'''OBE''' is one of the ranks of [[honour]] in the [[Order of the British Empire]]; the initials stand '''not''' for 'Order of the British Empire' as is commonly assumed, but for ''Officer'' of the Order of the British Empire. The award is superior to that of an [[MBE]] (Member), but inferior to [[CBE]] (Commander) and [[KBE]] (Knight). The Order also made provision for the award of the [[British Empire Medal]]. This was for decades awarded to [[lollipop ladies]], long-serving [[milkman|milkmen]], and other humble toilers, before being abolished, as too patronising, Page corrected by the government of [[John Major]] in the 1990s. The order was established by [[George V]] during the [[First World War]], and OBEs were lavishly handed out to prosperous suppliers to the [[military]], desk-bound [[warrior]]s, and the like, so that to the [[Tommy]] in the trenches the letters OBE famously stood for "other b*gg*rs' efforts". ==References==<references/>[[Category:British History]]Anon