Master’s message November 2023

Greetings fellow Liverymen. A warm welcome to you all, with special greetings to our most recent Freeman Paul Johnston. It’s lovely to be communicating with you all again. I do hope you have enjoyed the few weeks since we last spoke.

So much has been going on, I really don’t know where to begin. We enjoyed a most inspirational Trafalgar Day in late October watching the Sea Cadets from around the country perform the most amazing drills and entertain us with their superb mixed bands in Trafalgar Square. The following week I had the enormous pleasure of presenting two of our Smallpiece (Arkwright) award winners with their certificates. It was a huge ceremony with masses of proud youngsters from all corners of the UK receiving various awards. We Coachmakers were so very proud to be part of it all.

This was followed by a visit to the magnificent Drapers Hall to learn about how the wonderful Anointing Screen was made, the one used at the Coronation of his Majesty King Charles III and to which all the Livery Companies of London contributed the funds to make it happen.

We moved into November for the beginning of Remembrance Week in which the Lord Mayor and other civic representatives and Masters of all 111 Livery Companies attended a very moving Remembrance Service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, during which crosses were laid in the Memorial Garden in tribute to those who fell in the two great wars and all conflicts since. It was a wonderful service, the sun shone on the assembled congregation as we stood silently remembering those who gave their lives for this country.

The following Saturday we celebrated The Lord Mayor’s inauguration at the Lord Mayor’s Show on a handsome coach drawn by four black horses and followed by about 40 members of the Coachmakers’ Company and their guests. Huge crowds lined the streets of our great City, cheering and enjoying the spectacle. We were very proud to be part of such a superb event and I thank you all for your support.

The Service of Remembrance at St Paul’s on Remembrance Sunday, the day after the Lord Mayor’s Show, was stunning. After the service, all the Livery Company Masters and Wardens present paraded together in their gowns up Cheapside to the War Memorial at the Royal Exchange where The Lord Mayor laid the first of many wreaths; the Honourable Artillery Company band played as the ceremony took place.

Finally, the Coachmakers’ Aerospace Dinner was held on 16th November at Vintners’ Hall and closed our busy schedule for this period. It was a magnificent event and I was so very proud to be able to present, with the aid of our prime speaker, Freeman Air Marshal Paul Lloyd CBE RAF, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, aerospace awards to eight absolutely brilliant young people, who will, hopefully, join us as Coachmakers at some point in the future.

As we look towards Christmas please sign up to attend the Coachmakers’ Carol Service at St James, Garlickhythe on Thursday 7th of December; you can find more details in the Clerk’s Notes.

I send you all my very best wishes and look forward to seeing you on 7th December.