canadian recommendation for the Order of the British Empire was an MBE for gallantry gazetted in 1966, a year before the creation of
5808-410: The chairman of Twenty Questions . Much-Binding ran for one series of thirty-four shows on Radio Luxembourg between October 1950 and June 1951, recorded in studios off Baker Street , London, and broadcast at 3 pm on Sundays. The cast comprised Murdoch, Horne, Costa, Denham and Bryan. The programmes were compered by Bob Danvers-Walker , who announced the sponsor, Mars bars . Confectionery
5929-589: The characters and were unable to devise any new storylines that fitted with the format. The BBC decided to cut short the series and did not pick up the option of a further thirteen programmes. The place once held by ITMA and then Much Binding as Britain's most popular radio comedy was now occupied by Take It from Here . Although the BBC promised a new series for the following year to Murdoch, Horne and Costa to ensure they did not look for work elsewhere, they accepted an offer from Radio Luxembourg for £50,000 for one series. The BBC were angered and concerned by
6050-418: The circlet. In 1929, to bring the order into line with the other orders of chivalry, members of the first class of the order (GBE) were provided with mantles, hats and collars. Only Knights/Dames Grand Cross wear these elaborate vestments; the hat is now rarely, if ever, worn. Use of the mantle is limited to important occasions (such as quadrennial services and coronations ). The mantle is always worn with
6171-444: The collar. Although the mantle was introduced in 1929, very few mantles would have been produced prior to the 1937 design changes, as there were few occasions for wearing them in the intervening years. On certain days designated by the sovereign, known as " collar days ", members attending formal events may wear the order's collar over their military uniform, formal day dress, evening wear or robes of office. Collars are returned upon
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#17328560766356292-479: The country's population". The committee further suggested changing the name of the award to the Order of British Excellence, and changing the rank of Commander to Companion (as the former was said to have a "militaristic ring"), as well as advocating for the abolition of knighthoods and damehoods; the government, however, was not of the opinion that a case for change had been made, and the aforementioned suggestions and recommendations were not, therefore, pursued. In
6413-403: The death of their owners, but other insignia may be retained. The six office-holders of the order wear pearl-grey mantles lined with rose-pink, having on the right side a purple shield charged with the roundel from the badge. Each of these office-holders wears a unique badge of office, suspended from a gold chain worn around the neck. The British Empire Medal is made of silver. On the obverse
6534-607: The distinction between ranks in military operational gallantry awards will cease'. The reforms affected the order at various levels: for example the automatic award each year of a GBE to the Lord Mayor of London ceased; the OBE replaced the Imperial Service Order as an award for civil servants and the number of MBEs awarded each year was significantly increased. As part of these reforms the British Empire Medal stopped being awarded by
6655-477: The end of his last concert. Torch also composed many pieces for the BBC, particularly the theme tunes for radio and television shows. The theme of the radio show Much Binding In The Marsh is an example of this. Torch also composed independently, mostly pieces of light music. The piece "On A Spring Note" is considered to be one of Torch's best works: it is still regularly played and recorded by modern cinema organists. "Concerto Incognito" for piano and orchestra
6776-420: The end of the Second World War, Torch concluded that the heyday of the cinema organ was over. He thus made a new career in light orchestral music as a composer, conductor and arranger. It has been suggested that his wife Elizabeth Tyson, whom he married in 1949, may have influenced this decision, as she reportedly did not like the organ. Starting in 1946, Torch composed and conducted a number of instrumentals with
6897-419: The end of the previous series and was replaced by Dora Bryan , who joined the cast as Miss Gladys Plum, the newspaper's fashion expert. Costa played Prudence Gush, the radio critic, and Denham added more roles to his repertoire, including Mr Bubul the printer, Mulch the gardener and "the strip man—the chap who draws those thrilling adventures on the back page". He was not available after episode 23, and his place
