Bruce Conde
Encyclopedia
Bruce Conde (5 December 1913 – 19 July 1992) was a US Army officer, stamp collector
, royal pretender
, and a general for Royalist
forces during the North Yemen Civil War
.
, Chalmers was orphan
ed and put up for adoption
. As a young boy, he was an avid stamp collector, and had written to the Imam
(King) of Yemen
, asking for local postage stamp
s for his collection. His reply came from the Imam's young son, Muhammad al-Badr
, and thus started a life-long friendship between the two.
, his grandmother's family name, and claimed to be descended from the French royal family, even though the House of Bourbon-Condé became extinct in 1830.
, Conde renounced his American citizenship and converted to Islam
in 1958. He was granted Yemeni citizenship and a passport. Conde convinced the Imam that Yemen could make money selling postage stamps to collectors and was placed in charge of the country's philatelic office, which eventually caused some friction between Conde and the Minister of Communications. Conde was accused of espionage and expelled from the country and his passport revoked. Without travel documents, he spent three weeks in the Cairo airport before moving to Beirut
, Lebanon where he became a correspondent for Linn's Stamp News
.
. He eventually rose to the rank of General, while in the meantime overseeing the production of Royalist Yemen postage stamps, which helped to raise funds for the cause. He now called himself H.S.H. Abdurrahman B.A. de Bourbon, Prince of Conde claiming that his royal lineage had been recognized and "reinstated" by the Yemeni Royal Family. Despite serving bravely in the war, the Imam's forces collapsed in 1970, and Conde moved to Spain, and then to Morocco in 1980.
In 1984 Conde married Beatrice Dolgorouky, who claimed to have been descended from the Russian / Ukrainian royal families. Conde adopted her son Alexis Brimeyer
who spent a lifetime attempting to prove his alleged connection to European royalty.
Having given up his US citizenship many years before, Conde eventually found himself once again stateless
, without a passport, and unable to leave Morocco. He died there on July 20, 1992.
Stamp collecting
Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is one of the world's most popular hobbies, with the number of collectors in the United States alone estimated to be over 20 million.- Collecting :...
, royal pretender
Pretender
A pretender is one who claims entitlement to an unavailable position of honour or rank. Most often it refers to a former monarch, or descendant thereof, whose throne is occupied or claimed by a rival, or has been abolished....
, and a general for Royalist
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch...
forces during the North Yemen Civil War
North Yemen Civil War
The North Yemen Civil War was fought in North Yemen between royalists of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen and factions of the Yemen Arab Republic from 1962 to 1970. The war began with a coup d'état carried out by the republican leader, Abdullah as-Sallal, which dethroned the newly crowned Imam...
.
Early years
Born Bruce Chalmers in San Juan Capistrano, CaliforniaSan Juan Capistrano, California
San Juan Capistrano is a city in southern Orange County, California, located approximately southeast of Downtown Santa Ana. The current OMB metropolitan designation for San Juan Capistrano and the Orange County Area is “Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA.” The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census,...
, Chalmers was orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
ed and put up for adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
. As a young boy, he was an avid stamp collector, and had written to the Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
(King) of Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, asking for local postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s for his collection. His reply came from the Imam's young son, Muhammad al-Badr
Muhammad al-Badr
H.M. Muhammad Al-Badr was the last king of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen and leader of the monarchist regions during the North Yemen Civil War...
, and thus started a life-long friendship between the two.
Military service
After studying Spanish at UCLA, he joined the US Army, serving in the 82nd Airborne in North Africa during the Second World War. He was later posted to Japan where he studied Japanese, but his true passion remained the Arab world. Following his discharge from the army, he moved to Beirut to study Arabic with the assistance of the G.I. Bill. He changed his name to CondeConde
Conde is a title of nobility in Spanish, Galician and Portuguese. In English, the title is Count or Earl. The female form is Condesa in Spanish and Galician and Condessa in Portuguese. The territory of a Conde is called a Condado, equivalent to Countship or County...
, his grandmother's family name, and claimed to be descended from the French royal family, even though the House of Bourbon-Condé became extinct in 1830.
