The Baker Street Irregulars Trust

The Queen Victoria Medal

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVLYZP2VQp9RnzDaLxA1GEtb-u5nENIVLc5fpA_IlPzYl8yw66rOPnlEJvPkKGSh7KmaNChRvso4lsgMzArG2TBytkW5kepeYVozSSAXoGqHi-4FcNAVsYX8HfCOPWfk4NoScMyzBF4BJ/s1600/victoria-medal-front-v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The BSI Queen Victoria Medal (front)" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="993" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVLYZP2VQp9RnzDaLxA1GEtb-u5nENIVLc5fpA_IlPzYl8yw66rOPnlEJvPkKGSh7KmaNChRvso4lsgMzArG2TBytkW5kepeYVozSSAXoGqHi-4FcNAVsYX8HfCOPWfk4NoScMyzBF4BJ/s400/victoria-medal-front-v1.jpg" title="Click this photo to see a larger version" width="246" /></a></div>
 
The Winter issue of the 1967 Baker Street Journal included an item on page 250 that said: 
 
“A giant stride toward the quartering of the Union Jack with the Stars and Stripes occurred in October when Colin Prestige (“Captain Crocker” - or “Croker” as it is in the English editions), Hon. Secretary of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, paid an eventful visit to this country. In New York he was honoured at two small gatherings, a cocktail party and a luncheon, and he was presented with a newly-created Irregular award, the Victoria Medal, for his contributions to the quartering referred to at the beginning of this paragraph. The medal is silver and was produced by the Royal Mint in 1897 to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.” 
 
Thus, Julian Wolff gave to Colin Prestige the very first Queen Victoria Medal awarded by the BSI. Others would receive it through the years.  Two of them would receive it twice!  The Medal was not only awarded for promoting British-American relations, but was also given to both men and women who deserved it for devotion to duty.  The recipients have been: 
 
Colin G. Prestige, 1967 
Baron Gore-Booth, 1968 
Lord Donegall, 1969 
Lew D. Feldman, 1969 
Dorothy Stix, 1981 and 1986 
Eleanor Baker O'Connor, 1984 and 1994 
John Bennett Shaw, 1985 
Eleanor Wolff, 1987 
Albert M. and Julia C. Rosenblatt (jointly), 1987 
Edith Meiser, 1989 
Katherine McMahon, 1990 
Dorothy Beverly [West], 1990 
Fritz Sonnenschmidt, 1991 
Theresa Thomalen, 1992 
Philip A. Shreffler, 1993 
Dorothy R. Shaw, 1995 
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/06/robert-thomalen-interview-oral-history.html">Robert E. Thomalen</a>, 1996 
 
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzWNi84JxKwSzISr1_BpvolkbNlfncEjX5Gmz_zHZo2yUePs8ou1cjNonMoceUVBIeQbc6QpBMbjNvwIE_ZgyR5pUhTexB3t9w2k__H0UAKFMxjdUVjSokvcyZsyuHa5yEunAudeUZQne/s1600/victoria-medal-back-v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The BSI Queen Victoria Medal (back)" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1124" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzWNi84JxKwSzISr1_BpvolkbNlfncEjX5Gmz_zHZo2yUePs8ou1cjNonMoceUVBIeQbc6QpBMbjNvwIE_ZgyR5pUhTexB3t9w2k__H0UAKFMxjdUVjSokvcyZsyuHa5yEunAudeUZQne/s400/victoria-medal-back-v1.jpg" title="Click this photo to see a larger version" width="280" /></a></div>
 
The Medals were not usually awarded at the BSI Dinner, but, rather, at other events, including the Saturday Cocktail Reception during the BSI Weekend, Silver Blaze Race in New York, Sherlockian Dinners at the Culinary Institute of America, John Bennett Shaw’s workshop, and other venues. 
 
Dorothy Stix relates that the reason she received her second Medal was because Julian Wolff forgot that he had given her the first one.  Of course, both were well deserved. 
 
The BSI Trust is grateful to Dorothy Stix who donated her Queen Victoria Medals (including the one shown in the photos above) to the Trust in 2017. 
 
Thanks to <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/10/peter-blau-interview-oral-history.html">Peter E. Blau</a>, the keeper of all records, who supplied his list of recipients to the Trust for this web page. 
 
Click on the above photos to see larger versions, and maximize your browser window to see the most detail. 
 
 
<h4>
Reports on the Award</h4>
 
In true irregular fashion, not all of the announcements of the awarding of the Queen Victoria Medal were published in The Baker Street Journal at the time that they occurred.  Some were mentioned in later issues. Others were not mentioned at all. 
 
