Salamander Issue 4

3 / 18

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From the Master
John Mansfield
If I were to try to put together
a Past Masters’ group of Viking
Cockneys with a (admittedly
tenuous) connection to the
Great Fire of London and also
to the conquest of the South
Pole I suspect I might be in a
fairly select group of one. I am
however that man.
Those who attended Common
Hall last year will already be aware
that I regard myself as a Viking
because my mother’s family
came from Denmark. Somewhat
confusingly when sending out
the Christmas cards my mother’s
family cannot decide, however,
how to spell their surname
with various branches offering
it as Amondson, Amundsen
and Amondsen. However that
clearly means that I must be
related somewhere along the
line to a long lost cousin, Roald
Amundsen, who was the first man
to reach the South Pole some five
weeks earlier than Captain Scott.
I am a cockney as I was born
within the sound of Bow Bells.
That said technically I was not
because alas, Bow Bells could
not be rung at that time. This
was a consequence of Mr Hitler’s
favourite airline having destroyed
them some years earlier, and
they did not ring again until I was
about 8 years old. However, the
rule says only that you need to
be born within the sound of Bow
Bells, not that you need to have
actually heard them, so that must
be ok. At worst I claim honorary
membership.
As to the Great Fire most members
know that I worked for Lloyds Bank,
and in that capacity spent some
time at their offices in Faryners
House in Pudding Lane which
were built on the site of Thomas
Faryners bakers shop where the
fire began. Clearly therefore I am
responsible both for the financial
crash in 2008 and London burning
down in 1666.
A friend asked me recently what
you have to do to become a Livery
Master. My response was that you
need to hang around for about 20
years never expecting or cultivating
it to happen, and in the unlikely
event that it does, reflecting that
you must not have upset too many
people along the way. Being your
Livery Master has, however, been
an absolute privilege and one that
I would not have missed.
This particular cockney has
had tea at Buckingham Palace,
unfortunately the Queen was
missing as she had to have
a cataract operation that day,
(obviously understandable as, had
she cancelled, I suspect she would
have had to wait six months for
the NHS to provide another date
to her!), so I had to make do with
Charles, Camilla, Anne and Prince
and Princess Michael of Kent.
Rather tough luck really. I have
dined with the Prime Minister, the
Lord Mayor twice, the First Sea
Lord, the last but one head of the
Army and have had cocktails with
the Air Chief Marshal. Of course
they had no idea who I was, but
that is a mere trifle.
I attended the Brigantes Breakfast
which was held at the Royal
Armouries in Leeds. The breakfast
(which is actually a lunch - go
figure!) is intended mainly for
the benefit of Liverymen of City
Companies who live in the North
of England, but was supported by
the attendance of many Masters.
Approximately 400 Liverymen
were in attendance.
I have attended many lectures on
subjects as diverse as the conflict
between science and religion and
the Roman London still present
beneath our feet. The first of those
was interesting in that the clerics
present all seemed to advocate in
favour of science rather that the
Bible, and I did wonder where faith
fits in. Still what do I know?
Mistress Firefighter Lesley has
also had a ball on the Consorts’
circuit, and she is one up on me
having had lunch with a queen.
In her case Queen Elizabeth 1st
who apparently looked very well
considering her age.
And so I now disappear into the
sunset with this final comment -
Thank you all so much for giving
me the opportunity to serve as
your Master.
John Mansfield
Master.
Worshipful Company of Firefighters
FROM THE MASTER
The Master & Mistress Firefighter at
Buckingham Palace
Master at the Brigantes Breakfast