The New Year’s honors carried the usual batch of courtiers — even the royal household’s switchboard operator got a medal — as well as senior civil servants, soldiers, charity executives, successful entrepreneurs, established academics, volunteers, and community workers. Some of the more eclectic honors included the OBE handed to card game columnist Andrew Michael Robson ‘‘for services to the game of bridge,’’ and the OBE given to river conservationist Andrew Douglas-Home ‘‘for services to fishing.’’