The Queensland Badge
by Mamie O'Keeffe, B.A., A.L.A.A.*
The oldest part of the State arms of Queensland is the Maltese You will perceive that under this Order, Governors of Her cross in the crest, which was gazetted as the State badge just one Majesty's Dominions in Foreign parts, and Governors of all ranks and hundred years ago, on 29 November 1876.' Efforts to discover a denominations, administering the Governments of British Colonies and Dependencies, are authorised to fly the Union Jack, with the Arms reason for the selection of this device have so far been unavailing. The or Badge of the Colony emblazoned in the centre thereof popular theories which connect it with the Victoria Cross, Queen Victoria, or Lady Bowen appear, on investigation, not to be I have to request that you will, with the advice of your Council, cause to be prepared the sketch of such a Badge as it may substantiated. Information recently has been found which makes the be proposed to adopt for this purpose in the Colony under your question appear in a new light. Government, and that you will submit the device to me, previous to its The Maltese cross is, in fact, Queensland's second badge. On 22 final adoption, December 1865 a circular was sent to the British colonies concerning I have the honor to be the flags borne by colonial vessels:^ Sir, Your most obedient, Downing Street, humble Servant, 22nd December, 1865. GRANVILLE. Sir, The Officer Administering With reference to my Circular Despatch of the 19th May last, the Government of enclosing a copy of the Colonial Naval Defence Act, 28 Vic, cap. 14,1 have now the honor to inform you that the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have laid down the following Rules as to the Flag to be borne, by any Vessels maintained by any Colony under the Clauses of that Act:— 1. That any Vessel provided and used under the 3rd Section of This circular was answered in a despatch from the Governor, the Colonial Naval Defence Act, should wear the Blue Ensign, with the Samuel Wensley Blackall, dated 22 March 1870:^ Seal or Badge of the Colony in the Fly thereof, and a Blue Pennant. 2. That all Vessels belonging to, or permanently in the service of Queensland Government House the Colonies, but not commissioned as Vessels of War under the Act No. 19 Brisbane, 22 March 1870 above referred to, should wear a similar Blue Ensign, but not the Pennant. My Lord, Adverting to your Lordship's Circular Despatch of 14 September You will take care that these instructions be in future strictly 1869 enclosing copy of an Order in Council regarding Flags to be used complied with. by the different Branches of Her Majesty's Service and requesting me to bring this Order before my Responsible Advisers, I have now the I have at the same time to request you to furnish me with a List of honor to enclose a Drawing of the Badge adopted for this Colony and any such Vessels belonging to the Colony under your government, and to inform your Lordship that my Responsible Advisers have not to send me, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the thought it necessary to submit this Badge to Her Majesty's Admiralty, a correct Drawing of the Seal or Badge, which is to form Government previous to its adoption and that it may now be con the distinguishing mark adopted by the Colony of sidered the Flag of Queensland. I have the honor to be. The Right Honorable Sir, Earl Granville Your most obedient humble Servant, I have the honor to be. My Lord, Your Lordship's most Obedient Humble Servant, Sam. W. Blackall Governor Queensland seems to have made no reply to this circular. It is possible, however, that the suggestion of a badge may have been acted on. Another circular was sent over the signature of Earl Granville on 14 September 1869:^ The copy of the badge which was sent to Earl Granville and forwarded by him to the Admiralty has not been located. However, on 23 August 1875 another circular over the signature of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, the Earl of Carnarvon, requested CIRCULAR (b the Governor of each colony to certify the correctness of the badge so Downing Street, that the colony's flag could be inserted in the 'Admiralty Flag book'.' 14th September, 1869. This circular was accompanied by a memorial dated 28 July 1875 Sir, from the Admiralty and coloured sheets showing the badges adopted I transmit to you, herewith, a copy of an Order of Her Majesty in by the various colonies up to that time, together with the flags upon Council of the 7th ultimo, approving a Memorial of the Lords which the devices were to be borne.'* The badge for Queensland Commissioners of the Admiralty, with reference to the Flags to be used showed a head of Queen Victoria very similar to the design used for by the different branches of Her Majesty's Service, the 'penny black' postage stamp of 1840 except that it faced to the
