Arms of High Commissioners for Palestine & Trans-Jordan

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Isaac M Schneider
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Arms of High Commissioners for Palestine & Trans-Jordan

Postby Isaac M Schneider » 24 Jun 2018, 21:53

As the Duke of Cambridge is now making an historic official visit to the Holy land, I thought it appropriate to compile an armorial of the ten officials who served as British mandatory High Commissioners for Palestine and Trans-Jordan between 1920-48.

As will be seen, I used two sources: the Cracroft's Peerage website, and a scan of Fox-Davies's Heraldic families. These provided only six (definite) of the ten blazons needed, if anyone can complete the list, I will be grateful. I'm also trying my hand at a rendition or emblazoning of all the arms.. If and when completed, it will be added here.

1.) Herbert, 1st. Viscount samuel (1920-25);
arms: or, a bend between two caps of liberty gules, on a chief sable, a balance of the first.
crest: in front of a sun rising or, a dove wings elevated and addorsed holding in the beak an olive branch proper.
supporters: on either side a lion or, the dexter gorged with a collar gules, and resting the interior hind leg on a stump of oak eradicated and sprouting proper, the sinister gorged with an eastern crown also gules, and resting the interior hind leg on a stump of olive eradicated and sprouting also proper.
motto: turn not aside. (Cracroft's peerage).

2.) Herbert, 1st. Viscount Plumer (1925-28);
arms: gules, on a chevron between in chief two lion's heads erased argent, and in base a sword of the second, pommel and hilt or, and enfiled with a wreath of laurel proper, three ravens sable.
crest: a demi-lion proper, holding in the dexter paw a plume of four ostrich feathers or.
supporters: on the dexter side, a private of the York & Lancaster Regt., on the sinister side, a trooper of the Rhodesian field force, each holding in the exterior hand a rifle proper.
motto: consulto et audacter. (Fox-Davies, Heraldic families).

3.) Sir Harry Luke (acting 1928);
arms: azure, a lucy naiant in fess and in chief three mullets argent. Impaling; gules, a chevron between three esquires' helmets each with one plume argent (for Fremlin).
crest: a winged lion statant or, supporting with the dexter paw an escutcheon argent, charged with a cross potent between four cross crosslets gold.
motto: spero meliora. (F-D, Heraldic families).

4.) Sir John R. Chancellor (1928-31);
arms: or, a lion rampant sable, armed and langued gules, on a chief azure, three mullets or, all within a bordure engrailed sable.
crest: an eagle displayed sable, beaked and membered gules.
supporters: dexter, a Saracen, sinister, a Negro, proper.
motto: que je sermonte. (F-D, Heraldic families).

5.) Sir Mark A. Young (acting 1931);
arms: per fess sable and argent, in chief two lions' rampant guardant, and in base an anchor erect with cable all counterchanged.
crest: a demi-unicorn couped ermine, maned, armed and hoofed or, gorged with a naval crown azure, supporting an anchor erect sable.
motto: be right and persist. (F-D, Heraldic families).

6.) Sir Arthur G. Wauchope (1931-38);
*(only ones listed under Wauchope, but not certain they are his..)*
arms: azure, two mullets in chief and in base a garb or.
crest: a garb or. (F-D, Heraldic families).

7.) Sir William D. Battershill (acting for Wauchope, 1937);
Arms unknown...

8.) Sir Harold MacMichael (1938-44);
Arms unknown...

9.) John, 6th. Viscount Gort (1944-45);
arms: quarterly: 1 & 4, azure, on a chevron or, a chaplet vert; 2 & 3, gules, a saltire vairy or and azure.
crest: out of a mural crown gules, a stag's head proper.
supporters: dexter, a lion proper, sinister, an heraldic antelope proper, each gorged with a plain collar gules, rimmed and chained or, chain reflexed over the back.
mottoes: over crest: coloony. Beneath arms: vincit veritas. (Cracroft's peerage).

