Important King’s Messengers passport
Wartime issued Diplomatic Courier’s passport for the Americas.
The Corps of King’s Messengers (or Corps of Queen’s Messengers, depending on the ruling monarch at the time) are members of the British Foreign Office and /or of the Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Their task, travelling around the world to various embassies, high commissions and other diplomatic missions and hand-carry important and crucial documents. Most King’s Messengers were retired army officers and usually dressed in plain clothing on business calls flights.
The document here dates from 1942, Diplomatic passport No. 30 issued in London to Lieutenant Colonel Cyril Loyd Butler Fraser, and used for reaching Washington, D.C., the UK’s most important wartime ally. Leaving Scotland from Clyde Ports, clear stamp dating from December 2nd, after obtaining a US Diplomatic visa on November 12th.
The passport was extensively used, over 100 visas and stamps, and opens up like an accordion with both sides fully stamped with added folding pages inside.
Highlights include Free French, Irish, Haitian & Cuban Diplomatic visas, needless to say visas from all South America and Dutch colonies as well are inside.
Added sampled images of this historical document.
(Document is in a private archive).
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