Oxley Librarian. John Oxley Library, Brisbane. Page Ten Queensland Heritage right instead of to the left.^ It showed the head on a blue background Four designs were considered, the Governor noting on the and was surrounded by a white circle bearing in its upper portion drawing showing the Maltese cross: QUEENSLAND. This, within the Wreath (vide 16) seems preferable. The reception of this circular was apparently followed by The blue to be the dark blue of the Flag 16.'° discussion in the Queensland Government occasioning the Colonial The Governor forwarded on 23 March 1876acop_\ of this letter to the Treasurer (and Acting Colonial Secretary), William Hemmant^ to Earl of Carnarvon with 'two copies of the device which Mr. write on 15 March 1876 to the Governor, William Wellington Hemmant and myself have approved in substitution for the present Cairns:^ badge of the Colony. ... If Your Lordship should be pleased to adopt the proposed device of a Maltese Cross, with a Crown in the The Treasury, Queensland. Centre, as the future badge of the Colony for the Governor and Brisbane, 15 March 1876. Government vessels an intimation to that effect would receive the Sir, immediate attention of the Executive Council'." Referring to the Circular Despatch of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, dated the 23rd August last, upon the subject of On 14 July 1876 the Governor was informed by the Earl of distinctive badges proposed for the flags of the several Colonies, I have Carnarvon that the Lords of the Admiralty had approved the badge the honor to advise Your Excellency that the ditficulty of producmg of the Colony of Queensland to be 'argent on a Maltese Cross azure a upon bunting a fair representation of the head or bust of Her Majesty Queen's Crown proper''^; an illustration of the new badge, prepared has proved so great, and the effect, when produced, so unsatisfactory, by the Admiralty was enclosed.'^ as to render it necessary to abandon the idea of using that device for the Queensland Ensign, and I beg therefore to recommend that the Notification of its adoption, together with an illustration accompanying design, within a wreath of laurel, be adopted for the appeared over the signature of James Robert Dickson'", the Colonial flags of this Colony in lieu of that formerly advised, Treasurer, in the Queensland Government Gazette on 29 November 1876.'5 I have the honor to be. Sir, Your most obedient Servant, Wm Hemmant To His Excellency W, W, Cairns Esq,^? C,M,G, Brisbane.
ENDNOTES
Queensland Government Gazette, Supplement, vol. XIX, no. 64 7, For the origin and design of the 'penny black', refer Robson (29 November 1876), p. 1141. Lowe, The British Postage Stamp, Being the History of the Circular dated 22 December 1865, CO. 854;7 (Australian Joint Nineteenth Century Postage Stamps . . . (London, 1968), pp Copying Project microfilm reel 2551). 46-73, Circular from Earl Granville, Secretary of State for Colonies, 14 8, William Hemmant (1838-1916), M,L,A, East Moreton 1871-73, September 1869, CO. 854/10 (A.J.C.P. microfilm reel 2553). Bulimba 1873-76; Colonial Treasurer 1874-76, Refer D, B, Waterson, A Biographical Register of the Queensland Parliament 4. Samuel W. Blackafl, Governor of Queensland to Earl Granville, 1860-1929, Australian Parliaments: Biographical Notes, 3 (Can Secretary of State for Colonies, 22 March 1870, CO. 234 24 berra, 1972), pp, 82-3, (A.J.C.P. microfilm reel 1920). A copy, with slight variations, may be found in Queensland State Archives GOV/25, pp. 334-5. 9, Colonial Treasurer to Governor, 15 March 1876 (Q,S,A, G0V/A9, pp, 100-1), The text of this letter was printed in Quill: 5. 'Secretary of State for the Colonies to Officer Administering the Queensland Inter-Library Liaison, vol. 2, no. 1 (March 1961) n Government of Queensland, 23 August 1875', printed in Votes 42. ^' and Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, 10. The four designs accompany Colonial Treasurer to Governor 15 1876, vol. I, p. 655. The 'Admiralty Flag book' referred to in the March 1876 (Q.S.A. GOV/A9, pp. 100-1). The 'wreath' referred circular was the Admiralty's Drawings of the Flags in i'sc at the to in the minute was the laurel wreath which surrounded the Present Time by Various Nations (London, 1875), colony's badge emblazoned in the centre of the Union Jack, The memorial from the Admiralty was printed with the circular which the colony's Governor was authorized to fly. Reter in Q.V.P., 1876, vol, I, pp, 655-6, The illustrations of the flags endnote 4. The number 'sixteen' referred to the number of the forwarded with the circular may be found on pp, 171-4 flag in the coloured drawings forwarded to the Governor. Refer accompanying Secretary of State for the Colonies to Officer endnote 6. Administering the Government of Queensland, 23 August 1875. 11 Governor to Secretary of State for the Colonies 2'^ Ma (Public Record Office, London CO. 854/16, pp. 169-70, A.J.C.P. 1876 (Q.S.A. GOV/26, pp. 574-5). Also printed in Quill, vo microfilm reel 2557). no. 1 (March 1961). p. 42.