7018-660: The end results could have been positive, with those on the receiving end having benefited from this treatment. In 1949, Torch married Eva Elizabeth Tyson (known as Elizabeth), a BBC producer. He retired from full-time conducting with the BBC in 1972 and was appointed an MBE in 1985. He and his wife lived in a flat in Eastbourne , Sussex , with a grand piano which he reportedly never played. He appeared to lose interest in music, and gave his records away to friends. Despite this, Torch and his wife were reportedly happy in retirement. She predeceased him, dying on 1 March 1990. Torch's health
7139-515: The former was to be responsible for recording all proceedings connected with the order, issuing warrants under the seal of the order and making arrangements for investitures, while the latter (at that time the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury ) was responsible for collecting and tabulating the names of those who were to receive an award. The office of Dean was added in 1957. The King of Arms
7260-401: The governments of overseas dominions to make their own nominations; Canada and South Africa began doing so in 1942, followed by Australia, New Zealand and other Commonwealth realms. In May 1957, forty years after the foundation of the order, it was announced that St Paul's Cathedral was to serve as the church of the order, and in 1960 a chapel was dedicated for its use within the crypt of
7381-450: The highest class of the order (GBE). The designs of all these items underwent major changes in 1937. The badge is worn by all members of the order; the size, colour and design depends on the class of award. The badge for all classes is in the form of a cross patonce (having the arms growing broader and floriated toward the end) with a medallion in the centre, the obverse of which bears a crowned image of George V and Queen Mary within
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#17328560766357502-604: The honours system, calling it "a preposterous charade". The order has attracted some criticism for its naming having connection with the idea of the now-extinct British Empire . Benjamin Zephaniah , a British poet of Jamaican and Barbadian descent, publicly rejected appointment as an Officer in 2003 because, he asserted, it reminded him of "thousands of years of brutality". He also said that "it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised". Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh
7623-507: The idea could be developed into a sitcom and the two men worked together to produce more material. The producer of Merry-go-Round , Leslie Bridgmont, liked what they sent him and booked them to appear in the programme on 31 March 1944. "Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh" drew on the name of a real RAF station at Moreton-in-Marsh , Gloucestershire, along with the word "binding", Air Force slang for grumbling or complaining. Bridgmont pictured it as "a desolate, decrepit aerodrome with its one hangar,
7744-449: The indoor games instructor; Barbara Valerie played her with, in the words of Denis Gifford , many a coquettish "Ooh-la-la!". The Hon Babs du Croix Fotheringham, known as Queenie for short, played by the singer Dorothy Carless, was one of the WAAFs stationed at Much-Binding. She had little dialogue but had her own catch-phrase, "Okay, ducks!" Miss Louisa Goodbody, played by Vivienne Chatterton,
7865-446: The insignia to Buckingham Palace and by ceasing to make reference to their honour, but they still hold the honour unless and until annulled by the monarch. In 2003, The Sunday Times published a list of the people who had rejected the Order of the British Empire, including David Bowie , John Cleese , Nigella Lawson , Elgar Howarth , L. S. Lowry , George Melly , and J. G. Ballard . In addition, Ballard voiced his opposition to
7986-624: The junior post-nominal letters. The British sovereign is the sovereign of the order and appoints all other officers of the order (by convention, on the advice of the governments of the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth realms ). The second-most senior officer is the Grand Master (a 'Prince of the Blood Royal, or other exalted personage' appointed by the sovereign, who, by virtue of their appointment, becomes 'the First or Principal Knight Grand Cross of
8107-519: The latter. Knights and Dames Commander and Commanders may display the circlet, but not the collar, surrounding their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet. See List of current honorary knights and dames of the Order of the British Empire Only the monarch can annul an honour. The Honours Forfeiture Committee considers cases and makes recommendations for forfeiture. An individual can renounce their honour by returning
