03.06.21 The Clerk

Clerk’s Notes – June 2021

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Throughout much of the 17th century, political unrest and economic competition across Europe often led to disputes being settled by force of arms; none more so than between the English and the Dutch. During the Second Anglo-Dutch War, the 4th of June 1666 marked the last day of the ‘Four Days’ Battle’ against the Dutch. The name gives a clue to how long it raged and it was the greatest battle in the age of sail involving the fiercest and most intense fighting by the Royal Navy until operations in the eastern Mediterranean in the summer of 1941; and it didn’t go well for the home side.

Fought 30 miles east-north-east of North Foreland on the Kent Coast, it became a melee which ended with the defeat of the Duke of Albemarle by Admiral de Ruyter. Both fleets were exhausted but the English suffered the greater losses: 4,250 men killed, wounded or captured (a fifth of their total strength); 10 ships lost, including two flagships with their admirals; and 10 captains killed.

The return match went better for the English when on the 27th of July 1666 the two sides fought again off North Foreland and this time it was the Dutch side’s turn to taste defeat with the loss of 20 ships to England’s one. Further success followed for the Royal Navy later that year but in spring 1667 the Dutch took their revenge while the English fleet was laid up to save funds and while peace talks were actually in progress – sneaky. Oblivious to what history might have thought of such an unchivalrous act, De Ruyter nonetheless carried out a devastating raid up the Thames and then blockaded the south-east and south-west coastal ports until the Peace of Breda was signed in July 1667.

Such toing and froing of fortune was normal business between the English and the Dutch during that period leading to a third Anglo-Dutch war but eventually the Dutch influence in the world began to wane and they were left behind; to be followed by a series of wars with the French and the Spanish – again.

Plus ça change plus c’est la même chose.

Coachmaker events

As you will be aware, the Livery Committee is continuing to identify and arrange appropriate activities that can be conducted under the current Government restrictions, details of which you will have seen in various advertising emails or mentioned elsewhere in this edition. It is hoped that as the restrictions are fully relaxed more opportunities will arise in the coming months until normal business has resumed.

However, without the certainty that all restrictions will be lifted on 21st June it is difficult to say right now that the Summer Court Reception will be able to go ahead as planned at Salters’ Hall on 8th July 2021. Notwithstanding, a plan is being formulated which will be sent to you all next week, so keep your eye out for incoming e-mails.

Livery Committee Events

The Livery Committee has asked me to remind you about the following:

HAC Concours on 9th & 10th June 2021. The code available to members to obtain discounts to attend on the Wednesday and Thursday is: LC21CM and details of the event are here: https://londonconcours.co.uk/event/

The Bugatti Trust – as part of the Prescott Hill Climb Event on 9th June, tickets are also available for people to visit the Bugatti Trust Museum. For details, please contact Liveryman Richard Pugh on richard@uplandsorchard.co.uk.

An event to look out for: A tour of Bicester Heritage will be held on 22nd July, including a visit to the Heritage Skills Academy – a charitable organisiation that has recently received Coachmakers’ support. The day will also include a visit to the Wriggly Monkey micro-brewery – watch out for the email advert.

Vintage car Display: The Car Club of the Worshipful Company of Carmen is holding a Vintage Car Display and Concours d’Elégance and the Coachmakers have been offered two exclusive spaces in the event to be held in Guildhall Yard on Saturday 10th July 2021. Entry costs £100 and is open to any Liveryman with a vintage car (pre-1939).

The day will begin with a display, Concours d’Elégance in Guildhall Yard in front of City dignitaries, followed by a parade through City streets to a guarded area of Smithfield. An old Routemaster bus will whisk you back to Guildhall Yard where you can watch Cart Marking from your own reserved seat. This will be followed by a reception in the Old Library and a Charity Luncheon in the Great Hall. The full itinerary is here.

As interest is expected to be high, places will be awarded by ballot. Please contact Hon. Court Assistant Richard Robinson at RRobinson@geraldeve.com if you wish to attend.

City News

Livery Kitchen Initiative Webinar

In addition to the significant increase in charitable giving made by the Coachmakers’ Company this year to provide Covid relief to some of those in need, other Livery Companies across the city have also been similarly generous. To explain one part of this work, a webinar about the Livery Kitchen Initiative is planned. The presenters will be Richard Winstanley, Clerk to the Drapers’ Company, Rej Bhumbra, the NHS surgeon who organised the initiative on the NHS side, and Laura Winningham, the CEO of City Harvest. It will be held on 9th June and the team would like to invite the members of all livery companies to register for the virtual event. Follow this link to register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vdyOHB2fT6Gk1AdIEB37TA
The event will reveal how the Livery Kitchen Initiative came into being, what it has achieved, and the people it has helped. For more detail follow this link.

Military Music Spectacular: Horseguards’ Parade 20th-22nd July

Like many such organisations, the Guards’ Museum in Wellington Barracks has been through a very difficult period with 14 months of zero revenue. The Director Andrew Wallis has reached out to the Fellowship of the Clerks to ask if they could spread the word about an exciting series of military music concerts.

