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This document was issued to Warrant Officer W Papworth on November 5th 1945. The full text of the document reads-
"ALL MANKIND ** WHEREVER YE MAY BE,
KNOW YE MEN THAT:
We BORE, King of the Northpole and
The Land of the Midnight Sun - Do hereby declare that:
Warrant Officer Papworth. W.
did in this year 1945 with Our permission cross the Souther Boundary of Our
Realm - THE ARCTIC CIRCLE - in latitude 66° - 33 N for the purpose of
visiting Us and Our Queen Aurora Borealis and to chase the wicked Huns from
Our Lands.
By virtue whereof, We Bore, call upon all our subjects - Laps, Eskimoes,
Polar Bears, Blondes, Reindeer, Sea Lions, Whales and other Creatures of the
Frigid North, to show him due deference and respect.
Disobey under pain of Our Royal displeasure.
Signed This Day 5th Nov 1945
on Our Royal Iceberg.
BORE
[There's a signature which has sadly faded]
Comd. of the Royal
Arctic Frontier Guard."
The certificate has been framed to be displayed (the hook is actually and old ring pull araldited to the back and must have hung in some proud veteran's home for many years before I found it in amongst an auction lot along with copies of The Arctic Times- the most Northerly English language newspaper in the world. It's not a grand official document of the war, but tells us something about the humour of ordinary soldiers sent to serve in far flung corners of the world.
The Operation North Pole train has dropped off the kids in Des Plaines and is heading back toward Barrington.