When other war correspondents in WW1 missed out?

And when, being an American, he wasn't strictly eligible?

(If none of the authorised researches can figure this out, perhaps Kemlo can?)

So come on, Journalist, rise to the challenge!

Greetings ProMan:

I found these blurbs online and wanted to share them with you:

"The most recognisable figure from Fleet Street in Scoop is Sir
Jocelyn Hitchcock, Waugh's portrait of Sir Percival Phillips.
Phillips, an experienced and accomplished hand, had covered the
Spanish-American War in Cuba for the Telegraph in 1898 and was one of
the five accredited correspondents with the British armies on the
Western Front during the First World War, for which he had been
knighted. He did a short spell with the Daily Express and in 1924 had
joined the Daily Mail. In 1930, while Waugh was reporting the
Emperor's coronation in Addis Ababa for the Times, Daily Express and
Daily Graphic, Phillips was the Mail's star turn."
From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2003/05/28/bobil28.xml

"Having secured the deal, and before vanishing, Rickett elected to
give the story exclusively to two newspaper correspondents in Addis
Ababa. One was James A Mills of Associated Press on America. The other
was Sir Percival Philips of The Daily Telegraph. He was one of half a
dozen British correspondents to have been knighted for their services
in the second World War."
From http://doj.shef.ac.uk/js/deedes.htm

The latter refers to Phillips as a British subject.  Perhaps I'll
locate more as the day progresses.

Best regards,
journalist-ga


SEARCH STRATEGY:

"Percival Phillips" reason knighted
"Percival Phillips" why knighted
WWI war correspondents

Hello probonopublico

"Percival Phillips was born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, USA, in
1877. He worked for various American daily newspapers and established
himself as one of the country's leading war correspondents. He covered
the Greek-Turkish War (1897) and the Spanish-American War (1898).

In 1901 Phillips moved to England where joined the recently formed
Daily Express. Over the next few years he reported on all the major
stories including the Jamaican earthquake (1907), revolutions in
Catalonia (1909) and Portugal (1910), the royal tour of India
(1911-12) and the Balkan War (1912-23).

In August 1914 Phillips was sent to Belgium where he was attached to
the Belgian Army. He covered the invasion of Belgium and in 1915
Phillips became on of the five journalists selected by the government
to report the war on the Western Front.

After the war Phillips continued work as a foreign correspondent and
in the 1920s and 1930s covered all the major stories around the world.
He also accompanied the Prince of Wales on many royal tours including
Canada (1919), India and Japan (1921-22) and Africa (1928). In 1931
Phillips, working for the Daily Telegraph, achieved a scoop, when he
discovered an important story on oil concessions in Abyssinia.
Percival Phillips died in 1937."
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jphillips.htm

It would seem that Percival Phillips was one of the five mentioned
below:
"In 1915 Gibbs was one of the five journalists selected by the
government to become official war correspondents with the British
Army. Gibbs had to submit all his reports to the censor, C. E.
Montague, the former leader writer with the Manchester Guardian."
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jgibbs.htm

It seems Sir Percival Phillips was awarded a KBE 
"Sir Percival Phillips, K.B.E. (Correspondant spécial du « Daily Mail
»)"
http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache:DbP8udrkhWQJ:cetrbilbi.free.fr/textes/phillips_dragon.pdf++%22Percival+Phillips+k+b+e%22&hl=pt&ie=UTF-8

As you can see below it is not necessary to be a British Citizen to
hold a KBE:

"A KBE or Knight Commander in the Most Excellent Order of the British
Empire and its female equivalent Dame Commander in The Most Excellent
Order of the British Empire (DBE) is an honorific knighthood in the
British honours system normally awarded to foreign nationals. As such
recipients are normally not able to use the appellation "Sir", but in
the case of the recipient subsequently adopting British Citizenship
(as in the case of Yehudi Menuhin and Jean Paul Getty, Jr.) the title
may be used."
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/KBE

"At first branded as outlaws by Lord Kitchener and liable to arrest if
found anywhere near the frontline, by 1918 the war correspondents had
become fully integrated into the military system as mouthpieces for
the 'official' version of events. Using a wide range of contemporary
newspaper extracts to complement his narrative, Martin Farrar relates
their troubled story and focuses in particular on the work of five men
who became accredited to the British General Headquarters: William
Beach Thomas, Philip Gibbs, Percival Phillips, Perry Robinson and
Herbert Russell. Their actions not only affected the mass media's
credibility at the time, but also raised the possibility that, had the
truth been told in the first place, the war could have been over long
before 1918."
http://www.war-art.com/ww1_books.htm

So, the fact that he was knighted with a KBE is quite possible even
though he was not a British Citizen (the fact that the title "Sir" is
used seems to inicate that at sometime he adopted British Citizenship
although it might also be that he didn't use the "Sir" but others
did/do)
It is also depends on how the five correspondents (mentioned above)
were integrated into the British Army, I find it difficult to believe
that the British army would accept a foreign citizen into its ranks,
and so maybe he became a British Citizen in order to join the army and
cover the war?

Best regards

THX1138

Hello again probonopublico,

Also see

"Americans admitted to membership of British Orders of Chivalry are
not called ``Sir,'' but Spielberg can place the letters KBE after his
name."
http://www.harrisonfordweb.com/news_archive00.php#

Best regards

THX1138

Many thanks to both of you.

However, Britain has often tossed out its honours to non-nationals. 

For example, Basil Zaharoff picked up a top honour for (allegedly)
'helping to shorten WW1'.

Then, much to the disgust of King Georgio the Funf, he called himself
'Sir Basil'.

I feel sure that Percy Phillips must have done something really
special.

But what?

I'll now write to the Cabinet Office who will probably let me have the
citation.

Kindest regards

Bryan

Phillips wasn't the only correspondent to be knighted.  There was also this fellow:

http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/gibbs.htm

Hi, Pafalafa

Interesting!

Perhaps the knighthoods were to keep their lips sealed after the censorship lapsed?

Bryan

Hi, All

Many thanks for everything.

I've now developed a theory that he was knighted etc. so that he would
remain in Britain and be subject to the Official Secrets Act.


So, I'm closing the question, for the present.