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The Worshipful Company of Fuellers
A Reveiw of Recent Events |
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25th Anniversary Year 2009-2010
Installation of the Master
15 October 2009 |
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The New Master and Wardens,
Stuart Goldsmith, John Bainbridge and Michael Byrne
(Junior Warden, Master, Senior Warden)
The Installation of the new Master of The Worshipful Company of Fuellers took place in the splendid surroundings of the courtroom of Clothworkers' Hall on Thursday 15th October 2009. |
The Court held its annual Installation Court meeting in the court room of Clothworkers' Hall. After a brief break, at the conclusion of the meeting, the Court reconvened in the main reception area of Clothworkers' Hall to greet the Company's members and their guests, as they arrived for the Installation Ceremony and Dinner.
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The wonderful surroundings lent themselves to the importance of the occasion, as Michael Husband performed his final duties as Master by welcoming and our new Yeomen, Freemen and Liverymen to the company.
Members of the Court, friends and releatives took their places for the admission of new Yeomen, Freemen, the enrobing of new Liverymen, the Installation of the New Master and Wardens.
We were very pleased to be able to record the induction of our first Yeoman as well as eight new Freemen joining the Company and five current Freemen being enrobed with the Livery.
The Master, Michael Husband, greets the company's first Yeoman, Thomas Streater, who was accompanied by he mentor, Court Assistant Paul Cuttill. |
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Thomas Streater, The Company's first Yeoman, receives his certificate from the Master. |
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The seven new Freemen being presented to the Master, Geoffrey Bunting, Peter Grabowski, Charles Hewitt, Stephen Hodges, Adam Janikowski, Antony Nicholls, Dr Charles Panayides, David Simpson, were each individually awarded their Freedom Certificate personally by the Master, Michael Hsband.
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Three of the five Freemen, Caroline Belcher, Sarah Carr, Alexander Davis, Dr Michael Green, Ashutosh Shastri, then came forward to be enrobed as Liverymen of the Company.... |
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.... each being individually awarded their Livery Certificate personally by the Master, Michael Hsband. |
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The Master, Michael Husband, Presents his view of his year, highlighting the successes and joy of being the Master for the past year.
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Towards the end of his review, Michael Husband invited Chief Technician Steve Keating RAF to step forward to receive the 2009 Fuellers’ Medal.
Chief Technician Steve Keating RAF was nominated by the Commanding Officer of 216 Squadron RAF for his outstanding charitable work, details of which were read out by Michael Husband.
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Chief Technician Steve Keating RAF receives his Fueller's Medal from the Master, Michael Husband. |
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The proceedings then moved on to the installation of the new Master.
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The New Master, John Bainbridge, receives the robes of office from the now Immediate Past Master, Michael Husband, and the Beadle.
He then receives the Mace of Office as Master of the Worshipful Company of Fuellers
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Michael Byrne makes his declaration of office and is enrobed as the new Senior Warden |
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Stuart Goldsmith makes his declaration of office and is enrobed as the new Junior Warden |
The New Master, John Bainbridge, then present Michael Husband with his Past Masters Jewel. Michael then congratulates John Bainbridge on becoming the New Master of the Worshipful Company of Fuellers'.
The New Master and Wardens of the Worshipful Company of Fuellers'
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The Immediate Past Master's Lady, Paula Husband, presents the Master's Lady's Broach to the New Master's Lady, Marilynne Bainbridge. |
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Mary Byrne receives the Senior Warden's Lady's badge from Marilynne Bainbridge. |
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Elinor Goldsmith receives the Junior Warden's Lady's badge from Marilynne Bainbridge. |
The new Master, John Bainbridge, hands his gift to the company of a new Past Master's Lady's Jewel his wife, Marilynne Bainbridge. Paula Husband is then the proud first recipient of the new Past Master's Lady's Jewel.