Awarded to Colin G. Prestige, The Baker Street Journal 17.4 (December 1967): 250 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
Awarded to Lord Gore-Booth, The Baker Street Journal 35.3 (September 1985): 157 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
Awarded to Lord Donegall and Lew D. Feldman, The Baker Street Journal 19.1 (March 1969): 50 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
Awarded to Dorothy Stix, The Baker Street Journal 31.4 (December 1981): 251 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
Awarded to Eleanor Baker O'Connor, The Baker Street Journal 36.2 (June 1986): 107 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
Awarded to John Bennett Shaw, The Baker Street Journal 36.1 (March 1986): 42 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
Awarded to Dorothy Stix, The Baker Street Journal 36.4 (December 1986): 235 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
Awarded to Eleanor Wolff, The Baker Street Journal 37.1 (March 1987): 47 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
Awarded to Albert M. and Julia C. Rosenblatt (jointly), The Baker Street Journal 37.4 (December 1987): 242 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
Awarded to Edith Meiser, The Baker Street Journal 39.1 (March 1989): 55 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
Awarded to Katherine McMahon and Dorothy Beverly [West], The Baker Street Journal 40.1 (March 1990): 44 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
Awarded to Fritz Sonnenschmidt, The Baker Street Journal 41.3 (September 1991): 156 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
Awarded to Theresa Thomalen, The Baker Street Journal 42.1 (March 1992): 50 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
Awarded to Philip A. Shreffler, The Baker Street Journal 43.1 (March 1993): 47 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
Awarded to <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/06/robert-thomalen-interview-oral-history.html">Robert E. Thomalen</a>, The Baker Street Journal 46.1 (March 1996): 14 (available in the eBSJ) 
 
 
<h4>
Related Material</h4>
 
<a href="http://fourthgarrideb.com/2017/06/queen-victorias-diamond-jubilee-medal/">Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Medal</a>, History of the Medal from The Fourth Garrideb - Numismatics of Sherlock Holmes. 
 
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">Explanation of BSI Honours & Terms</a> 
 
See all the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/search/label/Memorabilia">BSI Memorabilia</a> on our website 
 
The BSI Archive is located at the Houghton Library at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Archival material may be used by any qualified scholar, subject to the normal rules and regulations of the Library. For links to a detailed finding aid and related information, see our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/archive.html">BSI Archive at Harvard</a> page. 
 
Page composed on 6/24/2017 by Andrew Solberg 
This page last updated 6/30/2017 by Andrew Solberg.

The Queen Victoria Medal

The Winter issue of the 1967 Baker Street Journal included an item on page 250 that said: “A giant stride toward the quartering of the...

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The 2016 BSI Dinner

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxQ__mCmoZJ9_r_Ki1mj-gYYKS4ow4p6Ef_5DyyL92ta8nnODCg6OcYhPdo2xZ51MlMKUbFJMKgFvLTYBBrDvds0apz2URKwQC1FQc3h19Vfx8ipPHhAc4n1J-Qo1zH2HYOYB1G4jGW-P/s1600/bsi-dinner-2016-v1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The 2016 BSI Dinner group photo" border="0" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="1600" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxQ__mCmoZJ9_r_Ki1mj-gYYKS4ow4p6Ef_5DyyL92ta8nnODCg6OcYhPdo2xZ51MlMKUbFJMKgFvLTYBBrDvds0apz2URKwQC1FQc3h19Vfx8ipPHhAc4n1J-Qo1zH2HYOYB1G4jGW-P/s640/bsi-dinner-2016-v1.jpg" title="Click this 2016 BSI Dinner photo to see a larger version" width="640" /></a></div>
 
Sherlock Holmes’s 162nd birthday was feted by an enthusiastic group, also celebrating the 25th anniversary of the<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2016/04/the-1991-bsi-dinner.html"> opening of the BSI to women</a>. 
 
Mike Whelan (the BSI's "Wiggins") honored Tony Montag for his more than fifty years as an Irregular. He also recognized others in attendance with Irregular longevity, including <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/10/peter-blau-interview-oral-history.html">Peter Blau</a>, Albert Silverstein, <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/04/russell-merritt-interview-oral-history.html">Russell Merritt</a>, George McCormack, Chris Redmond, and James Saunders. 
 
Julia Rosenblatt toasted Mrs. Hudson.  Marilynne McKay gave the toast to Mycroft Holmes.  Sally Sugarman had us raise our glasses to Watson's second wife, and Catherine Cooke toasted Sherlock Holmes.   Marino Alvarez led the responsive reading of the Musgrave Ritual.  Bob Coghill gave a toast to an Old Irregular, Maureen Green Van der Flaes.  Tony Montag read the Constitution and Buy-Laws. 
 
Bert Coules gave an account of Holmes on the radio in the 1930s, a tribute to Edith Meiser.   Peter Blau and Evelyn Herzog gave a "Duet: With an Occasional Chorus" account of the role of women in the BSI from 1934 to the present (which concluded with the singing - for the first time at an annual Dinner of the BSI - of the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes' "Reindeer Song").  Susan Rice gave a presentation on the rational roots of Holmes's feelings about women. As usual, Henry Boote, at the piano, led the musical entertainment.  Susan Dahlinger provided a marvelous rendition of a song from The Seven Per-Cent Solution film, as Nicholas Meyer was in attendance.  Betsy Rosenblatt did a great job singing "At Last," and Henry Boote charmed us with the singing of his own original composition, both celebrating women in the BSI. Francine Kitts, once again, performed a moving <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">“Standing upon the Terrace”</a> ceremony, remembering those whom we have lost. 
 
