Fezes are Cool

This afternoon I saw a perfectly good fez, size 10, on a £1.00 shelf outside an antiques shop.  My Wife would not let me buy it.

 

How can you argue with these guys?

Grey Owl

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Grey Owl (1888-1938).  He was well-known in the 1930s from a series of books and lectures extolling the Native American way of life and nature conservation, particularly of  beavers, then still hunted for their skins.

After his death it transpired that he was not the child of a Scottish father and an Apache mother born in Montreal (or the US or Mexico) as he claimed, but Archibald Stansfeld Belaney, born in Hastings, Sussex.  He had emigrated to Canada in 1906 where he became a trapper before falling in love with the First Nations.  In addition, he was a bigamist, by some accounts being married five times.

For many years Grey Owl's lies overshadowed his environmentalist message, but recently he has been re-evaluated.  He was the subject of a 1999 film by Richard Attenborough and is admired by promoters of woodcraft, such as Ray Mears.

My father heard him on an English lecture tour and somewhere I have a copy a book by him Dad owned.

Beagle at the Galapagos

Beagle (not at the Galapagos)

 
Today is the anniversary of the arrival of HMS Beagle at the Galapagos Islands.  It  could very nearly have been HMS Chanticleer, but 'Voyage of the Chanticleer' wouldn't have had the same ring.


Beagle was at sea for just short of five years (December 1831 to October 1836) on its second voyage under FitzRoy, but it's the five weeks spent at the Galapagos that are remembered.   During this time, Darwin visited four of the 18 islands, taking samples and making copious notes.  From his diary entries, it seems that he wasn't particularly impressed with the place - yet it was the surprising variation between the species of mockingbird found on each island which shaped his thought on natural selection.

Both Darwin and FitzRoy are on my long-list to blog about (as is Beagle 2), and one day I will get around to it.

Charles Darwin

Robert FitzRoy

This Week's Interesting Obits

 

Nichole, Duchess of Bedford (d. 7 Sep 2012), French résistante who married into the British aristocracy and helped save Woburn Abbey

Daily Telegraph, 13 Sep 2012
Guardian, 15 Sep 2012

Add caption

Carlo Maria Martini  (d. 31 Aug 2012), Cardinal Archbishop of Milan.  Considered papabile on the death of John Paul II and the great hope of the 'progressive wing' of the Catholic Church.

Independent 12 Sep 2012

For earlier obits see here

Terry Nutkins (d. 6 Sep 2012), TV naturalist.  The boy who ran away from school to join the zoo.
Independent 10 Sep 2012 
For earlier obits see here

   Stephen Panton (d. 24 Aug 2012), Parliamentary Clerk - and eccentric

Daily Telegraph 15 Sep 2012

Tarbu the Parrot.  Final words - 'Cheerio!'
Daily Telegraph 15 Sep 2012

DNW Sale: Day One

I'm having serious medal-withdrawal symptoms at the moment, and am feeling accordingly grumpy.

Today was day one of one of DNW's quarterly sales (the big one before the OMRS Conference) and I was prepared to settle down in front of the laptop for seven hours of LiveBid.  I can't afford to buy anything, so I might as well watch, eh?

Unfortunately, The Wife (Who I Love Dearly) decided that it was necessary to do an on-line shop.  This also takes seven hours, but involves a lot more swearing than heard at DNW.  I suppose I accept her point that we need to eat - but if we didn't buy food, I might be able to afford medals...

Instead I walked the dog and made myself useful in the garden.   I don't feel  any sense of achievement though.  Under the new austerity measures, I couldn't even go to the Red Roaster and get a caffine fix.