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Master, John Bainbridge (center), Senior Warden, Michael Byrne (Right) and Junior Warden, Stuart Goldsmith (Left) with their ladies, Marilynne, Mary and Elinor. |
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The Master and Wardens received the Guests of Honour, Liverymen, Freemen and their Guests to a very pleasant pre-dinner reception before proceeding in to the main hall for the Installation Dinner. |
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We were pleased to see so many Liverymen, Freemen and guests supporting this very special event, with a significant turnout of 190 people, dinning on a superb meal of Seatrout Steamed with Basil Leaves to start, Caramelised Leek & Onion Soup was served next, followed by Beast of Hampshire Pheasant. The meal was nicely topped-off with a delightful Lemon Posset.
The Fuellers and their Guests were also treated to an evening of superb chamber music and one of the most entertaining renditions of the Post Horn Gallop. |
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After the Loyal toasts, Senior Warden, Michael Byrne proposed the toast to our Guests |
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Guest of honour, Lieutenant General Sir Freddie Viggers KCB CMG MBE Black Rod, gave a very interesting and topical speech, including some fascinating insite in to his post as Black Rod. Sir Freddie Viggers concluded, by offering, on behalf of the guests, a toast to the Worshipful Company of Fuellers, root and branch.
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The New Master, John Bainbridge, responded in style and gave an overview of his plans for the forthecoming year, including the 25th Anniversary Celebrations. It sounds like we can all look forward to a very interesting and event filled year. |
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A truely superb occasion and a fitting start to both the 25th Anniversary and the year of office for the new Master.
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InterLivery Clay Pigeon Shoot 2009 |
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20th May 2009
The Fuellers's were back out in force at the Inter Livery Clay Pigeon shoot at the well know and fabulous Holland & Holland grounds in West London.
It was a stunningly bright and cheerful day, which ensured everyone was in good spirits. Organised by the The Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners, this was the 15th Inter Livery shoot and it was as popular as ever, with 99 teams taking part this year.
The Fuellers' fielded just one team of four guns. Holland and Holland had made some changes to the stands this year, which increased the challenge on the guns. We nevertheless had a superb day, even though we didn't manage to make it on the winners score board. We came 25th out of the 99 teams and we were just 25 clays behind 10th place. We only needed one more clay per gun on each stand and we would be in the top 10 - Simple!
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The Fuellers Clay Shooting team - left to right - Vaughan WIlliam, Mike Ball, James Hill and Alan Blyghton. |
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It was a busy day at Holland and Holland, with quite a bit of waiting time between stands. This is to be expected with 99 teams each of 4 guns and each shooting at 10 different stands.
As an idle thought we calculated the amount of lead dispersed around the ground's that day was almost 1.5 tons.
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Team members look confident and so they should. The the team showed they could shoot, with the best stand score of 31 out of a total 32 ( each guns has 8 clays to hit with just 8 cartridges ) - We won't mention our worst stand but let's say it wasn't quite as impressive. |
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The "high pheasant" is probably the most challenging of all the stands with the targets being high, small and fast. Three of the four guns achieving 50% and better, which is good. This year however we found the new "Decoy" stand particulalry challenging. This was one clay rising fast towards and to the right of the stand and then a second clay lazyly hovering just above the grass moving from left to right - A naughtly little combination. |
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The prize system is carefully arranged so that teams of all standards will have an equal chance of a prize. There are electronic scoreboards all around the luncheon marque, so we could all keep an eye on the state of play. Unfortunately however, the Fuellers team, even with the pretty respectable score achieved, did not feature in the prizes this year.
Mike Ball was our best shot this year with an individual score of 54 out of 80, Alan Blyghton was second with a score of 50 out of 80. Vaughan Williams and James Hill followed closely with 45 and 46 respectively. A well match team with just 9 point between all four guns. A little more practice and there is no reason to think we can't achieve that extra clay per gun per stand to make in to the top 10.
The best gun of the day was from the Grocers with a score of 77 out of 80. an excellent bit of shooting.