Seven deserving Irregulars received their Shilling.  Nancy Browning was toasted as <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">The Woman</a>.  Tom Francis (former Chairman of the BSI Trust) received the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">Two-Shilling Award</a> for extraordinary devotion to the cause beyond the call of duty.  Mike Whelan also appointed two more officers of the BSI: Michael Kean (as "Cartwright") and Bob Katz (as "Billy the Page"). 
 
The evening concluded with Peter Crupe reciting Vincent Starrett’s poem “221B.” 
 
At the next day’s Sherlockian Cocktail Reception at the New York City Bar Association, Judge Albert Rosenblatt and his daughter, Betsy Rosenblatt, once again performed their remarkable rhyming summation of the previous year and of the Festivities. 
 
Dinner Details: January 15, 2016 
The Yale Club, New York 
 
<h4>
Dinner Photo Information</h4>
Click on the above photo to see a larger version of it, and maximize your browser window to see the most detail. 
 
Key to People in the 2016 BSI Dinner photo (not available at this time, but see the <a href="http://files.bsitrust.org/pdf/dinner/bsi-dinner-2016-attendees.pdf">2016 Table Seat Assignments </a>(PDF) 
 
 
<h4>
BSI Honours List</h4>
Investitures: 
Dana Cameron as The Giant Rat of Sumatra 
Bert Coules as The Whole Art of Detection 
Jenn Eaker as Mary Sutherland 
John Durein as Wilson, the Notorious Canary Trainer 
Jayantika Ganguly as The Great Agra Treasure 
Timothy Greer as The Ragged Shaw 
William Walsh as Godfrey Norton 
* received Investiture at another event during the year 
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is an Investiture?</a> 
 
 
Two-Shilling Award: 
Tom Francis. 
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is a Two-Shilling Award?</a> 
 
The Woman: 
Nancy Browning. 
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is The Woman honour?</a> 
 
"Stand with me here upon the terrace..." 
(as named at this Dinner, not their year of passing) 
John Devereux de Gozzaldi (The Speckled Band, 1980) 
William Dudley (The Papers of Ex-President Murillo, 1976) 
Barton Eberman (The Hound of the Baskervilles, 1986) 
John Farrell (The Tiger of San Pedro, 1981) 
Matthew Fox (Vigor, the Hammersmith Wonder, 1972) 
George Hough (The Duke of Balmoral, 1983) 
Jack Key (Pritchard, 1989) 
C. Frederick Kittle (Jack Stapleton, 2000) 
Art Levine (The Cutter Alicia, 1955) 
Austin McLean (The London Library, 1990) 
David Pearce (The Khalifa at Khartoum, 1977) 
Mel Ruiz (Jack Douglas, 1988) 
Ralph Wroblewski (Captain Teddy Marvin, 1976) 
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the origin of “standing on the terrace?”</a> 
 
Morley-Montgomery Award: 
Chris Redmond, "Dr. Hill Barton Pays a Call" 
The Baker Street Journal 65.2 (Summer 2015): 18-26. 
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the Morley-Montgomery Award?</a> 
 
The BSI Distinguished Speaker Lecture: 
Jeffrey Hatcher, “Casting Holmes” 
The Baker Street Journal 66.1 (Spring 2016): 21-31. 
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the BSI Distinguished Speaker Lecture?</a> 
 
 
<h4>
Reports on the Dinner</h4>
The Baker Street Journal 66.1 (Spring 2016): 49-59. 
 
Blau, Peter, <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/links.html#news">Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press</a>, (January 2016): 1-2. 
 
<a href="http://files.bsitrust.org/pdf/dinner/bsi-dinner-2016-attendees.pdf">List of 2016 BSI Dinner Attendees</a> (PDF) 
 
 
<h4>
Recordings</h4>
A recording of portions of the 2016 BSI Dinner is available at Harvard as part of the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/archive.html">BSI Archive</a>. 
 
 
<h4>
Related Material</h4>
Rosenblatt, Albert M., and Betsy Rosenblatt, “BSI Poem 2016,” The Baker Street Journal 66.1 (Spring 2016): 59-62. The Rosenblatts’ rhyming retrospective, delivered at the January 16, 2016 Sherlockian Cocktail Reception. 
 
Previous dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2017/05/the-2015-bsi-dinner.html">2015 BSI Dinner</a> 
 
Next dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2018/11/the-2017-bsi-dinner.html">2017 BSI Dinner</a> 
 
For an index to all BSI Dinners and photos, see our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/dinner-summary.html">BSI Dinner Summary</a> list. 
 
 
The BSI Archive is located at the Houghton Library at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Archival material may be used by any qualified scholar, subject to the normal rules and regulations of the Library. For links to a detailed finding aid and related information, see our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/archive.html">BSI Archive at Harvard </a>page. 
 
Page composed on 5/28/2017 by Tamar Zeffren 
This page last updated 5/29/2017 by Andrew Solberg.

The 2016 BSI Dinner

Sherlock Holmes’s 162nd birthday was feted by an enthusiastic group, also celebrating the 25th anniversary of the opening of the BSI to ...

+ Read more »