THE QUEEN SENDS A NEW SEAL TO ADEN ELIZABETH (The Queen Mother, 1900-2002, Queen of George VI) & her younger daughter MARGARET (Rose, 1930-2002, Princess, Sister of Queen Elizabeth II, Countess of Snowdon)

Exceptional document signed by both at the head on behalf of the Queen addressed to Our Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Our Colony and Protectorate of Aden printed with the details typed in, sending a “Seal prepared by our Order for the use of the Government of Our Colony and Protectorate of Aden... We do hereby authorize and direct that the said Seal be used in sealing all Public Instruments which shall be made and passed in Our Name... We do further require and command that you do return the old Seal... to Us, through One of Our Principal Secretaries of State in order that it may be defaced...” countersigned by Alan LENNOX-BOYD (1st Viscount Boyd of Merton, 1904-1983, Conservative Politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies), together with a later impression of her seal of Aden, 1 side folio with stamped seal, Court at St James’s, 8th February

n 1954, Lennox Boyd became Secretary of State for the Colonies, where he oversaw early stages of decolonisation, with the granting of independence to Cyprus, Ghana, Malaya and Sudan. He was in office during the Mau Mau Rebellion in Kenya, and was persuaded to stay in office by Harold Macmillan after being censured for the Hola massacre. In 1955, he threatened to resign from his post when some Tory cabinet members wanted to apply immigration controls to New Commonwealth countries. This was in the early period of the post-Windrush era of immigration to Britain, which had seen an unexpectedly large inflow to Britain from non-white races as a result of the British Nationality Act 1948. This act, implemented by the previous Labour government, granted British citizenship to the entire Commonwealth;.

Item Date:  1956

Stock No:  42075      £1275

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