paul wood

The giving of Baronacies goes back to 1629 but you are right the type you have (Baronet of the United Kingdom) was introduced in 1929 at the period you mention the badges would have been manufactured by the Royal Mint, I wonder was it given for services to ancient Italian virgins. Paul

Your Identification appears to be correct to me. Paul

Funeral of Sir John Moore by Charles Woolfe Not a drum was heard, nor a funeral note, As his corse to the rampart we hurried; Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot O'er the grave where our hero we buried. We buried him darkly at dead of night, The sods with our bayonets turning; By the struggling moonbeam's misty light And the lantern dimly burning. No useless coffin enclosed his breast, Nor in sheet nor in shroud we wound him; But he lay like a warrior taking his rest With his martial cloak around him. Few and short were the prayers we said, And we spoke not a word of sorrow; But we steadfastly gazed on the face that was dead, And we bitterly thought of the morrow. We thought, as we hollowed his narrow bed And smoothed down his lonely pillow, That the foe and the stranger would tread o'er his head, And we far away on the billow! Lightly they'll talk of the spirit that's gone And o'er his cold ashes upbraid him,-- But little he'll reck, if they let him sleep on In the grave where a Briton has laid him. But half of our heavy task was done When the clock struck the hour for retiring: And we heard the distant and random gun That the foe was sullenly firing. Slowly and sadly we laid him down, From the field of his fame fresh and gory; We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone, But left him alone with his glory. Paul

Nick thanks for sharing what a beauty. Paul

The Grand Duke of Baden Collection, Hermann Historica, 20/10/2000 lot 12, 10 link chain with badge, 25 x 14.5mm, wt. 12g, estimate 12,000 DM sold for the same. Those were the days my firend to missquote Mary Hopkin. Paul

LG 1/5/55

Hope this helps 2 R's in morrison in Gazette. Paul The undermentioned Gentlemen being about to be attached to the Medical Staff of the Turkish Contingent Force to have the local rank in Turkey of Staff-Surgeon of the Second Class while so employed. Thomas Littleton, M.B. Dated 1st May, 1855. . Henry P. Bennett, Esq. Dated 1st May, 1855. Thomas Coutts Morrison, Esq. Dated 1st May, 1855. Christopher Wolston, Esq. Dated IstMay, 1855. William Druce Cattle, Esq. Dated 1st May, 1855. Robert Boxall, Esq. Dated 1st May, 1855.

This is No 3 that will be coming up in auction at Morton and Eden in November. Alas at present I can't post the obverse because it is 307 KB. It reminds of all for the want of a nail but I won't go too far down that line. I'll see if next week I can get the other side scaned in low resolution. Paul

My distant cousin, Percy Thrower also received an M.B.E. for being a gardener. Rather interesting fellow. Related to the great Percy Thrower, fantastic. The originator of televison gardening programmes with I believe it was called "Gardening Club", in the days when you watched it on a crackling small black and white set and there were only two channels, I can even remember the tune. I know he had a later comeback with the Blue Peter Garden which some yobs went and vandalised. Forget your Charlie Dimmock's, Aaln Titchmarshes and all your new television gardening buffs, Percy was the one and only, a giant amongst later pygmies.

Windu, All I can say is that the Order of Loyalty was closely copied from the Brazilian Order of the Rose. Paul

Thanks Nick he looks a lot happier Paul

Dude with the hat First row 1 Empire of Brazil Order of the Rose, can't even see a third row apart from a whacking great star Paul

Having received a copy of the book earlier this week and having seen it through the draft stages I can only say that I am truly astounded. The book starts of with a brief resume on pre DD decorations, gives a a very good and well illustrated guide to the type 1 DD. But when it gets to the type 2 it is absolutely breathtaking, it is lavishly illustrated showing a wide range of types and variations, including warrants of appointment and cases of issue and in some cases ribbons. The book is by far the best thing that I have ever seen on the Order. Tammann had a work which never got past the embryonic stage, I had a draft, and that was better than anything previous. The text is written with a clarity that is rarely seen in a specialist book and is equally suitable for a generalist with no knowledge of the order to a specialist who has seen dozens of examples. Like the best of teachers Gavin keeps it simple and doesn't assume previous knowledge of the reader. The best bit, for me, are the appendices which are a guide to the seal script and Manchu characters found on the orders, again these are clear and simple so that anyone will find them easy to use. Alas my colleague has taken my copy with him to OMSA, I have warned him that if he does not return it his chances of fathering further chilldren will be zero. Even if you have even the slightest interest in world orders and decorations you will enjoy this book. If you are interested in Chinese orders then this is the best thing since whisky distilling. I am hoping that one day Gavin will tackle thre republican orders and later the infernal mine field of war lord orders and decorations. This is an exceptional first venture in to medal publishing. Buy a copy you won't be dissappointed. Paul

