Page 14 - July 2017

THE SALAMANDER | JULY 2017
Past Master Beryl Jeffery
1927-2017
Members of the Company will be sad to learn that Past Master Beryl Jeffery passed away in St George’s Hospital, Tooting, overnight on 16 / 17 June 2017. This was following a fairly short illness. She had been admitted to hospital suffering from pneumonia but unfortunately some complications were later discovered. Beryl loved the Worshipful Company of Firefighters and often told her son Howard how happy she was to be one of our Members, especially when she became our first Lady Master in 2013. She loved the welcome she always got at our meetings and events. At the time of her passing she was very professionally serving on our Finance Committee.
Beryl came to us via her links with the Wandsworth London Borough for which she had previously served as Mayor. She was the Borough’s representative on the London Fire & Civil Defence Authority (LFCDA) for a number of years.
Since her passing Past Master Peter Cowland said that he had received numerous comments
from many members indicating that she was much loved and will be sadly missed by us all. Very few of us would have been aware that she celebrated her 90th Birthday in April this year. In her time as Master, Beryl enjoyed attending many events on behalf of the Company ranging from the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace to the Lord Mayor’s show. She felt privileged to be invited to form part of the Guard of Honour welcoming the then Lord Mayor (Fiona Woolf CBE) on her return to the Mansion House after the procession.
She attended a number of livery dinners and lectures, events at the Mansion House and services at St. Paul’s Cathedral, including a very moving service for the opening of the Garden of Remembrance, where she planted a cross on behalf of our Company. She was so proud that the annual City Dinner had raised a considerable sum to go into the new restricted/ designated charitable fund for youth education and training, and she was always grateful for all the volunteers involved in the affairs of the Company, together with the Charitable Trust, contributing to its success.
She enjoyed her Installation Banquet held at Cutlers’ hall and especially the opportunity to reward the education work of Operation Florian for firefighting services in developing countries overseas. She loved the photobook which the PR and Marketing Group kindly gave her recording her installation as the first woman Master of the Worshipful Company of Firefighters. We hope it will remind her family now of her wonderful spirit in office.
We hope that this photo of her here will remind you of her wonderful personality and presence with us - may she rest in peace.
Obituary written by
Past Master Peter Cowland
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