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GLEANINGS FROM THE GROVE

“God Save The King”

Paul C. Fanning, DTM

I was so pleased with myself in early Queen Victoria “young head” to the latest Queen

August. As many of you know, I have been Elizabeth version of several long service groups
collecting British medals and insignia all of medals.They are (to me) a “finished” set. It's
my life. I was attending the 2022 Orders and time to sit back and relax, enjoy my miniature
Medals Society of America convention in portrait gallery, and rest upon my laurels. But it

Dallas, Texas, and I had found was not to be so.
and purchased a At 6:50 a.m. on Thursday, September 8th, I was
couple of waiting for my relief so that I could go home and
get my 7-8 hours sleep for the day. As she came

into the office, she mentioned that the Royal
Family had been called to Balmoral, the Scottish
“home” of Elizabeth as she was in ill health. Alas,
it was too late when I woke later that afternoon,

echoing in my head was the old phrase used
at the passing of a monarch, “The Queen is
medals that I had Dead. Long Live the King.” For all but two of
been looking for to complete sets her seventy years, as the Queen of the United

in my collection. It may not sound like a Kingdom and Northern Ireland and head of the
“big deal" to you but I was happy to add a Commonwealth, I was Her most loyal subject. She
Queen Victoria Royal Naval Long Service being the only monarch I have ever known, the
and Good Conduct Medal from 1875 and a only Queen I had ever seen in person. For me, it

more modern Queen Elizabeth II medal was the end of an era.
with her 2013 portrait die struck on the That night, I awoke with a disconcerting
silver planchet. After all, I had been born thought. Or, perhaps upon reflection, one of
outside of London during the third year of renewed purpose. Every single medal, badge,

her reign, as my birth certificate proclaims, uniform button and embroidered patch or
along with the (then) new Inland Revenue uniform with the classic E II R on it will have to be
stamp with her young profile on it. changed! Not only will this boost the economy of
Yes, I was pleased. I now had from the UK as hundreds of firms and manufacturing

30 ONE COMMUNITY