Queensland Heriiwic Pui^e Eleven 12. As for endnote 1. 15, As for endnote 1, The gwee«5/a«(/er (2 December 1876, p, 21, col, 1) drew a humorous comment on this illustration noting it as a picture which may be intended for a Maltese cross, argent, and a 13. Secretary of State for the Colonies to Governor, 14 July 1876 proper Queen's crown, but which looks suspiciously like a double- (Original Despatches from the Secretary of State, vol, XVII necked eagle that has swallowed a coal scuttle; or, as the drawing is (1876), Premier's Department, Brisbane), rough it might be a turkey which the eagle seems to be struggling to digest. We hesitate to offer any opinion on this matter, but in view of present European complications, it seems to have grave significance. Can emissaries of the Czar have already penetrated f4. James Robert Dickson (f832-1901), M,L,A, Enoggera 1873-88, even to the Treasury? Buhmba 1892-1901; Secretary for Public Works and Mines 10 May-5 June 1876, Colonial Treasurer 1876-79, 1883-87, Sec ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS retary for Railways 25 February-31 March 1897, Secretary for Railways and Post Master General 1897-98, Home Secretary and The text of the two circulars, together with the despatch from Secretary for Railways 2 March-27 April 1898, Home Secretary Governor Blackall to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, 14 21 April-1 October 1898, Premier, Chief Secretary, and Home September 1865 is taken from the Australian Joint Copying Project Sccrclarv 1-12 October 1898, Premier and Chief Secretary 1898- microfilm and reproduced by courtesy of the National Library of 99, Chief Secretary 1899-1901; Minister for Defence (Com Australia, The heraldic descriptions for illustrations on pages monwealth) 1901; C,M,G, 1897, K,C,M,G, 1901, Refer Water- thirteen and fourteen have been provided by the courtesy of the son, Biographical Register, p, 48, Coflege of Arms, London,
Bishop Tufnell and the clergymen who accompanied him from England in 1860 Back row: Vincent Ransome, Bishop Tufnell, John Tomlinson, Duncan Mackenzie Front row: Thomas Johes, John Sutton, C. Greenstreet, Edmund Moberley Page Twelve Queensland Heritage Queensland's first badge A Queen's head upon a Hurt [blue roundel], bordered Argent, a representation of the head of Queen Victoria facing to the sinister and wearing a diadem
Queensland's badge after 1876 as prepared by the Admiralty. Argent on a Maltese Cross Azure, a Queen's crown proper
Queensland Heritage Page Thirteen Argent on a Maltese Cross Azure, a Queen's crown proper Gold a Cross engrailed voided of the field, between four Mullets [stars] Azure
Gold three Lions passant guardant Gulc^ Azureon a Bend Gules between two Crowns, a Lion passant guardant Gold
Four designs submitted to Governor Cairns Page Fourteen Queensland Heritage Til. l-l.-i^ I,, uc U'-c.l U • > ,. .nL.is >.r 1 li-r M.ij^--ly s IJuniiiii.nis lu luu i;;n ii.Trt>, aiu! In (l<>\criior^ I'f.iH IMMLS ;IIK1 ti«•ll«.llll:l.^u.*^^ .niminisici invi llu- tMiwrmncnts of Hrui^h C".>^on f< oi 1 I.prii,Kill ics, !(•/..,I ,„.!,.id;'J In ir,.,f/v „,•„//,,•,• CI.-.M'-. i-. lllc I'llioll J.ick, i'.!;li IIK-.irnis or (,ijj;i.- .'I IIK ioloii\' unlbl.i/oiK.l 111 llu .-• mr. Vessels in the Service of the Colony but not commissioned as Vessels of War under the Colonial Naval Defence Act were authorized to wear a similar Blue Eiisiim but not the Pennant Queensland Heritage Page Pifteen SUPPLEMENT TO THB QUEENSLAND or SATURDAY, 25TII NOVEMBER, 1870. PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY. VOL. XIX.] WEDNESDAY, 29Tit NOVEMBER, 1876. [No. C4. The Treasury, QiiecDsland, Brisbaui', lotL NoTcmbor, 1876. GOVERNMENT KOTiriCWTIOX, T 1 TS Exrcllency tie fiovernor, with Iho advice of the Executive Council, lins been jileiised to direct that for the I'uture the Ead^^c of the Colony, to be embla/oueJ in the centre vi the Union FlaR tor use by the Governor, and to be inserted in the Blue l',nsi;;n for use by vesseL In Die emrloymcnt of I he Queensland Government, shall l)e as hereinafter described :-- AB(.I:.NT ON A MALTESE CHOSS A/TOK A (^CKLN'S L'I;U«'.N rKurrii, \, / t)ruwing of BaHje •JAMLS 1{. DiCtSON, Colonial Treasurer. iJy Autliority : JiMEs V. JiEAL, Uorernment i'riuter, AViUiam street, Bmbaaa. Page Sixteen Queensland Heritage