8228-463: The left breast, by Knights and Dames Grand Cross; Knights and Dames Commander wear a smaller star composed of 'four equal points and four lesser'. The star is not worn by the more junior classes. Prior to 1937 each star had in the centre a gold medallion with a figure of Britannia, surrounded by a crimson circlet inscribed with the motto of the order ('For God and the Empire'); since 1937 the effigies of King George V and Queen Mary have been shown within
8349-516: The lyrics. Over its ten years, the programme featured several singers in the musical numbers in mid-show. Among them were Marilyn Williams, Maudie Edwards , Joan Winters, Dorothy Carless, Binnie Hale , Vivienne Chatterton and Gwen Catley . In the early programmes the music was played by the RAF Orchestra, billed as "all-star", and numbering many of Britain's best young instrumentalists among its personnel. Torch conducted. The conductors of
8470-569: The medal 'for gallantry', which had come to be known as the Empire Gallantry Medal , were given permission to use the postnominal letters EGM (and at the same time to add a laurel branch emblem to the ribbon of the medal); however, in 1940, awards of the EGM ceased and all holders of the medal were instructed to exchange it for a new and more prestigious gallantry award: the George Cross . In 1941,
8591-547: The medal of the order 'for meritorious service' was renamed the British Empire Medal , and the following year its recipients were granted the right to use the postnominal letters BEM. During the war, the BEM came to be used to recognise acts of bravery which did not merit the award of a George Cross or George Medal , a use which continued until the introduction of the Queen's Gallantry Medal in 1974. The designs of insignia of
8712-449: The medal. The colour of the riband was also changed: twenty years earlier, prior to the order's establishment, Queen Mary had made it known that pink would be her preferred colour for the riband of the proposed new order, but, in the event, purple was chosen. Following her appointment as Grand Master of the order in 1936 a change was duly made and since 9 March 1937 the riband of the order has been 'rose pink edged with pearl grey’ (with
8833-458: The most popular British radio comedy and was succeeded by Take It from Here and The Goon Show . After the show ended, its two stars returned to radio in several long-running series. During the Second World War radio comedy was an important feature of British national life. The fledgling television service started by the BBC in 1936 was suspended for the duration of the war and radio
8954-457: The move of the series to Radio Luxembourg, but as none of the performers were under contract to the organisation at that point, they were not constrained by the restrictive clause in most BBC contracts that stopped its performers working for the BBC's competitors. As they could not prevent Horne and Murdoch from working for Radio Luxembourg, the BBC withdrew its offer of a series the following year and did not renew its contract with Horne to return as
9075-469: The names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Male clergy of the Church of England or the Church of Scotland do not use the title Sir (unless they were knighted before being ordained) as they do not receive the accolade (they are not dubbed "knight" with a sword), although they do append the post-nominal letters ; dames do not receive the accolade, and therefore female clergy are free to use
9196-399: The national popular press: Perhaps it is that Dickie Murdoch and Kenneth Horne can not only write a good script, but one which fits their own personalities like a glove. Here, obviously, are a pair of first-class scripticians (oh, my word!). Other artists might take the hint. The show continued to be broadcast as part of Merry-go-Round until February 1946. As the established star, Murdoch
9317-419: The notes into a script to be transcribed by Bridgmont's secretary. Typically, on the day of broadcast, the show would be rehearsed from 1 pm to 2.30, with a full run-through at 5 pm. The show would be given before a studio audience, broadcast live in the evening, and recorded for repeat transmission on home and forces networks later. Murdoch later described writing scripts with Horne as "pure joy", as
9438-449: The numbers restricted to the order as full members do. Although the Order of the British Empire has by far the highest number of members of the British orders of chivalry, with more than 100,000 living members worldwide, there are fewer appointments to knighthoods than in other orders. From time to time, individuals may be promoted to a higher grade within the Order, thereby ceasing usage of
