United Kingdom. An Order of the Bath, Military Division, Commander' Star, ( K.C.B.), c.1960

Instituted 1725. Military Division. Type II (1815-). K.C.B. A silver cross consisting of numerous multifacted rays, obverse central medallion features the tricrown insignia in a red enamel surround featuring the inscription TRIA JUNCTA IN UNO (Three Joined In One), surrounded by a green enamelled laurel wreath with central red enamel berries, with a blue enamel ribbon inscribed ICH DIEN (I Serve), the reverse features a single Gold pin assembly, measures 75mm (diameter), weighs 77grams, light enamel chipping to two central crowns, otherwise enamels intact, near extremely fine condition.

Footnote: The Most Honourable Order of the Bath was established by King George I in 1725 on the advice of the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Robert Walpole. The Order derives its name from the ceremonial bath that Knights performed as part of a series of purification rites before they were admitted into knighthood during the medieval era. These rites were continued as part of the tradition until 1815 when the Order was entirely restructured. It has since been the members themselves who have invested the Order with its prestige, and not its thinly veiled connections to traditions of the past. Membership was originally limited to 36 Knight Companions, but participation in the Napoleonic Wars necessitated an increase in membership to reward military achievement. In 1815, the Order was expanded from a single class into a three-class system with a military and civil division, although the civil division was not formalized until 1847.