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FROM THE
MASTER'S DESK
COMPANY
NEWS
25th Anniversary Presentation
Ceremony of the Keys
The year continues to be very busy with
attendance at many livery dinners and lectures,
one highlight for me being the dinner for all livery
Masters hosted by the Lord Mayor and held at
the Mansion House. Progress with our Royal
Charter has gone well with Royal Assent received
on 31st March 2014. We were recently privileged
to see the vellum charter with its seal and we are
discussing how this should now be “bordered”.
We are hoping for a Royal presentation of the
charter sometime in the Autumn.
Internal meetings also take up a fair bit of time,
so it is always a joy to get out into the fire
community. Along with Upper Warden Bryan
Spearman, Past Master Geoff Morgan and John
Mansfield, I thoroughly enjoyed the very moving
Haringey fire cadet passing-out parade held on
5th April. We had previously met some of these
cadets at our City dinner at the end of 2013, so it
was good to see Ron Dobson CBE QFSM FIFireE
(Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade)
present these cadets with their completed
B.Tech. qualifications. I then presented a special
WCoFF award for the top cadet as chosen by the
cadets themselves and it was very moving to see
they had looked beyond just academic and
technical capability to choose someone they
themselves had wanted to succeed.
It was a privilege to see young people grow up
into the world of the Fire Service and it was a
lesson for us all to see how working together
gives us all such great benefit.
It had been the intention to make a small
presentation to the Father of the Company on
the 25th Celebration River Boat trip after
Common Hall last July. Unfortunately Gerry
Clarkson's health precluded any such opportunity
and for numerous reasons it was not possible to
do anything until close to the end of 2013
between Christmas and the New Year.
Somewhat less formally than originally intended,
Past Master Frank David and Upper Warden
Bryan Spearman visited Gerry and his delightful
wife, Rose. Following lunch near their home in
Charing, Frank and Bryan presented them with a
set of Company Commemorative Glasses,
fulfilling the desire to mark the 25th Year.
As can be seen from the photograph it was a
most enjoyable and casual affair enjoyed by all.
Tony Skinner accompanied by Yeoman Warder
Colin Smith MBE BEM of HM Fortress the Tower
of London, hosted a wonderful trip to witness
the Ceremony of the Keys on the evening of
Saturday the 15th March 2014.
This ceremony has been held every evening for
hundreds of years, whether it be peacetime or
during times of war.
After meeting at the west gate main entrance to
the Tower, an external guided tour of the
grounds and sights was given finishing at the
Yeoman Warders Club, where, in addition to
lovely hospitality, the Group was able to view the
hundreds of pieces of memorabilia that adorn
every conceivable space. There is also an
exposed section of the old London wall.
At about 21:30 the Group then left to witness
The Ceremony of the Keys which was carried
out by the Watchman, Duty Supervisor (Yeoman
Warders) and the resident military guard.
Note from Bryan Spearman, Upper Warden
Post script : The Father of the Company has asked
the Company Clerk, Sir Martin Bonham Bt., to
circulate a letter he had sent to the Master of the
Worshipful Company of Firefighters, thanking the
Company for the kind and thoughtful presentation
made to him by Past Master Frank David and the
Upper Warden Bryan Spearman.
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