Congatulations Andrew Robson..

[pirate22]

Well done-through his Bridge efforts Andrew has been awarded an M.B.E.

no mean feat,in the UK Honours list.all grist to the wheel,it also

augers well for our mind sport.Congrats.

[paulg]

He's actually receiving an OBE, which is a higher award than an MBE.

[pirate22]

He's actually receiving an OBE, which is a higher award than an MBE.

Then if this is the case my sincere apologies my info was from

The Daily Telegraph

[pirate22]

Then if this is the case my sincere apologies my info was from

The Daily Telegraph

Doubly confirmed its an O.B.E

[cherdano]

What's that?

[mgoetze]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OBE

[kenberg]

I knew the name but I don't follow international stars enough to know much more. Here is a link:

 

http://www.arobson.co.uk/about_ar.php?pid=about

 

Congrats to him, and who knows I well might buy a book or two, or a CD. I downloaded a sample from his CD offerings.

[Gerben42]

I guess congrats, what did he get it for?

[Gerben42]

Congrats I guess, is he very active in social things?

[diana_eva]

I guess congrats, what did he get it for?

 

As Roland explained to me, he is now entitled to write "Andrew Robson, OBE" on his letters and CV.

 

He was awarded the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the game of Bridge and to Charity in The Queen's New Year Honours for 2013.

Edited December 30, 2012 by diana_eva

[blackshoe]

Heh. When I was assigned to the Royal Navy for my last tour in the US Navy, I ran across an English idiosyncracy on day one: the Commodore's secretary called me and asked "what are your initials?" "EHR," I replied, puzzled. She said "no, no, I mean what initials do you put after your name?" "Usually none, why?" A bit exasperated at my ignorance (these things are important!") she said "I need to know for the phonebook and other things". Turned out she wanted to know things like what degrees I held (B.S., M.S.) and whether there were any other things I was entitled to claim (P.E., Ph.D., J.D., Esq. (which I think doesn't meant the same thing in England that it does in the US), or anything else). Nope, no other "initials". It didn't seem important to me, and still doesn't, but I guess it was important to somebody. :)

[paulg]

To try and put this honour in some perspective, the Queen grants a number of such awards every year at this time. The newspapers report all the celebrities and sportspeople who are honoured, but the majority actually go to 'ordinary' people for their work in a community and for charity, and civil servants for their 'service' to the country for a pittance of a salary (although decent pension).

 

Those who received the OBE this time including Andy Murray (services to tennis (sic)) and some of our Olympic medallists. Most of the Olympic medallists received the lesser MBE.

 

It is a significant honour but it is not life changing.

[RMB1]

To try and put this honour in some perspective, ...

 

It is a significant honour but it is not life changing.

 

The only other "bridge" OBE I know of is Grattan Endicott (Secretary to the WBF Laws Commission)

[PhilKing]

The only other "bridge" OBE I know of is Grattan Endicott (Secretary to the WBF Laws Commission)

 

You don't get an OBE for being secretary for the WBF Laws Commission - Grattan was on the Sports Council.

[pirate22]

what ever one is awarded-- it can be upgraded at a later year,

in other countries medals are awarded, purple heart's as an

example USA.but uk also has an Honour list dished out by the queen/

king-via the prime ministers recommendation's..

 

As an aside A Robson does write down to earth tips on bridge.

But at the same time David Bird,is a prolic Writer of also

down earth bridge books well worth a Buy.

[blackshoe]

I don't think the award of military medals is any comparison to the honours list. I don't think there is an equivalent in the US.

[P_Marlowe]

I don't think the award of military medals is any comparison to the honours list. I don't think there is an equivalent in the US.

Well, I think you have

 

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120529/obama-honors-bob-dylan-among-medal-freedom-recip

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[SimonFa]

I don't think the award of military medals is any comparison to the honours list. I don't think there is an equivalent in the US.

 

I think this is pretty close to Andrew's award. Maybe if the congressional medal had bronze and silver variants as well as gold Andrew's would have been silver.

 

And the Queen does this twice a year, the other time being in the summer for her official birthday.

 

Simon

[gordontd]

The only other "bridge" OBE I know of is Grattan Endicott (Secretary to the WBF Laws Commission)

Nicola Smith got an award quite some time ago, but hers was an MBE.

[blackshoe]

Okay, fair enough. I'd forgotten about the PMF and CGM. Still, my point about no comparison between these and military medals, particularly medals for valor (Bronze Star, Silver Star, Medal of Honor, etc.) stands.

[Cyberyeti]

Nicola Smith got an award quite some time ago, but hers was an MBE.

I believe Rixi Markus had an MBE too.

[mycroft]

Absolutely, blackshoe - and the British military awards are different as well. Some of them (most of them) aren't strictly valour/bravery awards, or for specific actions (many RAF Bomber Command DFCs were "you survived a tour, you must have done something brave during it" (heh. I think that spending 30 nights in a tin can when one-in-twenty not coming back was an acceptable result is acceptably brave in itself), but the British class structure of the time meant that the equivalent award for non-officers was rarely if ever awarded for the same things the "non-specific" DFCs were).

 

The Order of the British Empire is an award of chivalry, not an award of valour.

 

And it is quite an honour, congratulations Mr. Robson. But remember the Goon Show (one of so very many relevant):

 

"Major Dennis Bloodnok, OBE, MT, MT and MT."

"What are all the MTs for?"

"I get tuppence on each of them!"

[blackshoe]

There's some of that in US military awards as well. When I was on CINCPACFLT's staff as a LT, I served on the committee that reviewed awards recommendations from the fleet. The idea was to screen out the ones who shouldn't get whatever it was, and pass on the ones that should. It was quite an eye opener, serving on that committee. "You can't give him that, he's too junior", in spite of the awards manual explicitly stating that the rank of the proposed recipient was not supposed to be a consideration, was about the mildest of the "oddities".

 

I do confess to some fondness for some of the trappings of monarchy, including orders of chivalry and achievements of arms. :D

[Vampyr]

It is a shame that Andrew Robson got to where he is now due to sponsorship by the EBU, and now refuses to affiliate his large privately-owned club.

[PhilKing]

It is a shame that Andrew Robson got to where he is now due to sponsorship by the EBU, and now refuses to affiliate his large privately-owned club.

 

It's entirely possible that talent and hard work played a part and that EBU sponsorship played less than a 1% part.

 

Maybe he feels his members would get insufficient benefit from affiliation to the EBU. When Robson came through the Juniors, funding was through the BBL (and representation was for Great Britain - not England or the EBU). The BBL staff numbered one full time and one part time person and they were able to raise sufficient funds for international events and training programs, and when people entered a BBL congress or simultaneous pairs, that was where almost all the money went. Sponsorship was more likely to come from clubs like the Young Chelsea, which offered free premises for junior training weekends and reduced membership and session fees. Now most of the money just pays for a bloated EBU bureaucracy.