This evening the Queen will make appointments to Bermudians named in Her Majesty's New Year's Honours List.

Most Bermudians honoured over the years have visited Buckingham Palace to receive their awards.

However, while the Queen is in Bermuda for the first time in 11 years she will bestow the honours at Government House, where she is staying during the visit.

While the award of KBE to the Hon. Sir James Astwood is well known, it is believed the Queen will this evening also present another knighthood to a mystery recipient.

Court of Appeal Judge Sir James will to become a Knight Commander of the British Empire.

He served as Chief Justice of Bermuda from 1977 until the summer of 1993.

Previously he had been Senior Magistrate and in 1976 Solicitor General.

Much of his earlier career, after graduation from Gray's Inn in 1956, was spent in the West Indies.

He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1982 and in 1985 had the honour of becoming the first Bermudian elected as an Honorary Master of the Bench at Gray's Inn.

Sir James has represented Bermuda abroad on a number of occasions. In 1975 he attended the Commonwealth Magistrates' conference in Kuala Lumpur and then in 1979 and 1981 he went to the Law of the World conferences in Madrid and Sao Paolo.

He was born on October 4, 1923 and attended the Paget Glebe School and Berkeley Institute before his studies took him to Canada and United Kingdom.

Sir James married Jamaican Miss Gloria Morton in 1951 and they have three children, Karen, David and Melanie.

Three people will become Members of the British Empire this evening.

Mr. Gordon Alwyn Ashford will be rewarded for his many years of service to the community, most notably with the Salvation Army. He received its highest award in 1992, the Order of Distinguished Auxiliary Service.

He served on the Salvation Army Advisory Board for 34 years and was chairman of the Red Shield Committee which developed the annual appeal.

He is also chairman of the LCCA, a former SPCA president, a member of TCB and the Rotary Club and an active Freemason. He has been an active member of the Wesley Methodist Church for the past 46 years.

Miss Ruth Thomas has served as Government Cultural Affairs Officer following many years as a teacher and officer in the Department of Education.

She has been a member of the Bermuda Arts Council since 1970 and was chairman between 1984 to 1992. She has been involved with the Debutants Ball committee, the Women's Advisory Council, the Menuhin Foundation, the National Dance Theatre and the Bermuda Gallery.

A member of St. Anne's Church, she spends her spare time listening to classical music, singing, playing the piano and gardening.

Mr. Teddy Tucker will receive the award for his work in exploring the seas of Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico and the West Indies.

Christened Edward Bolton Tucker, he joined the Merchant Navy and the Royal Navy in the 1940s. During the Second World War his diving skills were used in salvaging and patch-up operations.

Then in 1948 he started an offshore diving business and has located a number of wrecks and stolen treasures. His most famous find was the Tucker Cross, stolen from the Maritime Museum during the last visit of the Queen (see page 5).

Six people will be awarded the Queen's Certificate and Badge of Honour this evening.

Mr. C. Orville Bascome is best known for his family-run lime kiln. He is also active on the St. George's Parish Vestry and was a founder member of the Bermuda Reserve Constabulary.

Mrs. Alice Jean Howes lost her sight at an early age but has continued to be an inspiration to many Bermudians, regularly taking her message on how to overcome disabilities to the Island's schools.

Mrs. Lucy Willitts has been associated with the prison ministry since 1975 and is a volunteer for Agape House and the Extended Care Unit at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. More recently she organised the shipping of containers of food and clothing to victims of the war in Bosnia.

Mrs. Claudine Wilson, a volunteer for a number of charities, is a founding member of the Bermuda Botanical Society. She was instrumental in the development and enhancement of the Visitors' Centre at the Botanical Gardens.

Former nurse Mrs. Kim Young retired last year as the outspoken head of the Women's Advisory Council. She was director of volunteers at the hospital and is currently chairing the Patient Care Committee.

Mr. Calvert (Kelly) Zuill is known as "Mr. Gospel'' having devoted 30 years to the development of gospel music in Bermuda. He works as a gospel music announcer on 1230 Radio.

SIR JAMES ASTWOOD -- Knight Commander of the British Empire.

MR. KELLY ZUILL -- Queen's Certificate and Badge of Honour.

MRS. JEAN HOWES -- Queen's Certificate and Badge of Honour.

MRS. CLAUDINE WILSON -- Queen's Certificate and Badge of Honour.

MRS. LUCY WILLITTS -- Queen's Certificate and Badge of Honour.

MR. C. ORVILLE BASCOME -- Queen's Certificate and Badge of Honour.

MRS. KIM YOUNG -- Queen's Certificate and Badge of Honour.

MR. TEDDY TUCKER -- Member of the British Empire.

MISS RUTH THOMAS -- Member of the British Empire.

MR. GORDON ASHFORD -- Member of the British Empire.