Although many may not consider shooting as an energetic sport, those taking part will testify to the fact that the walk around the ample grounds of Holland and Holland was certainly sufficient to built up a good appetite for the generous and superb roast pig luncheon.
A hearty thanks to all the Fuellers' guns, although we did not win anything this year we at least had a cracking good day and have something to aspire to next year.
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Election Court & Luncheon - 2009
21st April 2009
The Court of the Fuellers convened their annual election court meeting on Tuesday 21st April at Grocers' Hall. The primary purpose of the meeting being the election of the officers for the year commencing October 2009. The Court was unanimous in electing John Bainbridge to the post of Master. Michael Byrne was elected to the post of Senior Warden and Stuart Goldsmith was elected Junior Warden. Congratulation and a hearty round of applause was given to the newly elected officers.
After the formal business of the day had been concluded the new Freemen and Liverymen were admitted to the Company.
Caroline Belcher, Daughter of Immediate Past Master David Bell, is escorted in to the Courtroom, flanked by current Junior Warden, Micheal Byrne, and Senior Warden, John Bainbridge, to received Freedom of the Company by Presentation from the Master, Michael Husband, in recognition of her support and assistance to her Farther, David Bell, during his tenure as Master.
Two new Freemen by Presentation, Brigadier Ian Abbott OBE (above) and Commander Robert Thornton CBE (above right) make their declarations to the Master.
This was followed by two new Freemen by Redemption, Sarah Carr (left) and Ashutosh Shastriiller (right) making their declarations to the Master.
After the Admission of Freemen the new Liverymen were then invested with the Livery. Four Freemen were invested with the Livery, Robert Davy (top left), Alan Feakins (top right), Professor Averil MacDonald (above left), Christopher Nowakowski (above right) all making their declaration as Liverymen to the Master.
Having greeted the new Freemen and Liverymen to the Company the Court meeting was closed and adjourned to the thanksgiving service at St Michael's, Cornhill.
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The Master and Wardens lead the procession to the Church for the Thanksgiving Service
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The Master and Wardens as they are about to take their places in Church |
As we have come to expect, the service was excellent and Reverend Dr Peter Mullen delivered a superb and relevant sermon on the current economic and social climate.
After the service at St. Michael's, Cornhill, the congregation returned to Grocers' Hall for the traditional Election Court luncheon. This was a splendid affair with over 120 Company members and guests present.
The master and Wardens greet Members of the Fuellers and their guests to the pre luncheon reception
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The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor, Alderman Ian Luder, arrives at Grocers' Hall...
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...To the Lord Mayor's Fanfare |
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The Lord Mayor is greeted by the Master, Michael Husband, Senior Warden, John Bainbridge and Junior Warden Michael Byrne. |
The Lord Mayor, hosted by Past Master David Bell, is introduced to members of the Fuellers'.
After an excellent luncheon the three Fuellers' prize winners are presneted with their awards by The Lord Mayor.
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A toast to the guests was proposed by John Bainbridge, Senior Warden |
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The response, on behalf of the Guests, was offered by The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor, Alderman John Stuttard, who gave a very interesting and witty addess, proposing The Worshipful Company of Fuellers, root and branch, may it flourish. |
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The Lord Mayor then presented the Master with a gift of a silver picture frame. |
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The Master, Michael Husband, then responded on behalf of the Company and thanked everyone for supporting the event. |
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A thoroughly superb event, enjoyed by everyone.
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A day out with Squadron 216 - Brize Norton
July 16th will be a day long remembered by the group comprising Fuellers, family and a few friends who ventured down to the wilds of Oxfordshire (4 days before the floods). The group was 20 strong, which turned out to be an idea number, enabling everyone to see and enjoy the action of the day.
