1st class Order of St. Stanislaus awarded to the Director of the Bank of England George Macaulay Booth

Gold, enamel.
Size 65 x 60 mm.

Marked with a St. Petersburg district assay office gold hallmark "alpha, female head in kokoshnik to the right, 56", round identification marks and maker's mark "ВД/VD ("small" variation) for Eduard workshop /ВД = Владимир Яковлевич Динаков/ and "Эдуардъ/Eduard".

Marks.

Breast star.

Silver, gilt, enamel.
Size 95 x 95 mm.

Marked with a St. Petersburg district assay office silver hallmark "alpha, female head in kokoshnik to the right, 84", round identification marks and maker's mark "ВД/VD ("small" variation) for Eduard workshop /ВД = Владимир Яковлевич Динаков/ and "Эдуардъ/Eduard".

Marks.

 

Original case.

 

Interesting letter /dated January 29, 1918/ to Booth from the President of the Russian Government Committee in London regarding the awarding.

"During my last visit to Petrograd, in September 1917, the Provisional Russian Government expressed the wish to con-fer upon you the Order of St. Stanislav let Class, in recognition of the most valuable services rendered by you in connection with the supply of munitions to Russia.

Having lately received the consent of the British Govern-ment to present this distinction, I beg to forward herewith the insignia of the Order and take this opportunity to express my personal appreciation of the great assistance my Committee and I have experienced from you, and of the most cordial relations that existed between us during the time of our mutual work."​

 

George Macaulay Booth (22 September 1877 – 10 March 1971) was a prominent British businessman and a director of the Bank of England, renowned for his contributions to family enterprises in shipping and trade as well as his public service in finance and local governance. Born in London as the son of Charles Booth, the influential social reformer and shipowner who conducted pioneering surveys on urban poverty, and Mary Catherine Booth (née Macaulay), a noted philanthropist, Booth grew up in a family deeply embedded in Liverpool's mercantile elite through the firm Alfred Booth & Co., established by his uncle.

Booth entered the family business early, rising to significant leadership roles in Alfred Booth & Co., which specialized in international trade, leather, and steamshipping across the Americas and beyond. His career extended into high-level finance when he was elected a director of the Bank of England in April 1915.