Graham Leslie Anderson (April 8, 1929 – November 18, 2012) was a British-born Canadian

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

scholar and

officer of arms An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions: * to control and initiate armorial matters; * to arrange and participate in ceremonies of state; * to conserve ...

. Anderson was formerly a student of

Shawnigan Lake School Shawnigan Lake School is a co-educational independent boarding school located on Vancouver Island in Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia, Canada. It was founded by Englishman Christopher Lonsdale, Christopher Windley "C. W." Lonsdale in 1916 and was p ...

and he began teaching at the School in 1957. He was the longest serving staff member at Shawnigan. He held the title of Senior Master Emeritus. He served as a housemaster for almost 30 years, and taught in the

Social Studies In many countries' curricula, social studies is the combined study of humanities, the arts, and social sciences, mainly including history, economics, and civics. The term was coined by American educators around the turn of the twentieth century as ...

department. He was also the caretaker of the chapel organ, the second largest pipe organ on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

. Anderson was also the caretaker of the rifle range now known as the Graham Anderson Range. Born in

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, England, Anderson achieved much in the world of heraldry. He was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the

Royal Heraldry Society of Canada The Royal Heraldry Society of Canada (RHSC; ) is a Canadian organization that promotes interest in heraldry in Canada. It was founded in 1966 and granted royal patronage in 2002. History The society was established in October 1966, as the Hera ...

in 1988. In 1992 he was awarded the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the

Confederation of Canada Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Dominion of Canada, on July 1, 1867. This process ...

. Having been a consultant at the

Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; ) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Monarchy of Canada, Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for the creation and gran ...

since its inception in 1988, Anderson was appointed

Cowichan Herald Extraordinary The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; ) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Monarchy of Canada, Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for the creation and gran ...

at the Authority in 1999. More recently, he received the

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal () or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was ...

. Anderson's arms were matriculated and recorded in the

Court of the Lord Lyon The Court of the Lord Lyon, or Lyon Court, is a standing court of law, based in New Register House in Edinburgh, which regulates heraldry in Scotland. The Lyon Court maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All ...

and they were registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority on 22 June 1992. The arms are

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

ed ''Or on a Saltire engrailed Sable between a Mullet in chief and another in base Azure and as many Anchors in the flanks Gules a Rose Argent barbed and seeded Or all within a Bordure counter compony Or and Sable''. His crest is ''A Griffin segreant Erminois membered armed beaked and ducally crowned Or supporting in its talons an Anchor Gules''. He died in

Duncan, British Columbia Duncan is a city on southern Vancouver Island in the Cowichan Valley Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. It is the smallest city in Canada by area. It was incorporated as a city in 1912. Location The city is about 45 kilometres from b ...

, in November 2012. A Celebration of his life was held at the Shawnigan Lake School Chapel on December 8, 2012, with music playing on the organ that Anderson built.

References

External links

Anderson Coat of Arms

Shawnigan Lake School
:

Canadian Heraldic Authority
20th-century Canadian historians Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian officers of arms Fellows of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada 1939 births 2012 deaths Canadian Heraldic Authority English emigrants to Canada Shawnigan Lake School alumni {{Canada-historian-stub