9559-530: The old Holborn Empire . Torch studied piano at the Blackheath Conservatoire in south east London . His gift for memory came to his rescue when he entered an examination room and realised that he had left the compulsory music back at his home in Maida Vale . He thus had no choice but to play from memory; he passed with distinction. Following his studies, his first professional job was as accompanist to
9680-605: The order alongside its own honours until the establishment of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1996. Other Commonwealth realms have continued to use the Order of the British Empire alongside their own honours. In 1993 the Prime Minister, John Major , instituted a reform of the honours system with the aim 'that exceptional service or achievement will be more widely recognised; that greater importance will be given to voluntary service; that automatic honours will end; that
9801-408: The order and medal were altered in 1937, prior to the coronation of King George VI , 'in commemoration of the reign of King George V and Queen Mary, during which the Order was founded'. The figure of Britannia at the centre of the badge of the order was replaced with an image of the crowned heads of the late King and Queen Mary, and the words 'Instituted by King George V' were added to the reverse of
9922-409: The order was celebrated with a service at St Paul's Cathedral. The order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross, 845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the total number of members of the fourth and fifth classes, but no more than 858 officers and 1,464 members may be appointed per year. Foreign appointees, as honorary members, do not contribute to
10043-426: The order, to which serving personnel would in future be appointed. The classes were the same as for the Civil Division (as it was now termed), but military awards were distinguished by the addition of a central vertical red stripe to the purple riband of the civil awards. In 1920 appointment as an MBE 'for an act of gallantry' was granted for the first time, to Sydney Frank Blanck Esq, who had rescued an injured man from
10164-636: The pair enjoyed the same sense of humour. In the early shows, under the Merry-go-Round banner, the first half, with comic dialogue and narrative, was set in Murdoch's office at Much-Binding, after which the scene moved to the canteen for a concert—a spoof of typical NAAFI entertainments. "Flight Officer Flannel"—played by Binnie Hale , Dorothy Carless or Doris Hare , according to availability—would sing, as would Costa. Murdoch would perform one of his nonsense lyrics to well-known classical tunes, Horne would play
10285-412: The parts of a whodunit (the butler, maid, Sir Anthony Dunkels, Lady Dunkels, their daughter and her boyfriend); he also provided the sound effects of a cocktail shaker, horse's hooves and a closing door, all completed within three minutes. Johnson described Denham's performance as "an incredible tour de force, switching from one voice to the other, until the play ended with all the characters being shot by
10406-434: The programme saw Murdoch and Horne pictured on the cover of The Radio Times and an interview with the cast inside. The show's premise changed to Murdoch inheriting the newspaper Sticklecrumpets Weekly , which was soon changed to The Weekly Bind . According to Horne, the paper's "circulation was only two when we took over—both elderly gentlemen who had somehow forgotten to cancel their subscriptions". Morrison had left at
10527-653: The respective services. The shows were broadcast in turn on a three-weekly cycle for each service, under the overall Merry-go-Round banner. In 1943 Kenneth Horne —a wing commander at the Air Ministry in London—was writing and broadcasting on Ack-Ack, Beer-Beer , a BBC radio show for the Air Force based on those who worked for the RAF Balloon Command . He was also broadcasting on other shows, including those on
10648-416: The royals were made during the programme and during the closing song Murdoch used his catchphrase "Good old Char-lee!" By the end of the series, the quality of the material "began to falter noticeably", according to Johnston. The fourth series ran for twenty-seven weeks, from March to September 1950. A former performer from ITMA , Diana Morrison , was added to the cast; her range of comic voices added to
10769-586: The same Order'). The position of Grand Master has been held by the following people: In addition to the sovereign and the grand master , the order has six further officers: At its foundation the order was served by three officers: the King of Arms, the Registrar & Secretary and the Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod. In 1922 the Prelate was added, and the office of Registrar was separated from that of Secretary:
