Honours and Awards

Sir William Stephenson received prestigious honours, including Companion of the Order of Canada and knighthood, along with military awards and honorary doctorates for his exceptional achievements and contributions.

Companion of the Order of Canada [CC]

The Order of Canada
The Companion of the Order of Canada.

Presented by Governor-General Ed Schreyer in 1980 for a lifetime of extraordinary service.  The Companion of the Order of Canada is the highest civilian honour awarded in Canada. Sir William’s citation reads:

This Quiet Canadian from Winnipeg earned early renown as a pilot in the First World War and became an inventor and industrialist before he was thirty. He played a key role in the Second World War when, amongst other notable achievements, he organized and directed so daring and successful an espionage network that it is credited with playing an important part in the Allied Victory. He was, indeed, A Man Called Intrepid. Subsequently, Sir William lent his formidable talents to extensive industrial enterprises in Canada and beyond. In recognition of his extraordinary achievements.

Order of the Buffalo Hunt, Chief Hunter

Order of the Buffalo Hunt, Chief Hunter
Order of the Buffalo Hunt, Chief Hunter.

On September 21, 1985, Manitoba awarded Sir William with its highest honour at that time, The Order of the Buffalo Hunt, Chief Hunter.

(In 1999, the Order of Manitoba became the highest honour in the province.)

Knight Bachelor [Sir] (from Britain)

Knight Bachelor [Sir] (from Britain)
Knight Bachelor [Sir] (from Britain).

Knighted  into the order of Knights Bachelor by King George VI in 1945 for extraordinary service to the war effort.

Military Awards and Honours

William-Stephenson-with-medals
  • Military Cross [MC] (from Britain) – First World War – awarded in June 1918
  • Distinguished Flying Cross [DFC] [from Britain) – First World War – awarded in September 1918
  • British War Medal
  • Inter-Allied Victory Medal
  • Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal 1977
  • Officier de la Légion d’honneur (from France)
  • Croix de Guerre avec Palme (from France)
  • Croix de Guerre (from Belgium)
  • Presidential Medal for Merit (from the U.S.A. (President Harry S. Truman) – awarded in 1946 – America’s highest civilian award.
  • William J. Donovan Award (from the OSS Society)

Citizenship and Academic

1979, Will receives Honorary Doctorate degree, University of Winnipeg
1979: Sir William Stephenson receives an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Manitoba. Pictured (L to R): President Ralph Campbell, Sir William Stephenson, and Chancellor Isabel Auld.
  • Honourary Doctor of Science [D.Sc.] (from the Univ. of Manitoba)In December 1979, The University of Manitoba awarded Stephenson an Honourary D. Sc. [Doctor of Science] in a unique special remote convocation ceremony in his home in Bermuda.
  • Honourary Doctor of Laws [LL.D.][Doctor of Laws] (from the Univ. of Winnipeg) – awarded in May 1979
  • Honourary Doctor of Science [D.Sc.] (from the Univ. of Windsor)
  • Honourary Doctor of Military Science [D.Sc. Mil.] (from the Royal Military College)
  • Twice the Citizen Award (from the The Royal Military Institute of Manitoba)
  • The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem
  • Honourary Doctor of Science [D.Sc.] (from the University of West Indies)
  • Canada Post issued, within its 2000 Millenium Collection, a postage stamp in his honour.
  • The Camp X Society erected a bronze plaque within its Camp X Memorial, near Oshawa, Ontario, Canada