Clerk’s notes August 2021

Mark The Clerk

On 25th August 1804, Commander Matthew Flinders, the most popular Lincolnshire lad in Australia, drew the first entire chart depicting the two voyages of history’s first circumnavigations made between 1798 of Van Diemen’s Land (now known as Tasmania) and 1803 of Terra Australis (now known as that quiet little island of Australia).

Regular readers will recall mention of Matthew Flinders in a previous edition back in March this year. You will recall I told you that his final resting place had been re-discovered in 2019 during expansion work at Euston Railway Station as part of the HS2 project after laying beneath a platform at Euston Station for over 100 years.

Matthew Flinders’ statue at Euston

Following that original Coachlines mention of Cdr Matt’s significance in history, Pauline Lyle-Smith, wife of Liveryman Richard Wormell and a daughter of Oz, contacted me to tell me about her work to help commemorate the great man following his re-discovery. She also confirmed that in Australia, he really is the most popular Pom in the land after which numerous bits of infrastructure are named.

Following our conversation she very kindly sent me a number of photographs of various items associated with Flinders, including a copy of the map that he drew while incarcerated by the French on the Island of Mauritius; the original is believed to be held by the UK Hydrographic Office in Taunton. Pauline also sent me a photo of the statue of Flinders situated outside Euston Station with his cat called Trim; the next time you pass that way, paws for a moment and read the inscription.

Matthew Flinders’ Terra Australis map 1804

Forthcoming events

With COVID restrictions now eased and hopefully a thing of the past, a number of live Coachmaker events have taken place since 19th July about which you can read elsewhere in this edition.

The first significant event that will take place however, is the Annual Election Court and Dinner at Tallow Chandlers’ Hall on Wednesday 1st September. Court members and their guests, and members of the wider Livery and their guests, will attend the Election Court Meeting together before proceeding to St James, Garlickhythe for a Service of Thanksgiving led by our own Honorary Chaplain, Honorary Court Assistant the Venerable Ray Pentland CB. The newly installed Master will then lead everyone back to Tallow Chandlers’ Hall for the Election Court Dinner. Numbers are limited for this event but a few places remain; if you would like to attend please contact me directly at clerk@coachmakers.co.uk

If you look at the forthcoming events page on the Coachmakers’ website you will find news of a number of forthcoming events. Those that will take place in the near future are fully booked but watch out for e-mailed adverts as the various books open for business and the list of available outings increases.

Other City events

Snap

The Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards are hosting the next Inter-Livery Bridge Competition online on Monday 6th September. There are rules I believe but I have no idea what they might be although I am told that if you are not familiar with them they are complicated in spades. If you fancy a go contact me at clerk@coachmakers.co.uk and I’ll send you the link to apply.

More COVID

Also on 6th September, I have been asked to mention the following webinar, snappily entitled: Joint Engineers Company and IESF British Section Online webinar Mon 6th Sep 21 (1745 for 1800-1900) – Op Rescript (Military Aid to Civil Authorities in the COVID-19 pandemic). It is being organised by Past Master Engineer Barry Brooks, and he tells me that the Engineers Company is co-sponsoring a webinar with the British section of a UK-based scientific and engineering society linked to France, Ingénieurs et Scientifiques de France (IESF), on Monday 6th September for a briefing on the UK Armed Forces’ support to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, Operation RESCRIPT. Honorary Engineer Liveryman Lt Gen Sir Tyrone Urch led this campaign in which thousands of military personnel deployed around the country on tasks such as crisis planning, hospital building, testing, vaccinating, and PPE distribution. Although he has retired from the Army, General Ty has kindly arranged for two of his senior officers involved in Op RESCRIPT to brief interested members of the Livery, IESF members and guests. Should you wish to join in you can do so via this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/covid-19-uk-armed-forces-support-in-the-pandemic-tickets-163514059955

Bee kind

PollinatingLondonTogether – Mansion House Launch on Thursday 16th September 2021

By the kind permission of The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor, Alderman William Russell and the Lady Mayoress, Hilary Russell, the Board of PollinatingLondonTogether would like to invite you to attend its formal launch event at Mansion House on 16th September from 16:30 to 18:30.

PollinatingLondonTogether is a pan-Livery initiative to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity and pollinators and the substantial recent decline of pollinators. Its aim is to help champion and create green places, starting in the City of London, allowing pollinators to thrive and workers and visitors to the City to benefit from the tranquility of green spaces. It also aims to educate and inform with its Citizen Science project for children and adults, among others, to promote the importance of pollinators to us all and their crucial role in the food supply, the health of our environment and maintaining biodiversity, relevant to us individually, as well as across the corporate sector. More information is available at: www.PollinatingLondonTogether.com

With a guest speaker panel, led by Sheriff Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli, they will explore these themes and briefly introduce you to a number of projects showing the many levels on which progress can, and is being made, as well as celebrating the work of pollinators.

The event opens at 16:30 and conclude at 18:30. Mansion House is located in Wallbrook right in the heart of the City by Bank Station. If you would like to attend please register using the Eventbright link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pollinatinglondontogether-mansion-house-launchtickets-164017690327

Election of Lord Mayor and Luncheon at Tallow Chandlers’ Hall

The Election of the Lord Mayor will take place at Guildhall on Wednesday 29th September 2021. This will be a pre-COVID style of event with no intrusive restrictions applied. If you became a clothed Liveryman before 31st May 2020 you are eligible to vote and I have pass cards available to ease your way through the registration process on the day. Luncheon will follow at Tallow Chandlers’ Hall costing £60 including vat. Let me know if you wish to attend and I’ll send you a card and book you in for lunch: clerk@coachmakers.co.uk

And finally

I hope that you all enjoyed a peaceful summer and a chance to re-charge your batteries before the new Livery Year ahead. Unfortunately, things at the Old Barn didn’t quite turn out as planned but then why should the last three weeks be any different to the past 18 months?