10890-466: The saxophone, and the show would conclude with a lively piece from the orchestra. Later, the show followed the precedent of ITMA and other programmes by being divided into comedy sections interspersed with music. Much-Binding settled into a pattern of three comedy sections separated by two musical slots: the first for the orchestra alone and the second for orchestra with singer. The final edition of Much-Binding-in-the-March as part of Merry-go-Round
11011-486: The scripts from Anthony Armstrong and Talbot Rothwell . The Radio Times described Over to You as "a successor" to Much Binding ; the programme was due to have "rather more plot in each programme than in the previous series and a new ... equally catchy, topical jingle ... to close every show". The final series of the show was titled Much Binding and was broadcast for thirty-five weeks from July 1953 to March 1954, every Friday at 9:30 pm. The return of
11132-448: The scripts were mainly handled by Maurice Denham and Diana Morrison, with assistance from some of the singers in small speaking roles. Both Dehham and Morrison were already familiar to radio listeners, having appeared in ITMA , in which Denham's roles included the charlady, Lola Tickle; Morrison's principal ITMA character was the redoubtable Miss Hotchkiss. When Denham was unavailable during
11253-431: The series, Maurice Denham joined the cast playing multiple roles; such was his vocal dexterity that Murdoch described him as "a vocal chameleon". The second series ran for thirty weeks, from November 1947 to June 1948. The programme was broadcast on Wednesday evenings, but for several weeks the BBC moved the broadcast times, causing many complaints from listeners. Horne wrote to the BBC management to complain and ask for
11374-524: The show became the chronicle of a newspaper, The Weekly Bind . Among the supporting cast were Sam Costa as the officers' batman , Maurice Denham in a multitude of roles, Diana Morrison , Dora Bryan and Nicholas Parsons . Singers in the show's musical interludes included Gwen Catley , Maudie Edwards , Binnie Hale and Doris Hare . Among those appearing as guest stars were Phyllis Calvert , Richard Dimbleby , Glynis Johns , Alan Ladd and Jean Simmons . The show followed It's That Man Again as
11495-457: The solitary aeroplane, 'Cabbage White Mark II', that never got off the ground and the crude outdoor 'ablutions'". Horne's biographer Norman Hackforth writes that after the first broadcast in January 1944, the show "wasn't exactly an overnight sensation" but Bridgmont liked it enough to commission further episodes, and the show's popularity grew. By September 1945 the programme was being praised in
11616-455: The standard of the George Medal (even though, as appointments to an order of chivalry, they were listed before it on the Order of Wear . In contrast to awards for meritorious service, which usually appear without a citation, there were often citations for gallantry awards, some detailed and graphic. From 14 January 1958, these awards were designated Commander, Officer or Member of the Order of
11737-630: The time, and his usual exit line, "Oh, I say, I am a fool! "; his mother, Lady Davenport, was played by the singer and actress Babs Valerie. Denham also played some 60 more characters, including Mr Blake, the sexton , who spoke rustic nonsense in an impenetrable accent; Mr Bubul, the bumbling compositor of The Weekly Bind ; Ivy Plackett, the exuberant proprietress of the village shop at Little Binding; Fred, another obliging person, whose genteel mangling of vowels turned "yes" into "yays"; and Nigel, an ill-mannered silkworm, given to burping after munching his mulberry leaves. Denham's other roles included Luigi
11858-506: The title Dame . Knights and Dames Grand Cross use the post-nominal GBE; Knights Commander, KBE; Dames Commander, DBE; Commanders, CBE; Officers, OBE; and Members, MBE. The post-nominal for the British Empire Medal is BEM. Members of all classes of the order are assigned positions in the order of precedence . Wives of male members of all classes also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander; relatives of Ladies of
11979-577: The titles Sir for men and Dame for women before their forenames, except with honorary awards. King George V founded the order to fill gaps in the British honours system : In particular, George V wished to create an order to honour the many thousands of individuals from across the Empire who had served in a variety of non-combat roles during the First World War . From its foundation the order consisted of five classes (GBE, KBE/DBE, CBE, OBE and MBE) and
12100-579: The variety of characters. The number of listeners dropped sharply after the ninth episode of the series, falling from 74 per cent of the audience in March 1949 to 39 per cent in late June. The drop caused consternation at the BBC. T. W. Chalmers, the Controller of the BBC Light Entertainment Programme, considered the public had tired of the programme because Horne and Murdoch were too tied to
