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New Zealand Gazette – 1919 – No. 94

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✨ Regulations on Foreign Orders and Medals

July 31.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 2523

Regulations respecting Foreign Orders and Medals.

Department of Internal Affairs,
Wellington, 25th July, 1919.

THE following revised regulations respecting foreign Orders and Medals are published for general information.

G. W. RUSSELL,
Minister of Internal Affairs

REGULATIONS RESPECTING FOREIGN ORDERS AND MEDALS APPLICABLE TO PERSONS IN THE SERVICE OF THE CROWN.

Orders.

It is the King’s wish that no subject of His Majesty in the service of the Crown shall accept and wear the insignia of any foreign Order without having previously obtained His Majesty’s permission to do so, signified either—
(a.) By Warrant under the Royal Sign-manual; or
(b.) By restricted permission conveyed through His Majesty’s Private Secretary.
Permission given by Warrant under the Royal Sign-manual will enable the insignia of the foreign Order to be worn at all times and without any restriction.
Restricted permission will only enable the insignia to be worn on the occasions specified in the terms of the letter from the King’s Private Secretary conveying the Royal sanction.
Full and unrestricted permission by Warrant under the Royal Sign-manual is contemplated in the following cases:—
For a decoration conferred—
On an officer in His Majesty’s naval or military forces lent to a foreign Government; on an officer in His Majesty’s naval or military forces attached by his Government to a foreign navy or army during hostilities; or on any British official lent to a foreign Government and not in receipt of any emoluments from British public funds during the period of such loan.

Red Cross and kindred services will only be regarded as “valuable” for the purposes of these regulations when they have been rendered in a war in which the Empire has itself been engaged, and when the decoration for the wearing of which permission is sought has been conferred by an Allied State.

Restricted permission is contemplated for decorations which have been conferred in recognition of personal attention to the Head of a foreign State, and which are therefore of a more or less complimentary character, and will, as a rule, only be given on exceptional occasions when in the public interest and for political reasons it is deemed expedient that the acceptance of a foreign decoration should not be declined. Restricted permission will generally be given in the following cases:—
For a decoration conferred—
(1.) On British Ambassadors or Ministers abroad when the King pays a State visit to the country to which they are accredited;
(Note.—A State visit is defined as one on which the King is accompanied by a Minister or high official in attendance.)
(2.) On members of deputations of British regiments to foreign Heads of States;
(3.) On members of special missions when the King is represented at a foreign coronation, wedding, or funeral; or on any diplomatic representative when specially accredited to represent His Majesty on such occasions; and such members of his staff who actually attend the ceremonies in their official capacity;
(4.) On naval and military Attachés only after completion of five years’ service at the post to which they are appointed in that capacity.
Restricted permission will not be given to—
(1.) British Ambassadors or Ministers abroad when leaving;
(2.) Members of British missions announcing the accession of a Sovereign;
(3.) British officers attending foreign manœuvres;
(4.) Naval officers of British squadrons visiting foreign waters.
The desire of the Head of a foreign State to confer upon a British subject in the service of the Crown the insignia of an Order must be notified to His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs either through the British diplomatic representative accredited to the Head of the foreign State, or through his diplomatic representative at the Court of St. James.
When His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs shall have taken the King’s pleasure on any such application, and shall have obtained His Majesty’s permission for the person in whose favour it has been made to wear the insignia of a foreign Order, he shall signify the same to His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department, in order that he may cause a Warrant, if it be a case for the issue of a Warrant as defined in Rule 2, to be prepared for the Royal Sign-manual.

When such Warrant shall have been signed by the King, a notification thereof shall be inserted in the Gazette stating the service for which the foreign Order has been conferred.

Persons in whose favour such Warrants are issued will be required to pay to His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department a stamp duty of 10s.

The Warrant signifying His Majesty’s permission may, at the request and at the expense of the person who has obtained it, be registered in the College of Arms. Every such Warrant as aforesaid shall contain a clause providing that His Majesty’s license and permission does not authorize the assumption of any style, appellation, rank, precedence, or privilege appertaining to a Knight Bachelor of His Majesty’s realms.
When a British subject in the service of the Crown has received the Royal permission, full or restricted, to accept and wear the decoration of a foreign Order, he will not be allowed to accept and wear the decoration of a higher class of the same Order without His Majesty’s approval, which will only be given if the higher honour is being conferred in circumstances contemplated by these regulations.

Medals.

Medals conferred by the Head or Government of a foreign State for saving or attempting to save life at sea or on land may be accepted and worn without His Majesty’s special permission.
Other medals, with the exceptions specified below, are subject to the regulations in the same manner as Orders, but permission is given by letter and not by Royal Warrant.
In the case of medals for Red Cross services, permission will only be granted in the conditions laid down in Rule 3 above.
Applications for His Majesty’s permission to wear medals conferred by private societies or institutions and commemorative medals cannot be entertained.
The King’s unrestricted permission to accept and wear a foreign war medal will only be given to (1) officers of His Majesty’s military or naval forces if serving with a foreign army or navy with His Majesty’s license, and (2) military or naval Attachés or other officers officially attached to foreign armies or navies during hostilities.
In exceptional cases, when for special reasons it is deemed expedient that the acceptance of the medal should not be declined, His Majesty will grant restricted permission. Such cases will be judged on their merits, and the circumstances in which the medal may be worn will be specified in the letter conveying His Majesty’s permission.

General.

The term “person in the service of the Crown” includes persons in receipt of a salary or pension from public funds, or holding a Royal commission in any part of His Majesty’s dominions, protectorates, or possessions.
Ladies are subject to the regulations in all respects in the same manner as men.

Foreign Office, 31st December, 1918.

REGULATIONS RESPECTING FOREIGN ORDERS AND MEDALS APPLICABLE TO PERSONS NOT IN THE SERVICE OF THE CROWN.

Orders.

It is the King’s wish that no subject of His Majesty shall wear the insignia of any foreign Order without having previously obtained His Majesty’s permission to do so, signified either—
(a.) By Warrant under the Royal Sign-manual; or
(b.) By restricted permission conveyed through His Majesty’s Private Secretary.
Permission given by Warrant under the Royal Sign-manual will enable the insignia of the foreign Order to be worn at all times and without any restriction.
Restricted permission will only enable the insignia to be worn on the occasions specified in the terms of the letter from the King’s Private Secretary conveying the Royal sanction.
The full and unrestricted permission by Warrant under the Royal Sign-manual is designed to meet cases where the decoration may be said to have been earned by some valuable service rendered to the Head of the State conferring it, or to the State itself. Application will be made to His Majesty for full permission by His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of

VUW Te Waharoa — NZ Gazette 1919, No 94

NZLII — NZ Gazette 1919, No 94

The Old Government Buildings (depicted) were completed in 1876 and initially housed the entire Wellington-based civil service as well as the entire New Zealand Cabinet. The Executive Council met there until 1948.

✨ LLM interpretation of page content

🏛️ Regulations respecting Foreign Orders and Medals

Domain🏛️ Governance & Central Administration
Dated25 July 1919
KeywordsForeign Orders, Medals, Regulations, Crown Service, Royal Permission
👩‍💼 Officials

G. W. Russell, Minister of Internal Affairs

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