Foreign News: Honors

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To a Field Marshal and a donkeyman, a woman fireman and a countess, a former Lord Justice and an architect, King George VI last week gave due honor for their services to the Empire. In this year of war the New Year's honors list ran into hundreds of names, was 56 pages long, as against 44 last year. Most honors went for war services, overseas and at home. Two Britons were elevated to the peerage:

> Sir Auckland Campbell Geddes. onetime anatomy professor and Ambassador to the U.S., now a Civil Defense Commissioner.

> Sir Albert Charles Clauson, until recently Lord Justice of Appeal.

Possibly the most treasured honor, the Order of Merit (only 24 holders), went to Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, distinguished architect (Whitehall Cenotaph), president of the Royal Academy.

Others among the honored and their honors:

> General Sir Thomas Albert Blarney, Australian deputy commander of the Middle East Forces (see p. 30)—Knight Grand Cross of the Bath. Grizzled, hearty General Sir Thomas fought like blazes in World War I, had just retired from a business career and was planning a honeymoon when the present war called him back to command.

> Field Marshal Sir John Greer Dill, formerly Chief of the Imperial General Staff, now Governor of Bombay—the same.

> Air Marshal Arthur William Tedder, R.A.F. Middle East Commander, and Major General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, commanding New Zealand forces—Knight Commander of the Bath.

> Sir Archibald John Kerr Clark Kerr, Ambassador to China—Companion of St. Michael and St. George.