HMS Malabar

There were a couple of lots I was interested in (in an academic way, what with having No Visible Means of Support):

Lot 115

Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, dated reverse, no clasp (A. Robb, Cooper, HMS Malabar) edge bruising, contact marks, nearly very fine

£70-90

Went for £160 hammer, which is what I would have paid (as I've said before auctioneer's estimates 'tend' towards the low side- £70-90 is what you might have expected to pay ten years ago).  I hadn't done any research on him, but Cooper is a nice rate. He might have been any one of several Alexander Robbs in the navy at the time.  HMS Malabar was a troopship - quite a nice looking one.  I have a soft spot for mid to late nineteenth century shipping.

 

Lot 560 - Books
Trendell, A. J. R., The Colonial Year Book 1892; Mercer, Harding & Gent, The Dominions Office and Colonial Office List 1931; [H.M.S.O.], The Colonial Office List 1960; Hertslet, G. E. P. (Editor) The Foreign Office List (4) 1938; 1944; 1947; 1950; Walford, E., The County Families of The United Kingdom 1873; Kelly’s Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes (3) 1904; 1964; 1969; Debrett’s Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage (2) 1893; 1906, Who’s Who 1946; some volumes damaged, badly worn, poor and better condition (14)
£30-40
It seemed an interesting mix.  Went for £75 hammer, which is the retail price of a decent second-hand copy of one of the Debrett's

I haven't had the heart to have a proper look at how anything else sold today.  Nobody's flagged anything particularly remarkable over on the British Medals Forum.

Tomorrow it's groups and gallantry, including the RC Witte collection, I've posted about previously.  Expect some Big Money to be spent.

Thursday is Tiara Day

Thursday is Tiara Day over on the Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor, which thereby deserves a plug.

The ROSS describes itself a 'purely frivolous and perfectly harmless snark and admiration for all things stylish and royal', and is just that.  It manages to talk about royals and fashion without being at all catty or nasty (a feat in itself if the rest of the Internet is any guide) and is a nice, friendly place.  Mind you, there aren't many places you can be accused of being Politically Correct for saying you wouldn't be too keen on the associations of a tiara gifted by the Belgian colony of the Congo...

Now, I don't list looking at pictures of beautiful women in expensive clothes among my interests, so what could be in it for me?

Well it turns out that the history of royal jewelry is very interesting.  ROSS gives regular, detailed and well-illustrated histories of these jewels.  As I say, Thursday is Tiara Day - tiaras are much more frequently seen on the Continent than in the UK - and there are some corkers.  Sundays used to be Elizabeth II's Jewelry Day, but such was the interest, this recently spawned a blog of its own.

For those interested, the regular features are:

• The Royal Fashion Awards
• Weeks in Review
• Gold Stars: Achievements in Splendor
• Random Royal Appreciation
• Things That Make You Go Hmm...
• Royal Trend Watches
• Royal Splendor 101
• Wedding Wednesdays
• Tiara Thursdays
• Flashback Fridays
• Top 10 Lists

Today they've gone all Malaysian.

Medal Collecting and Remembrance

From reading some of my recent posts one might be mistaken that medals are just the shiny things worn by young princes or won by glamorous fly-boys.  This is far from the truth, as anyone who as spent time working through World War I casualty lists (as I have recently) will know.  They can be a surviving memento of hard work and sacrifice otherwise forgotten.

This was brought back to me by a couple of posts on the British Medals Forum recently.  The custodian of these medals has kindly allowed me to re-post their story.

The first is a little collection relating to 67540 Pte James Belcher, Royal Warwicks, late Warwickshire Yeomanry.  It consists of a standard World War I pair - the British War Medal and Victory Medal - along with a memorial plaque and scroll indicating that he was a casualty.  But most medal collectors are interested in more than the artifact - to us the real story is 'the man behind the medal'.

James Belcher was an employee of Mitchell & Butchers Ltd, Cape Hill Brewery, Smethwick.  He enlisted as soon as he could do so at Leamington and served with the 14th Warwicks (1st Birmingham Pals) as part of the 5th Division.  In September 1917 they were sent to Flanders where they were in action during the Third Battle of Ypres. The division then moved to Italy and took up positions in the line along the River Piave in late January 1918. They were recalled to France to assist with the German Advance in late March 1918 and were in action during the Battles of the Lys. On the 14th of August 1918 the 5th Division was withdrawn for two weeks rest. Then moved to The Somme where they were more or less in continuous action over the old battlegrounds until late October 1918.

