This Gold Cigarette Box bears the hallmarks of Mappin and Webb Limited, London, 1927-1928. It has engine-turned exterior decoration and a highly polished interior, with a central shield of elaborate engraving and enamelling. This piece is typical of a time when smoking was a fashionable pastime with none of the known health implications of today. It was presented to Major General Sir Richard Havelock Charles on the occasion of his Baronetcy in 1928. Havelock Charles was born in Cookstown, County Tyrone, and educated at Queen's College, Cork, before joining the Indian Medical Service where he attained the rank of Major General. He was appointed physician to the Prince of Wales and Sergeant Surgeon to King George the fifth.