10.) Sir Alan Cunningham (1945-48);
Arms unknown...
Isaac M. Schneider, Fellow,
IAAH Vice President Heraldic Education,
Jerusalem

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Martin Goldstraw
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Re: Arms of High Commissioners for Palestine & Trans-Jordan

Postby Martin Goldstraw » 25 Jun 2018, 10:22

A nice project.
Martin Goldstraw
Cheshire Heraldry
http://cheshire-heraldry.org.uk

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Isaac M Schneider
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Re: Arms of High Commissioners for Palestine & Trans-Jordan

Postby Isaac M Schneider » 09 Jul 2018, 17:47

As previously promised, I attach my hand drawn rendition of the (6 or 7) arms I've managed to identify so far..
Sorry for the poor quality, couldn't upload the full size file.

Any help with identifying the others will be appreciated!

Best regards,
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Isaac M. Schneider, Fellow,
IAAH Vice President Heraldic Education,
Jerusalem

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Arthur Radburn
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Re: Arms of High Commissioners for Palestine & Trans-Jordan

Postby Arthur Radburn » 10 Jul 2018, 19:21

Very nice, Isaac.

Pity that Battershill and MacMichael are proving hard to track down. MacMichael had
a bookplate displaying a crest and motto, but not the full achievement of arms.
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Arthur Radburn

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JMcMillan
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Re: Arms of High Commissioners for Palestine & Trans-Jordan

Postby JMcMillan » 18 Jul 2018, 19:13

A MacMichael coat of arms that goes with the crest linked by Arthur are "Sable a fess between three crescents or," with the crest, "A talbot's head couped argent charged with a crescent or" [sic], given in Berry's Encyclopaedia Heraldica and the 1842 edition of Burke's as "Borne by William Macmichael, M.D., of Half-Moon-Street, Picadilly, 1827." Both this coat and another with the same shield and a different crest are listed as "MacMichael (Scotland)," with no further identification, but neither appears to have been matriculated, as they aren't in the Balfour Paul Ordinary.
Joseph McMillan
Alexandra, Virginia, USA

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Arthur Radburn
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Re: Arms of High Commissioners for Palestine & Trans-Jordan

Postby Arthur Radburn » 18 Jul 2018, 20:44

The crest is also listed in Fairbairn's Book of Crests under the name of Rev C. MacMichael of Wisbech, who was Sir Harold's father.
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Arthur Radburn

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Isaac M Schneider
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Re: Arms of High Commissioners for Palestine & Trans-Jordan

Postby Isaac M Schneider » 01 Nov 2018, 09:24

Arthur Radburn wrote:The crest is also listed in Fairbairn's Book of Crests under the name of Rev C. MacMichael of Wisbech, who was Sir Harold's father.

Great! Thanks Arthur (and Joseph), then these are definitely Sir Harold's arms.. Adding them to the list.

So only Battershill and Cunningham are proving elusive.. Battershill I expect was of somewhat more modest origins, but Cunningham was quite an accomplished military general and his brother (Andrew) an admiral and entered into the peerage as baron and viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope. Surely their arms should be mentioned somewhere..
Isaac M. Schneider, Fellow,
IAAH Vice President Heraldic Education,
Jerusalem

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Arthur Radburn
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Re: Arms of High Commissioners for Palestine & Trans-Jordan

Postby Arthur Radburn » 01 Nov 2018, 21:24

Isaac M Schneider wrote:... Cunningham was quite an accomplished military general and his brother (Andrew) an admiral and entered into the peerage as baron and viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope. Surely their arms should be mentioned somewhere..

The brother, Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope's, arms were published in Burke's and Debrett's Peerages :

Cunningham1.png

Cunningham2.png
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Arthur Radburn

Iain Boyd
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Re: Arms of High Commissioners for Palestine & Trans-Jordan

Postby Iain Boyd » 02 Nov 2018, 20:46

Slightly off topic, but I do like Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope's arms with all the maritime references - especially the compartment of waves.

Also, I especially like the motto which puns on the Cunningham shakefork.

However, with all the maritime references I doubt that his brother would use these arms.

I think we have to keep looking!

Iain Boyd

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Chris Green
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Re: Arms of High Commissioners for Palestine & Trans-Jordan

Postby Chris Green » 02 Nov 2018, 21:24

I especially like the motto which puns on the Cunningham shakefork.


"Over Fork Over" is the Cunningham clan motto. The war-cry "Huataa" probably caused their foes to quake in their boots, even though they hadn't the faintest idea what it meant.
Chris Green
IAAH President

Bertilak de Hautdesert


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