![]() Although most high-priority information is transmitted via diplomatic wireless, QM's are still considered the most reliable transport for other confidential or bulky documents. First on the plane and last off it, they are generally met by embassy staff on their arrival. ![]() On journeys to Communist countries, QM's are accompanied by an ex-military officer, and on the grueling Mongolian trip the QM's travel in pairs. The only other protection a QM has on his world travels is his red diplomatic passport, which allows him to cross frontiers free of customs inspection under Article 27 of the Vienna Convention. ''QM's,'' as they are called, are distinguishable to the world only by their tie, which boasts a silver greyhound, the corps insignia. They travel unarmed and their only protection is to be as unobtrusive as possible in their job of delivering and protecting diplomatic bags, which generally occupy the train or plane seat next to them. (When there have been Kings of England, the corps members have been known as King's Messengers.) Typically former members of the military, they are between the ages of 40 and 60 and have been carefully screened for the job on the basis of their physical fitness, reliability and discretion. Today's 34-strong corps of Queen's Messengers are a select, all-male group. These are Queen's Messengers, who ever since the days of Henry VIII - when the monarch called for ''40 gentlemen of the Great Chamber in Ordinary'' to act as couriers - have been charged with the responsibility of taking messages from Britain's rulers to her lonely outposts. Their mission is the safe delivery of confidential and sensitive information from Her Majesty's Government - sealed in diplomatic bags. And from there they will go to Peking, Hong Kong and Manila, all in the course of a journey that has already taken them to Kuwait, Dubai, New Delhi and Bangkok. Their destination is the British Embassy at Ulan Bator in Mongolia. They are nearing the end of a 20-day assignment so delicate that only a handful of people know their whereabouts. Costs may apply for lost or damaged items.It's a dark and stormy night in Mongolia, and as the Trans-Mongolian Express lumbers its way across the Gobi Desert, two members of an elite British diplomatic corps are on board, carrying on a tradition almost 500 years old. ![]() Use your Borrowing Form and kit content checklists to ensure you return all items. ![]() Do not use museum specimens and artefacts as costumes or playing dress-ups.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |