23

A.—2

8. 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 private, to accept and wear the decoration of a foreign order, he will not lie allowed to accept and wear the decoration id' a higher class of tin- 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. 10. Medals which constitute a particular class of a foreign order are subject in all respects to the regulations in the same manner as higher grades of the order, except that permission to wear will be given by letter and not by Royal Warrant. 11. The King's unrestricted permission to accept and wear a foreign medal will only be given in the case of a foreign medal conferred by the head or Government of a foreign State for saving or attempting to save life at sea or on land. In the case of medals for Red Cross services, permission will only be granted subject to the fulfilment of the conditions laid down in Rule 3 above. 12. The King's unrestricted permission to accept and wear a foreign war medal will only be given to (I) 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 Attaches or other officers officially attached to foreign armies or navies during hostilities. 13. 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, anil the circumstances in which the medal may be worn will be specified in the letter conveying His Majesty's permission. 14. 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. 15. Ladies are subject to the regulations in all respects in the same manner as men. Foreign Office, 12th July, 1915. B.—Regulations respecting Foreign Orders and Medals applicable to Phrsons NOT in the Service of the Crown. Orders. 1. It is tho 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 private permission conveyed through His Majesty's Private Secretary. 2. 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. Private 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. .'l. 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 services 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 State for Foreign Affairs on behalf of any person who, not being at the time in the service of the Crown, is either in the salaried employment of a foreign State or has rendered valuable services within the period of two years immediately preceding the notification of the decoration to His Majesty's Government as prescribed under Rule 5. The expression "valuable services" must be construed as meaning some service rendered to a foreign head of State or Government specifically, and must be indisputably valuable in the strict sense of the word. Though such services need not necessarily be gratuitous, as in the case of a person actually in the employ of a foreign Government, they must be unconnected with any transaction of a commercial or financial character brought about, in the ordinary course of business. The term " valuable services " does not therefore, as a general rule, apply to services connected with the fulfilment of Government or municipal contracts, the financing of Government or municipal loans. It also does not include the presentation of objects of value to public museums and institutions, pecuniary donations or endowments, personal performances, services in connection with exhibitions and industrial congresses, services in the domain of art, literature, science, education, and agriculture, services rendered by British subjects in the capacity of honorary foreign consular officers. Red Cross 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 by persons serving under one of the officially recognized British voluntary aid societies or under similar societies of Allied States duly recognized by the Governments of those States. 4. Private or restricted permission is contemplated for decorations which have been conferred in recognition of personal attention to the head of a foreign State or member of a reigning House, and which are therefore of a more or less complimentary character. Private permission is as a rule only 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.