The Museum has teamed up with the Guards’ Bands to re-launch the Museum. Also, the Guards’ Bands are desperate to play for the public again as it has been almost two years since the public has been able to watch Trooping the Colour or Beating Retreat in London. A Military Music Spectacular is arranged on Horseguards’ Parade entitled ‘The Sword and The Crown’ featuring the Massed Bands of the Household Division supported by The Drum Horse and Mounted Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry, the Band and Drums of the Honourable Artillery Company, the Band of The Royal Yeomanry and the Pipes and Drums of the London Regiment.

The event will be staged on three evenings: 20th, 21st and 22nd July. As it is an open-air event there is minimal Covid risk attached to this event.

Tickets are available through Eventbrite and range from £5 to £35 each, see accompanying chart here.

To book your tickets, please click here.

The Museum is also hosting VIP Champagne and canapé receptions on each evening at £100 per head (to include the best seats in the stands).

Follow this link to view the poster.

The 2021 Inter-Livery Bridge Tournament

My good friend the Clerk to the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards writes to inform us of the latest Inter-Livery Bridge Tournament that is being held for the benefit of the Lord Mayor’s Appeal:

I am writing to give early notice of this well-established and popular event, in sufficient time for you to be able to bring it to the attention of your members in one of your mailings or newsletters. The event will be fully Covid compliant.

The 2021 competition will be the 39th year that we have sponsored the tournament. Details of the next event are:

Date: Monday 6th September 2021
Venue: Drapers’ Hall, Throgmorton Street, London EC2N 2AN
Times:
Reception 5.00pm
First session 5.30pm
Dinner at 7.20pm
Second session 8.15pm
Prize-giving 10.00pm
Carriages 10.30pm latest

Coffee, tea, and biscuits will be served during the reception and, while awaiting the results and prize-giving, a stirrup cup will be served.

Competitors are asked to remain for the presentations. It is hoped that a member of the civic team will be available to attend the trophy awards. After the event, the results, hands and score sheets will be posted on the tournament director’s website: www.bridgewebs.com/eventsinlondon/. They will also be on our website within a few days of the event.

As in previous years, individual prizes will be presented to the top three pairs. There are also additional prizes: The ‘Thorpe Tankard’ Company trophy for the top Livery team (i.e. the top two pairs representing the same Livery or Guild), The ‘Actuaries’ Trophy’ for the top married couple or civil partnership playing together (Flitch prize) and an Improvers’ Prize. A new trophy is being introduced this year for the highest pair from two different Livery Companies, kindly donated by the Chartered Accountants’ Company. The ‘Maurice Trophy’ is for the highest-placed pair from The Makers of Playing Cards Company. Overall winners each receive the Master’s Installation Bridge Playing Cards commemorative pack in a presentation case.

All trophies will be held for one year. Prizes are for winners to keep. Trophy winners are asked to arrange for their trophy to be engraved and to forward the invoice to the Clerk for reimbursement.

The charge for entering the competition will be £170 per pair, to cover the cost of tournament fees, dinner, refreshments, and a donation to the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. The closing date for entering the tournament is Monday 16th August 2021.

Space is limited. Please complete the online booking form here.

Shrieval Election 2021

Keen City Election attendees will be wondering where the details are for the 2021 Shrieval Election later this month. Unfortunately, owing to ongoing Covid restrictions, like 2020, this year’s election will be a much restricted affair and only the Master will be able to represent the Coachmakers’ Company on the day.

However, now that the nominations have closed and the declared candidates for the Shrieval Election 2021 are known, the City Livery Committee Chairman, Victoria Russell, has taken the opportunity to interview the candidates.

This YouTube link takes you to the interview conducted with Alderman Alison Gowman (Dowgate) and Alderman Nicholas Lyons (Tower). This interview is intended as an opportunity for Liverymen to get to know the candidates, particularly as attendance at the 24th June Common Hall Election will again be restricted due to Covid limitations.

HMS HOOD Memorial Service

In the previous edition you may recall me mentioning that a memorial service would be held at St James, Garlickhythe to remember the officers and men who were lost in the sinking of HMS HOOD on 24th May 1941. The Service can be seen via this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vCHa82UWc0. See if you can work out whom the distinguished, if somewhat portly, gentleman reading the first lesson might be.

Shiny stuff

Apparently there has been a bit of a run to invest in gold just recently, so if you fancy joining in you might be interested to see what the Goldsmiths’ Company has to say for itself, please click here.

In conclusion

On 4th June 1963, the Royal Navy’s Wasp helicopter Initial Flying Trials Unit, 700W Naval Air Squadron, was formed at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose. The Westland Wasp is a small single engine gas-turbine powered, shipboard anti-submarine helicopter, and 96 of them were received by the RN. The first flight of the pre-production Wasp (XS463) took place at White Waltham and was flown by a brave chap called Ron Gellatly. The last Wasp was withdrawn from active service in March 1988 but flying examples surprisingly still exist and can even be seen flying; one in particular is part of the Navy Wings historic fleet. However, if you’ve never seen a Westland Wasp, follow this link to The Fly Navy Heritage Trust website and read about the things that a Wasp could be used for: https://navywings.org.uk/portfolio/helicopter-world-bagpipe-playing-height-record/