Warmest Congratulations to Her Majesty The Queen

 

Arundel Herald Extraordinary

Not yet Gazetted but it is very pleasing to see that The College of Arms has appointed a lady to their ranks. Professor Anne Curry has been appointed as Arundel Herald Extraordinary, the first woman to be so appointed. Congratulations Professor Curry, may you be the first of many.

Image courtesy of the BBC.

John Alexander Duncan of Sketraw

 It is with great sadness that I have to report the passing today of my very great friend and colleague of almost a quarter of a century, John Duncan of Sketraw after a short illness.

John was released from hospital late last month to be in the bosom of his beloved family after being diagnosed with cancer of oesophagus which had spread to his liver. Typical of him, he set about calmly and efficiently setting his affairs in order whilst receiving visitors from family and friends. He remained focused and positive to the end and died peacefully surrounded by his loved ones.

He will be very much missed and my thoughts and prayers are with his wife Susan and his three sons. God bless you John.

John being presented to the 

Duke of Rothesay at the Gathering of the Clans in 2009.

Grants and registrations from the Chief Herald of Malta

It has come to my attention that the Chief Herald of Malta has now complied with the requirement to publish his grants and registrations for the previous year (in this case years). Details can be found on the following link however to see the actual records of grants and registrations you will have to scroll down quite a way. The transparency is refreshing however, I am disappointed that the Chief Herald has taken it upon himself to enhance foreign grants with coronets. It would seem that a Scottish baron, although not entitled to a coronet in Scotland, is somehow entitled to a Maltese coronet of rank. In addition,  he appears to have accepted Rwandan titles despite them being mere promissory notes from a now deceased King. He has, it seems added a veneer of officiality to what has otherwise been frowned upon. Why am I not surprised.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v43bnxbx210xm5e/Government-Gazette-22nd-April-22-Chief-Herald-Malta.pdf?dl=0

"Walts" and all - Malta again!

I understand that in Military circles there is a name for people who pretend to be something they are not, by either claiming to have served in a campaign that they have not served in, to wear a medal to which they are not entitled, to have attained a rank to which they are not entitled, or in fact, not to have served at all; that word is "Walt", as in Walter Mitty*.

A post made recently on a Facebook forum called "Maltese Nobility & Heraldry" has been brought to my attention; it states that Dr Gauci has been awarded the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal.

I can't verify the source as I don't know who is behind the post however, the image quite clearly shows the Chief Herald of Malta proudly holding "a" medal. It is hard to tell but I'm not quite sure if it is the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal he's holding as, to me at least, the ribbon looks quite different. 

This is the real Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal for comparison:

Regardless, I doubt very much that our friend, the Chief Herald of arms of Malta, is entitled to the Platinum Jubilee Medal despite his undoubted past service as a medical officer in the army simply because his service was "in the past"; he is no longer a serving member of H.M. uniformed services. The official guidance states quite clearly that recipients must be "individual George and Victoria Cross recipients and serving members of the Armed Forces and emergency services, among others, and acts as a token of the nation’s thanks to those who diligently serve the public". 

The post also reveals, if it is genuine, that Dr Gauci "was also awarded the Order of the League of Mercy (founded by Queen Victoria) for his pro bono work in the field of Pain relief." This is simply impossible: The League of Mercy was a British foundation established in 1899 by Royal Charter of Queen Victoria. The goal of the organisation was to recruit a large number of volunteers to aid the sick and suffering at charity hospitals. It was disbanded at the establishment of the National Health Service in 1947, with its Royal Charter subsequently surrendered. **

So, is the post on that Facebook page a genuine one, which would surely imply that Dr Gauci is a "Walt", or is it perhaps and attempt to smear his character by someone who doesn't actually reveal their own identity?  Well, I hope that the Chief Herald of Arms of Malta isn't claiming to be the recipient of these medals but I'm afraid that his track record of accuracy leaves a lot to be desired. 
  

*Walter Jackson Mitty is a fictional character in James Thurber's first short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", first published in The New Yorker on March 18, 1939, and in book form in My World—and Welcome to It in 1942. Thurber loosely based the character, a daydreamer, on his friend Walter Mithoff.

** Edit July 2022. Apparently there is a private Charity called the League of Mercy Foundation created out of new cloth on 30th March 1999 however, although this charity emulates the work of the original, long defunct, Order of the League of Mercy, it is NOT an "Order" and it most certainly is NOT the Order of the League of Mercy founded by Queen Victoria. Again confirming that the accuracy of many statements made leave a lot to be desired. It comes as no surprise to me that Lord Lingfield is President of the League of Mercy Foundation.  

Maltese Herald tidying up loose ends

 

I'm being bombarded with emails and messages about the Chief Herald of Malta this morning.

It seems that he's sent out a Round Robin email setting out his newly minted authority and linking to the, now lawful, new, Gazette announcement of the date new legislation took place along with the link to the actual legislation. The email gives confirmation that he has now, officially and legally, been appointed, by Heritage Malta (phew, I bet he's relieved). 

It is a tacit acknowledgement that his grants etc made under the 2019 Gazette notice had no basis in law and a tacit acknowledgement that his appointment actually had no basis in law until it was just last month confirmed by Heritage Malta post the new Reg's coming into force. 

HOWEVER, the good news is that, under his real now existing powers, he has recognised the pre existing grants etc and brought them into his now lawful records. Hopefully, now he will alter his preamble on documents issued by him to reflect the proper date of his authority rather than rely on the meaningless 2019 Gazette notice. 

So, a clean slate.

Mission Accomplished. Maltese Herald Legal (at last).

Well, it finally happened. On the 21st January 2022 the Malta's Chief Herald finally became legitimate and actually now has some legal powers to act.

I am, needless to say, delighted that, after being dragged kicking and screaming, Parliament has, at long last (two years I believe), finally granted some lawful authority to Heritage Malta and its Chief Herald. I shall peruse the legislation at my leisure however, to date, I have resisted commenting because, in the only detailed grant I have seen, in that instance at least, the new armiger was Maltese (although in that grant, which may pre-date his authority, he relies still on the unlawful Gazette entry as his authority). 

I just hope that the Chief Herald doesn't get his fingers burned by trying to recognise "foreign" titles and nobility. I shall maintain the watching brief but merely as one of the many interested bystanders. 

The full document can be found here: https://legislation.mt/eli/sl/445.7/eng

PS I do like this bit:

(5)  For the purposes of sub-regulation (4), the Chief Heraldshall by the 31st of January of every year cause to be made available at a publicly accessible website on the internet of the Office or the Agency and published in the Gazette a notice containing the following:(a)  a  list  of  all  the  Letters  Patent  issued  during  the previous basis year indicating the particulars of the individual orbody  corporate  in  whose  favour the Letters Patent has been issued, the date of grant and a blazon of the arms so granted; and(b)  a list of all the Certificates of Registrations issued during the previous basis year indicating the particulars of theindividual or body corporate in whose favour the Certificate of Registration has been issued, the date of grant and a blazon of the arms so registered.