Thanks Owain, I think I was getting confused with a Sudanese medal which I believe also has a shield and crossed spears, still very unusual and never encountered one before. Paul

Most interesting, Sudanese? I am sure Owain will tell me I am barking up the wrong tree. Paul

It is probably one of the many souvenir pieces connected to the return of Napoleon's remains to France in 1840. He became very much flavour of the month in France, especially as the Orleanist monarchy was so drab and middle class, new generations, especially, who had not seen the down side to Napoleon's wars were captivated by him and the whole Bonapartist revival was eventually to lead to the establishment of the Second Empire which virtually deified Napoleon. It could therefore be around 1840 or conceivably 1850s-60s during the reign of his nephew Napoleon III. Paul

Many thanks Mike. I normally am not so bothered about many thefts reported as most are untracable but my gut feeling is that something as unusual will ring alarm bells if such material turns up in large quantities. I am afraid I have problems coming to terms with the technologies of late 19th century let alone with late 20th century/21st century. Paul

Thanks Mervyn, How can I do this without rewriting I seem to have trouble copying and pasting. Lazy as ever, Paul

Mervyn not really, Anne's roles are purely honourary. HMQ actually served with the ATS in WWII and trained as a mechanic. Fergie's two daughters are members of the silly hat wearing corps but I don't think that counts as military service, Zara Philips while a brilliant horsewoman has no military connections and Sarah Armstrong Jones (or Sarah Chatto) (Princess Margaret's daughter) folowed the arts as a career so I am completely stumped. Even Princess Alexandra's daughter had no military connections. I would be interested to know. Mind you a new a few ex-marines who would nominate Prince Edward as according to them he was a bit of girl during his brief sojourn with them. Paul

Yes the details were sent to me yesterday in an E-mail I felt that given the nature of theft it was something worth mentioning on GMIC. Paul

Dear all possibly the sort of thing that might find its way on E-Bay At approximately 4.45pm on Thursday 9 August a collection of over 600 WWI peace commemorative medal and badges were stolen form the Malmesbury area in Wiltshire. The items were in gold, silver, bronze, aluminium and paper. All items were associated with the peace celebrations of 1919 in Britiain, the Commonwealth and allied countires and also included Masonic commemoratives. Any information phone DC Garry Epps (Wiltshire Police) (0044(0)1225 794739 (Crime number 54120070860) All the best, Paul

Yes not a thing of great beauty in comparison to the original, post 9 is such a big lad the star looks like a miniature on breast, he could certainly have worn the full set down to St Stanislaus without looking overloaded. Paul

By the way the cases must be pretty huge are you able to give the dimensions. Paul

Wow Nick that is something else have never encountered such a case before (hope I see one in the flesh eventually). Paul

Nick, old age and poor memory are taking over. I have seen a KK Andrew about 20 years ago (I noted it in my copy of Tammann) it was in the collection of the Grand Dukes of Baden and was eventually sold, with all the other Russian Orders at Hermann Historica, 20 October 2000. There was a cased sash badge (KK) lot 8 which was issued with a cased Pannasch collar dated 1835 (lot 9). ther was also a cased KK Nevsky dated 1839, White Eagle and Anne (lots 13, 14 and 15), the last three all with original cloth stars and all including the Andrew of Pannash style manufacture. Also included was a cased Wilhelm Keibel collar, badge and star dated 1857 (lot 21). Also a sash badge with breast star (WK) the badge dated 1861 (lot 22 and 23) a sash badge 1865 to 70 With the N (reversed) (don't know how to do Russian script on this site) O (lot 27), a Nicholls and Plinke breast star (lot 28) and A cased AK collar, badge and star set. The photography in the catalogue is extremely good and well catalogued (Gustav Tammann was the cataloguer) might be worth contacting www.hermann-historica.com to see if they have any spare catalogues. Paul