James Belcher had been killed on 7 September: he was nineteen years old.  He lies with 635 comrades in Ration Farm Military Cemeterty, La Chapelle-D'Armentiers, France (Grave Reference I. A. 7.).

Pte James Belcher - d. 7 Sep 1918, aged 19

Not Forgotton - his mother's remembrance

He sleeps beside his comrades
In a hallowed grave unknown
But his memory is written in letters of love
In the hearts of those at home.

Beardies Speak Out

Wizzard

This afternoon I was able to catch up with reading the Saturday newspapers.

The Daily Telegraph carried interviews with two giants of our time.  Have a look - they're worth reading.

Terry Practchett interview

Rowan Williams interview

Archbishop

Richard III's Remains - Update

Back in August, I posted on the start of the archeological dig in Leicester of the supposed site of the burial of King Richard III.

There has been various press coverage since - mainly on the lines of 'We're getting there...', but now it is being reported that there is 'strong evidence' that his body has been found.

The remains found show signs of spinal abnormalities and a 'cleaved-in skull' that suggest it could be Richard III, the University of Leicester team said.

A university spokesperson said 'strong circumstantial evidence' including signs of a peri-mortem (near-death) trauma to the skull and abnormalities on the spine - severe scoliosis - were found after an initial examination of the skeleton.

DNA testing is to follow.

We are not saying today that we have found King Richard III. What we are saying the search for Richard III it has entered a new phase. The skeleton certainly has characteristics that warrant extensive, further and detailed examination.  (Richard Taylor, Director of Corporate Affairs, University of Leicester)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9537600/Strong-evidence-Richard-IIIs-body-has-been-found-with-a-curved-spine.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9538546/Archaeologists-believe-they-have-found-skeleton-of-King-Richard-III.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-19561018

Royals in Medals #2 - Prince Harry

Prince Harry in the tropical dress of the Blues and Royals on his Diamond Jubilee Tour of the Bahamas, March 2012.  Army Air Corp officers wear the uniforms and cap badge of their parent regiments, with the blue beret and (if appropriate) wings.

Prince Henry was born on 15 September 1984, the second son of the Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales.

After education at Eton, he attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, passing out in 2006 and being commissioned into the Blues and Royals (at the time of writing he is a captain on attachment to the Army Air Corps).  He did not deploy with the Blues and Royals when they were sent to Iraq in May 2007, but served with ISAF in Afghanistan for a curtailed tour of duty in 2008 (halted after 77 days due to a breach of a media black-out).  He then trained as an Apache pilot with the Army Air Corps, re-deploying to Afghanistan in September 2012.

Honorary military appointments

United Kingdom 

• Commodore-in-Chief of Small Ships and Diving, Royal Navy
• Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington

No doubt due to his status as a serving Army officer, Prince Harry seems not to have had photographs taken in the uniform of his RN or RAF honorary ranks.

Canada

• Honorary Canadian Ranger

Orders, Decorations and Medals

Royal Victorian Order

Knight Commander (KCVO), 4 June 2015

Campaign Medals

Operational Service Medal, Afghanistan

NATO Non-article 5 Medal, ISAF
Currently awarded to UK personnel on a 'keepsake' basis - approval for wear is not yet given, but this position is under review.

Commemorative Medals

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, 2002

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2012
Harry's March 2012 tour of the Caribbean was the first sighting this medal. It was only sanctioned for wear after 7 June, with the exception of those on official jubilee duties in the presence of the Queen

 

Update 5 June 2015

Harry appointed KCVO.