12221-517: The various orchestras included Stanley Black , Billy Ternent , Harry Rabinowitz , Frank Cantell , Paul Fenoulhet, Robert Busby and Charles Shadwell . While on Radio Luxembourg, musical accompaniment for the first three programmes was provided by Woolf Phillips and the Skyrockets; the remainder of the series had music by the Squadronaires with Ronnie Aldrich as conductor. The orchestra
12342-686: The violinist Albert Sandler. He worked as an accompanist before getting a job playing the piano with the Orchestra of the Regal Cinema, Marble Arch , London . When the cinema's Christie Theatre Organ was installed in 1928, Torch became the Assistant Organist to the Chief Organist, Quentin Maclean. Torch took over as Chief Organist at the Cinema in 1932. Maclean had left in 1930 to become Chief Organist of
12463-431: The way, have you seen anything of Edward Wilkinson lately?"; and Charlie Farnsbarns, a dogsbody often mentioned by Costa. In the ten years of its run Much-Binding featured occasional appearances by many guest stars, including Jean Simmons , Glynis Johns , Richard Dimbleby , Alan Ladd , Joyce Grenfell , Maudie Edwards and Phyllis Calvert . The original idea for the show's signature tune, which became one of
12584-494: Was "a character very like himself", according to Took. His catch-phrases included "Have you read any good books lately?", when trying to change an awkward subject and, less explicably, "Good old Charlie-ee!" Costa's character was a sort of batman to the two officers; his usual opening line was, "Good morning, sir! Was there something?". Took describes the character as "the archetypal grumbling aircraftsman , brighter than his 'betters' and unhappy with his lot". Johnston takes
12705-399: Was a comedy show broadcast from 1944 to 1950 and 1951 to 1954 by BBC Radio and in 1950–1951 by Radio Luxembourg . It was written by and starred Richard Murdoch and Kenneth Horne as officers in a fictional RAF station coping with red tape and the inconveniences and incongruities of life in the Second World War . After the war the station became a country club and, for its last season,
12826-675: Was a hit with Australian listeners, and in 1954 Murdoch was contracted by the Australian Broadcasting Commission for four months to provide a weekly variety programme Much Murdoch . He tried to persuade Horne to accompany him, but Horne was by then the sales director of Triplex Safety Glass and too busy to take a long break. Horne managed to travel to Australia to record eight shows of the series, which were retitled Much Murdoch and Horne for his appearances. Horne, Murdoch and Costa generally played their usual characters under their own names. The other characters appearing in
12947-453: Was a seemingly frail old spinster who was nonetheless ready "to have a bash". There were four characters who were regularly mentioned but never appeared: Horne's formidable wife Bessie, whose displeasure he strove to avoid ("Not a word to Bessie about this!"); Costa's wife, Emily, whose "twinges" were a regular problem; Edward Wilkinson, a mysterious and unexplained character to whom Murdoch and Horne frequently referred apropos of nothing: "By
13068-402: Was first announced at the end of December 2006, and is available to recipients of all levels of the order, as well as to holders of the British Empire Medal . The pin design is not unique to any level. The pin features the badge of the order, enclosed in a circle of ribbon of its colours of pink and grey. Lapel pins must be purchased separately by a member of the order. The creation of such a pin
13189-500: Was first broadcast in May 1951. Both the stars of Much Binding went on to later long-running BBC radio series: Horne to Beyond Our Ken (1958–1964) and Round the Horne (1965–1968) and Murdoch to The Men from the Ministry (1962–1977). Murdoch and Costa appeared on several episodes of Frost on Sunday in 1970, where they performed new topical lyrics to the theme tune. Murdoch also did
13310-603: Was given top billing in the new show. The 1947 billing reads "Richard Murdoch in Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh , with Kenneth Horne, Sam Costa and Marilyn Williams"; by 1954 the billing was "Richard Murdoch, Kenneth Horne and Sam Costa in Much-Binding ". In the first shows the only regular characters were Horne's ponderous but genial Air Officer Commanding and Murdoch's junior officer, intelligent, humorous and able to manipulate his dim-witted superior. They were joined for
