The 1945 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours were announced on 14 August 1945 to mark the resignation of the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

, following the success of the Labour Party in the

1945 General Election The following elections occurred in the year 1945. Africa * 1945 South-West African legislative election Asia * 1945 Indian general election Australia * 1945 Fremantle by-election Europe * 1945 Albanian parliamentary election * 1945 Bulgarian ...

."Resignation Honours." ''The Times'', 14 August 1945, p. 4.Official publication was in the Published on 17 August 1945. The Gazette listing does not include the Defence Medals awarded. Retrieved 2008-02-27. The list was particularly notable for four recommendations outside party politics which had the approval of the new Prime Minister, Clement Attlee. These were to the Chiefs of Staff of the armed services and the Ministry of Defence in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, honouring what ''The Times'' called "the most remarkable achievement of team work in British military history ... followed with conspicuous mastery to its consummation in the most absolute of all victories."''The Times'', 14 August 1945, p. 5. Other nominations followed the usual convention of

Prime Minister's Resignation Honours The Prime Minister's Resignation Honours in the United Kingdom are honours granted at the behest of an outgoing prime minister following their resignation. In such a list, a prime minister may ask the monarch to bestow peerages, or lesser honours, ...

, rewarding loyal service to the Conservative Party and political and personal service to the retiring Prime Minister. Amongst these honours, ''The Times'' noted in particular the

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

for

A. P. Herbert Sir Alan Patrick Herbert CH (A. P. Herbert, 24 September 1890 – 11 November 1971), was an English humorist, novelist, playwright, law reformist, and in 1935–1950 an independent Member of Parliament for Oxford University. Born in Ashtead, Su ...

, "who has his individual niche in the parliamentary temple as the doughty vindicator of the private member's rights, including not least the right to legislate." The list included the first awards of the newly inaugurated Defence Medal, intended to honour members of the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting w ...

, Civil Defence, and troops serving in non-operational areas. However, these four awards were to people who went with Churchill into operational areas, and were noted as being in a special category. The recipients are displayed below as they were styled before their new honour.

Defence List

Baron

* Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff since 1941 * Admiral of the Fleet Sir Andrew Cunningham, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff since 1943 * Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Charles Portal, Chief of the Air Staff since 1940

Companion of Honour

*General Sir Hastings Ismay, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence since 1940

KBE

* Major General

Millis Jefferis Major-General Sir Millis Rowland Jefferis KBE MC (9 January 1899 – 5 September 1963) was a British military officer who founded a special unit of the British Ministry of Supply which developed unusual weapons during the Second World War. E ...

, for original work in connection with the development of special war weapons

CBE

* Colonel Kenneth Grant Post, for work in connection with defence against the V weapons

Knighthood

* Captain

Richard Pike Pim Captain Sir Richard Pike Pim, KBE, VRD, DL, RNVR (10 July 1900 – 26 June 1987) was a British civil servant and naval officer. He was the Inspector-General of the Royal Ulster Constabulary from August 1945 to January 1961. During World War I ...

, RNVR, lately supervisor of the Defence Map Room and head of the Upper War Room, Admiralty

Private Office List

Baronet

* George Watt, MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Winston Churchill

CB

* John Miller Martin, Principal Private Secretary to Winston Churchill

CMG

* Commander Charles Ralfe Thompson, RN, Personal Assistant to Winston Churchill

CBE

* George Donald Alastair MacDougall, Chief Assistant, Prime Minister's Statistical Branch

OBE

* Thomas Wilson, Assistant, Prime Minister's Statistical Branch

MBE

* Patrick Francis Kinna * Sheila Allison Minto

Defence Medal

* Marian Lumley-Holmes; Elizabeth Shakespear Layton; Frank Sawyers; Nina Edith Sturdee

Political and Public Services List

Viscount

* Gomer Kemsley, 1st Baron Kemsley, newspaper proprietor * Frederick Penny, 1st Baron Marchwood, treasurer of the Conservative Party

Baron

* Sir George Broadbridge, MP * Sir William Davison, MP * John Llewellin, MP * Sir Charles Lyle, Bt, MP

Privy Councillor

* Sir Cuthbert Headlam, Bt, MP * Malcolm McCorquodale, MP

Baronet

* Ralph Cokayne Assheton, "For public services in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

over a period of fifty years" Ralph Assheton MP, Chairman of the Conservative Party] * Sir Harold Paton Mitchell, 1st Baronet, Harold Mitchell, MP, Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party * Sir Walter Womersley, 1st Baronet, Walter Womersley, MP * Sir Arthur Young, 1st Baronet, Arthur Young, MP,

Knight

* Sir Robert Cary, 1st Baronet, Robert Cary, MP * Alan Patrick Herbert, MP * David Robertson, MP * Brigadier-General Edward Riddell CMG DSO *

Basil Neven-Spence Sir Basil Hamilton Hebden Neven-Spence (12 June 1888 – 13 September 1974) was a Scottish Unionist Party politician and military physician. Neven-Spence came from a prominent landowning family in the Shetland Islands. Neven-Spence graduated ...

, MP

Order of the Companions of Honour

* Rt Hon Leopold Stennett Amery, MP, Secretary of State for India and Burma * Rt Hon Alfred Ernest Brown, MP

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prime Minister Resignation 1945 1945 in British politics August 1945 events in Europe Prime Minister's Resignation Honours Winston Churchill 1945 awards