THE ORDER OF SAINT MICHAEL AND SAINT GEORGE GCMG / KCMG / CMG X - CMG - 2020 PAGES: 63 UPDATED: 01 September 2020 (to Canada Gazette 22 February 2014) Prepared by: Surgeon Captain John Blatherwick, CM, OBC, CD, BSc, MD, DPH, FRCP(C), LLD(Hon) =========================================================================== 1 THE MOST DISTINGUISHED ORDER OF ST. MICHAEL and ST. GEORGE GCMG / KCMG / CMG When the Island of Malta and the seven Ionian Islands came under British protection in 1814, a new order was needed to reward the Ionians and Maltese who had assisted the King of England. Thus an order of three classes was created for this purpose. The Ionian Islands were ceded to Greece in 1864 and in 1868 the Order of Saint Michael and St. George was remodeled so that members must be subjects of the British Crown or such British protected persons as are connected with any of the territories under the protection and administration of the British Sovereign. They must either hold or have held high and confidential offices or have rendered extraordinary and important services within or in relation to any part of the Commonwealth beyond the seas or in territories under British protection or administration. Those who have rendered important or loyal services in relation to foreign affairs are also eligible for appointment to the order. For the military, the order served as a junior Order of the Bath with many officers being awarded this order and later the Order of the Bath if they achieved higher rank or appointments. With the institution of the Order of the British Empire in 1917, the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George became reserved more for diplomats, members of the Foreign Service and for those who had performed valuable administrative service in connection with the colonies and the countries of the commonwealth overseas. The Order does not have separate civil and military division, as does the Order of the Bath. There is only one division made up of three classes: GCMG (Knights Grand Cross), maximum 100 members and not more than 7 per annum; KCMG (Knights Commander), maximum 355 and not more than 24 members per annum, and; CMG (Companions) , maximum 1,435 members and not more than 103 per annum. As with the Order of the Bath, the first two classes confer Knighthood and the third class does not confer knighthood. The motto of the order is: PUSPICIUM MELIORIS AEVI -- "Token of a Better Age". The chapel of the order is in the south-west corner of Saint Paul's Cathedral. The Order has two major days, 23 April (St. George's day) and 29 September (St. Michael and All Angels day). The Grand Master is the Duke of Kent . 2 INSIGNIA of the ORDER of ST. MICHAEL and ST. GEORGE FIRST CLASS / GCMG: The COLLAR of gold is composed of 24 links of alternating gold cyphers SM (4) or SG (4), Maltese crosses in white enamel (8) and royally crowned lions of England (8) joined in the centre by two winged lions, each holding a book and seven arrows with a large Imperial crown over the books. The BADGE hangs from the collar and is a seven- armed cross with v shaped extremities, surmounted by the Imperial Crown. The obverse of the badge has in the centre a representation of St. Michael encountering Satan within a blue, circular riband bearing the motto, AUSPICIUM MELIORIS AEVI. The reverse has in the centre St. George on horseback fighting the dragon surrounded by a circle of blue enamel bearing the motto in gold. The badge is enameled white and edged in gold. The MANTLE is of saxon-blue satin lined with scarlet silk, tied with cords of blue and gold, and having on the left side the star of the Order. The CHAPEAU is of blue satin, lined with scarlet, and surmounted by black and white ostrich feathers. When the collar is not worn, ordinary full dress wear has the badge hung from a RIBAND, 4 inches wide, Saxon blue with a central scarlet stripe (of equal width to the blue). The riband passes over the right shoulder with the badge on the left hip. When the riband is worn, a STAR is worn on the left breast. The star has seven rays of silver (each gold ray having three separate rays), with smaller gold rays between each major ray (each gold ray having three separate rays) and over all the Cross of St. George in red enamel edged in gold. In the centre is a representation of St. Michael encountering Satan within a blue, circular riband bearing the motto in gold, AUSPICIUM MELIORIS AEVI. SECOND CLASS / KCMG: Knight Commanders wear a similar but smaller BADGE around their neck and wear a similar but smaller STAR on the left breast. THIRD CLASS / C.M.G.: Until 1917, Companions wore their BADGE from a straight suspender, with a pronged buckle from a 1.5 inches RIBBON of watered stripes of saxon-blue, scarlet, and