Here's a photo of the #KCVO Insignia that The Queen presented to Prince Harry privately at #BuckinghamPalace today pic.twitter.com/u3jlMB5Kio

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 4, 2015

Royals in Medals #1: The Earl and Countess of Wessex

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, was born on 10 March 1964, the third son, and fourth and youngest child of Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip.  He graduated from Jesus College, Cambridge, before joining the Royal Marines as an officer cadet in 1986.  However, he resigned one third of the way through the qualifying course and subsequently concentrated on media interests, until it was felt that these activities were incompatible with his royal status.

In June 1999 he married the PR executive Sophie Rees-Jones.  On the day of their wedding he was granted the titles Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn (with the remainder to the title Duke of Edinburgh on the death of his father).  The couple have two children: Lady Louise Windsor (b. 2003) and James, Viscount Severn (b. 2007).

Honorary Military Appointments

United Kingdom

• Royal Honorary Colonel of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry
• Royal Honorary Colonel of the London Regiment
• Royal Colonel of the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles
• Honorary Air Commodore Royal Air Force Waddington
• Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Canada

• Colonel-in-Chief of the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Prince Edward Island Regiment
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Saskatchewan Dragoons
• Honorary Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Here, as Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the earl wears his full rack as at the time of writing (taken at the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, 3 June 2012)

 

Orders, Decorations and Medals

Orders
 

Order of the Garter
Royal Knight (KG), 23 April 2006





Royal Victorian Order
Commander (CVO), 10 March 1989 (25th birthday)
Knight Commander (KCVO), 2 June 2003
Knight Grand Cross (GCVO), 10 March 2011 (another birthday present!)

Saskatchewan Order of Merit
Hon Member (SOM), 11 May 2005











Commemorative Medals
 
  Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal 1977
  Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal 2002
  Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012
  New Zealand Commemorative Medal 1990
  Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan 2005

Long Service Medals

Canadian Forces Medal





Overseas Awards

See Updates below.

 

At the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, 2010

 

Sophie, Countess of Wessex

Sophie Helen Rees-Jones was born on 1965 in Oxford.  After education in independent schools and secretarial college, she entered the public relations industry, eventually becoming a partner in her own firm.  She quite her business interests in 2002 following a series of incidents in which her use of royal status was brought into question.

She is reported to be very close to the Queen (though this may be due to judicious PR-ery).  Certainly her appointment straight into the Royal Victorian Order as a Dame Grand Cross would be an indication of some favour.

Honorary Military Appointments  

United Kingdom

Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps
Colonel-in-Chief of the Corps of Army Music
Royal Colonel of the 5th Battalion The Rifles
Honorary Air Commodore Royal Air Force Wittering
Ship's Sponsor of HMS Daring

Canada

Colonel-in-Chief of the South Alberta Light Horse
Colonel-in-Chief of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment

A rare picture of the Countess in uniform, she wears the insignia of an Air Commodore during a visit to Kandahar Air Base, 2011

Orders, Decorations and Medals

Orders

Royal Victorian Order
Dame Knight Grand Cross (GCVO), January 2010.

 

Most Venerable Order of St John
Dame of Justice, 2005









 
Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II, 2004

Commemorative Medals

Wearing an unknown medal (Golden Jubilee Medal?) while on jubilee duties in Barbados, Feb 2012

  Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal 2002

  Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012

  Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan 2005

Long Service Medals

Canadian Forces Medal

Update - Oct 2012

Edward holds a medal of the Principality of Monaco, which he wore at the July 2011 wedding of Prince Albert II.

This is probably a commemorative for Prince Albert's enthronement in 2005, which the Earl and Countess attended as representatives of the Queen.  It is possible that the Countess also holds this medal.













Update - Oct 2017

TRHs represented the Queen at the celebrations of the Sultan of Brunei's Golden Jubilee in the first week of October 2017, and were each awarded the Sultan's Golden Jubilee Medal.

The Earl attended the Silver Jubilee ceremonies 25 years ago, and wears the Silver Jubilee Medal at the end of his rack.  As some stage (which I missed), he was also awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration, as was the Countess.