Yemen
As his correspondence with al-Badr continued, he received an invitation to visit the country. After relocating to Sana'a, YemenYemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, Conde renounced his American citizenship and converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in 1958. He was granted Yemeni citizenship and a passport. Conde convinced the Imam that Yemen could make money selling postage stamps to collectors and was placed in charge of the country's philatelic office, which eventually caused some friction between Conde and the Minister of Communications. Conde was accused of espionage and expelled from the country and his passport revoked. Without travel documents, he spent three weeks in the Cairo airport before moving to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon where he became a correspondent for Linn's Stamp News
Linn's Stamp News
Linn's Stamp News an American publication, is the largest weekly newspaper for stamp collectors, with a paid circulation of just over 46,000 Circulation peaked at almost 92,000 in 1978 and has declined ever since because fewer new collectors are subscribing to replace those who subscribed in the...
.
Sharjah
Conde eventually found himself invited to the tiny emirate of Sharjah, where he established a post office and again taught the country how to generate revenue from the sale of postage stamps to collectors. In gratitude, the government of Sharjah issued him a passport.North Yemen Civil War
Following the overthrow of the Imam of Yemen in 1962, Conde returned to Yemen and enlisted with Royalist forces in the North Yemen Civil WarNorth Yemen Civil War
The North Yemen Civil War was fought in North Yemen between royalists of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen and factions of the Yemen Arab Republic from 1962 to 1970. The war began with a coup d'état carried out by the republican leader, Abdullah as-Sallal, which dethroned the newly crowned Imam...
. He eventually rose to the rank of General, while in the meantime overseeing the production of Royalist Yemen postage stamps, which helped to raise funds for the cause. He now called himself H.S.H. Abdurrahman B.A. de Bourbon, Prince of Conde claiming that his royal lineage had been recognized and "reinstated" by the Yemeni Royal Family. Despite serving bravely in the war, the Imam's forces collapsed in 1970, and Conde moved to Spain, and then to Morocco in 1980.
Post-war years
During the 1980s, he ceased writing for Linn's Stamp News, and wrote instead for Stamp Collector newspaper, owned by Capital Cities/ABC, Inc.In 1984 Conde married Beatrice Dolgorouky, who claimed to have been descended from the Russian / Ukrainian royal families. Conde adopted her son Alexis Brimeyer
Alexis Brimeyer
Alexis Ceslaw Maurice Jean Brimeyer was a false pretender who claimed connection to various European thrones. He used fraudulent combined titles like Prince d'Anjou Durazzo Durassow Romanoff Dolgorouki de Bourbon-Conde...
who spent a lifetime attempting to prove his alleged connection to European royalty.
Having given up his US citizenship many years before, Conde eventually found himself once again stateless
Statelessness
Statelessness is a legal concept describing the lack of any nationality. It is the absence of a recognized link between an individual and any state....
, without a passport, and unable to leave Morocco. He died there on July 20, 1992.
See also
- North Yemen Civil WarNorth Yemen Civil WarThe North Yemen Civil War was fought in North Yemen between royalists of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen and factions of the Yemen Arab Republic from 1962 to 1970. The war began with a coup d'état carried out by the republican leader, Abdullah as-Sallal, which dethroned the newly crowned Imam...
- Mutawakkilite Kingdom of YemenMutawakkilite Kingdom of YemenThe Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen , sometimes spelled Mutawakelite Kingdom of Yemen, also known as the Kingdom of Yemen or as North Yemen, was a country from 1918 to 1962 in the northern part of what is now Yemen...
- Muhammad al-BadrMuhammad al-BadrH.M. Muhammad Al-Badr was the last king of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen and leader of the monarchist regions during the North Yemen Civil War...
- Alexis BrimeyerAlexis BrimeyerAlexis Ceslaw Maurice Jean Brimeyer was a false pretender who claimed connection to various European thrones. He used fraudulent combined titles like Prince d'Anjou Durazzo Durassow Romanoff Dolgorouki de Bourbon-Conde...
- Louis Henry II, Prince of CondéLouis Henry II, Prince of CondéLouis Henri de Bourbon was the Prince of Condé from 1818 to his death.-Life:He was the only son of Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé and his wife, Charlotte de Rohan....
External links
- Bruce Conde Obituary http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-bruce-conde-1538240.html
- Bruce Conde Biography http://friends.peoria.lib.il.us/community/howardcourtney/TheStamps.html
- Listing of Bruce Conde Stamp Articles http://www.ohmygosh.on.ca/stamps/yemen/conde.htm
- Bruce Conde Wikipedia Spanish :es:Bruce Condé