13431-502: Was joined for the final series (1953–1954) by the BBC Men's Chorus , conducted by Leslie Woodgate . When Horne and Murdoch left the BBC for Radio Luxembourg, the corporation were concerned that other popular variety performers could abandon the station in favour of commercial radio. They began searching for new performers and new styles to showcase, which led them to sign the Goons , whose show
13552-469: Was made a substantive member and subsequently styled as Sir Terry Wogan). Although initially intended to recognise meritorious service, the order began to also be awarded for gallantry. There were an increased number of cases in the Second World War for service personnel and civilians including the merchant navy, police, emergency services and civil defence, mostly MBEs but with a small number of OBEs and CBEs. Such awards were for gallantry that did not reach
13673-477: Was not suitable for the music. The third series ran for forty-three weeks, from September 1948 to July 1949. For the recording on 28 December 1948, the queen and a party of twelve were in the audience; included in the party were Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) who was on her first public appearance since the birth of her first son— Prince, now King Charles , six months earlier—and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh . Several references to
13794-418: Was on 1 February 1946; the characters had been demobilised , and shook hands and went in separate directions outside the camp. By the end of the war, Much-Binding , sharing the Merry-go-Round slot with other shows, had appeared for just over twenty episodes, but was on its way to overtaking ITMA as the most popular British radio comedy. The BBC was anxious to continue the show under its own name and with
13915-508: Was open to both women and men; provision was also made for conferring honorary awards on foreign recipients. At the same time, alongside the order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. The first investiture took place at Ibrox Stadium , as part of a royal visit to the Glasgow shipyards, with the appointment of Alexander Ure, 1st Baron Strathclyde as
14036-566: Was recommended in Sir Hayden Phillips ' review of the honours system in 2004. The Chapel of the Order of the British Empire is in St Paul's Cathedral . It occupies the far eastern end of the cathedral crypt and was dedicated in 1960. The only heraldic banners normally on display in the chapel are those of the Sovereign of the Order of the British Empire and of the Grand Master of the Order of
14157-566: Was still under rationing in the early 1950s, but the cast were given free supplies of chocolate by the sponsors, to the delight of their young families. Murdoch was not happy with the series and said, "It wasn't really a great success—even my mother said it was rotten, and she was my greatest fan". Returning to the BBC in September 1951, the show was titled Over to You for its first season; it ran for twenty-eight weeks between September 1951 and April 1952. Murdoch and Horne had additional input to
14278-430: Was taken by Nicholas Parsons . In one episode the paper ran out of the letter 'e' and Mr Bubul replaced all of them with the letter 'o', turning the paper into The Wookly Bind . The sports section included a report on the "crickot" that began "Aftor tho Tost match at Loods, tho Onglish toam was agrood by tho soloctors at a committoo mooting", and Betty Grable became "Botty Grablo". In another episode Denham played all
14399-426: Was the sole broadcasting medium, over which the BBC had a monopoly . The most prominent comedy show, It's That Man Again ( ITMA ), ran from 1939, and was reaching audiences of 16 million listeners by 1941. As well as broadcasting to the civilian population, the BBC had to provide entertainment for the armed forces . From early 1940 the BBC's General Forces Programme broadcast Merry-go-Round , originally
14520-468: Was worsening, and, according to one biographer, he became "increasingly depressed". On 16 July 1990, he took an overdose, "leaving warm, apologetic and explanatory notes to two good friends". One of these was his doctor, who was on holiday at the time. He died aged 82, with The Times commenting in their obituary that "he leaves a legacy to treasure". Member of the Most Excellent Order of
14641-457: Was written in the 1940s, in the style of Richard Addinsell 's " Warsaw Concerto " and other "Denham Concertos" popular at the time in many British films. The three movement London Transport Suite , depicting hansom cab, omnibus and steam train, was written for a BBC Light Music Festival commission in 1957. "The Trapeze Waltz" (1963) became the theme tune for a series of French-themed plays, Maupassant , produced by Granada Television . Torch made
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