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From the Master’s Pen
Member News
Due to the very sad death of the Rev David Rhodes, I find myself in the unusual
situation of serving as Master of this Company for a second time, just ten years after I
had my turn. We were then, of course, a Company without Livery and our sponsoring
Alderman Sir Clive Martin was the Millennium Lord Mayor.
In those ten years the Company has gained Livery status and members, and has
acquired huge prestige among the modern livery for our management of the Modern
Companies’ entries to the Lord Mayor’s Show; and among all Livery Masters for our
annual entertainment of other companies at Winchester House. We could do with more
members still, but our events are well supported and popular.
It is a privilege to have been for almost twenty years a Trustee of the Firefighters
Memorial Trust – which is shortly to receive its Royal Charter – and to help to maintain the close link between
the Trust and the Company. It is wonderful to see how the annual Service and Parade has grown, and at this rate
only Saint Paul’s will be big enough to hold us all.
The Livery is about fellowship and charity: I have high hopes that a largely new body of Trustees will continue
discriminatingly to give all that we can afford to suitable charities, especially fire-related; and repeat my deep
gratitude to Bryan Spearman, Viv Jones and all those who made such a success again this year of the Charity
Ball.
New members declaring their Freedom at the 17
th
September Court meeting were: Michael Hebard,
Claire Purton and William Hackett.
Those clothed as Firefighters were: David Bywater, Colin Bailey and Ian Parlane (Honorary
Treasurer).
Liveryman Bruce Hoad was installed as a Court Assistant. Barry Sargent and Alistair Milner were
installed as Sentinels.
John Northey
It was with great sadness that we learned of the sudden death of John Northey, a Livery
member for many years and a leading architect of many of the European standards in fire
detection.
He was a research engineer at Graviner, formally deputy chief technical officer of the
FPA and became editor of the Fire Safety Engineering magazine, which he transformed
to be one of the leading magazines in the industry.
In retirement, he took courses in cricket umpiring (having played at just below county
standard in Surrey for most of his life). He was a stalwart supporter of the Worshipful
Company of Firefighters.