Saxon blue. Since that time, the smaller (1.75 inches across) badge is worn around the neck from the watered blue/scarlet/blue ribbon. The ribbon for the CMG is worn in undress by members of all three classes and is 1.5 inches wide. ============================================================================ ============================================================================ 3 ORDER OF ST. MICHAEL and ST. GEORGE SUMMARY FENIAN NORTH CDN & & RR WEST SOUTH PRE CDN BA 1920- 1934- POST WW2 TOTLE 1870 1885 AFRICA WW1 WW1 WW1 1933 1935 WW2 WW2 TOTALS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GCMG 0 0 0 10 1 0 0 3 1 1 16 KCMG 0 1 0 72 5 1 3 2 0 4 88 CMG 10 2 6 87 175* 9 0 21 72 6 385 TOTAL 10 3 6 169 181 10 3 26 73 11 492 *includes 2 in the RCN ============================================================================================= AWARDS ASSOCIATED WITH CANADA FENIAN NORTH & RR WEST SOUTH PRE CDN BA 1920- 1934- POST TITLE 1870 1885 AFRICA WW1 WW1 WW1 1933 1935 WW2 WW2 TOTALS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GCMG 0 0 0 0 0 1(c) 0 0 0 0 1 KCMG 2(a) 1(b) 0 3 0 1(d) 0 0 0 0 7 CMG 1 0 0 4 0 10 0 0 0 0 15 TOTALS 3 1 0 7 0 12 0 0 0 0 23 (a) = Colonel Garnet Wolseley & LGen James Lindsay (b) = Major-General Frederick Middleton (c) = Duke of Devonshire (d) = Major-General Gwatkin =================================================================================== 4 GCMG Awarded to CANADIANS (GCMG) LG+/CG NAME POSITION DECORATIONS / 18/07/1914 BORDEN, Robert Laird Prime Minister (1911 - 1920) GCMG 22/06/1897+ CARTWRIGHT, Richard John Minister of Trade and Commerce GCMG (KCMG) 08/02/1919 CURRIE, Arthur William General - Canadian Army WW1 GCMG KCB (KCMG CB) 27/01/1934 DUFF, Lyman Poore Chief Justice of Canada GCMG 26/08/1916 DUKE of DEVONSHIRE Governor-General KG GCMG GCVO 19/06/1911+ FITZPATRICK, Charles Chief Justice of Canada GCMG (KCMG) 06/07/1918 FOSTER, George Eulas Minister of Trade and Commerce GCMG (KCMG) 25/05/1878+ GALT, Alexander Tilloch Minister of Finance of Canada GCMG CB (KCMG) 22/06/1897+ LAURIER, Wilfred Prime Minister GCMG 22/06/1897+ MOWAT, Oliver Minister of Justice of Canada GCMG (KCMG) 04/02/1933 PERLEY, George Halsey Senior Cabinet Minister GCMG (KCMG) 12/03/1968+ RENNIE, John Shaw Governor-General of Mauritius GCMG OBE (KCMG) 29/10/1878+ ROSE, John Finance Minister of Canada Bt GCMG (KCMG) 20/05/1896+ SMITH, Donald Alexander High Commissioner in Ottawa GCMG GCVO (KCMG) 02/01/1939+ STUART, Campbell LCol / Raised Regiment WW1 GCMG KBE 02/02/1886+ TUPPER, Charles Cdn High Commissioner London Bt GCMG CB (KCMG) 29/06/1935 WHITE, Thomas Minister of Finance GCMG (KCMG) ====================================================================================== ====================================================================================== Duke of Devonshire Charles Tupper Robert Laird Borden 5 GCMG awards to CANADIANS (GCMG) 25/05/ GALT, Alexander Tilloch Minister of Finance of Canada (1864 - 1868) 1878+ Chelsea, London, England (age 18) KCMG (1869) CB (1867) "Member of the Halifax Fisheries Commission" GCMG held by Canadian Public Archives in Ottawa =================================================================================== 29/10/ ROSE, John Minister of Finance of Canada (1868 - 1869) 1878+ Turiff, Scotland (age 16) KCMG (1872) Baronet (1872) "In recognition of his services as Executive Commissioner of Canada at the Paris Exhibition and member of the Finance Committee" =================================================================================== 02/02/ TUPPER, Charles Canadian High Commissioner in London 1886+ Amherst, Nova Scotia Baronet (1888) KCMG (1879) CB (1867) Prime Minister - 1896 / Several Cabinet Posts Physician "High Commissioner in London for the Dominion of Canada" =================================================================================== 6 GCMG awards to CANADIANS (GCMG) 20/05/ SMITH, Donald Alexander "High Commissioner in Ottawa for Canada" 1896+ Forres, Scotland (age 18) Baron (1900) GCVO (1908) KCMG (1886) Governor Hudson Bay Company / CPR / Bank of Montreal 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal ==================================================================================== 22/06/ LAURIER, Wilfred "President of the Privy Council and Premier 1897+ St. Lin, Quebec of the Dominion of Canada" (1896 - 1911) ==================================================================================== 22/06/ MOWAT, Oliver "Minister of Justice of the Dominion of 1897+ Kingston, Ontario Canada" Premier of Ontario (1872 - 1896) KCMG (1892) ==================================================================================== 7 GCMG awards to CANADIANS (GCMG) 22/06/ CARTWRIGHT, Richard John "Minister