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We started the day arriving at Brize Norton RAF base near Oxford by 09:00. Once assembled we were transported by coach to the Squadron's building where we were given an overview of the history and current role of the Squadron. A very wide, varied and sometimes arduous role and all credit to the Squadron for a job very well done.
After the briefing, we were taken along to the air terminal on the base where we were guided to the Tristar, KC1 in flight refuelling tanker, we were due to fly on that day.
We all felt incredibly humbled by the soldiers gathered in the terminal ready to be flown out to Afghanistan for their tour of duty.
Group photo of the Fuellers prior to boarding.
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Once on board it all seem perfectly normal with comfortable seats and charming cabin crew.
There was also plenty of room to stretch your legs in the forward cargo area ...
and ample opportunity for a chat and look around |
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Our two youngest guests were invited to sit in the cockpit for take-off - A treat I know they had not expected.
We were to fly up over the North Sea where we would rendezvous with a number of other aircraft for refuelling exercises.
Unfortunately the schedules change almost by the hour so we did not see as many of the aircraft as we had hoped but were nevertheless thrilled to find out we were to see the new Typhoons.
Whilst waiting for our first trade we spotted two US Navy F15, which crossed our nose several miles ahead. |
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All eyes "Left" as we catch a glimpse of our first customer of the day, one of the RAF's latest Typhoon's, looking for a top up...
Actually the very first sight of the aircraft was when the pair arrived, head on, low and right - but absolutely no way to catch than on a still shot. |
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The aircraft makes his approach, contacting the tanker for permission to refuel. |
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After refuelling the fighter comes out from under our tail and takes up position on the right wing whilst his colleague moves under our tail to take his turn at refuelling. |
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Both aircraft now fully fuelled and ready to depart.
During the mission we refuelled just 6 aircraft, all of which were Typhoons on this occasion - It was a real honour and pleasure to see this fantastic new aircraft in service and the pilots certainly seemed to appreciate the audience. |
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The Typhoons depart, climbing and then turning left over the top of us, giving us a superb view of that amazing delta wing. |
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It is not often that you have one your the latest fighter-jet almost perched on your wing, so there are some really fantastic photo opportunities on these flights. |
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Eventually it was time to head for home and our flight path took us in over the Wash. There were a few clouds around but we still managed to get a brief view of Sandringham, as we passed by. |
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It's amazing what some people's office looks like.
Heading back to base at Brize Norton - The crew make their preparations for landing. |
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Back on Terra firma!
A very happy group emerge after the 4 hour mission that had taken us out over the North Sea and back.
We all pose for a post mission photo under the business end of the in-flight refuelling tanker.
You can see the two hose housings in the underbelly of the fuselage above our heads. |
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After a hard days flying we head for the Officers Mess for a bit of light refreshment and sustenance.
Our host, Wing Commander Robert Daft, made one of his final presentations, as this was his penultimate day at Brize Norton. |
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Rob Daft Present a cheque for £2,000 to the Senior Warden, David Bell. The funds have come from the sale of the "Telic Trade" prints. Thew original painting having been presented to 216 Squadron by the Worshipful Company of Fuellers.
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David Bell responds and thanks everyone at 216 Squadron for a truly fascinating and eye opening day. Thanks were also offered for the cheque, which had been received on behalf of the Master, Nigel Draffin, who regrettably had not been able to make it on the day.
David, on behalf of the Fuellers, also wished Rob Daft every success and joy in his new role, post 216 Squadron. |
This was a truly great and memorable day for both the guests and the hosts. We really hope and look forward to being able to include this visit again in our calendar sometime in the future.
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Fuellers' Lecture
9th May 2007
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The Fuellers' 3rd Energy Lecture was presented by Sir Bernard Ingham, a journalist and former Civil Servant; he was Margaret Thatcher’s chief press secretary for 11years. Presently, secretary to ‘Supporters of Nuclear Energy’ and previously, when with Department of Energy, he was the first head of its energy conservation and renewable sources of energy division.
There were more than 100 people present at this 3rd lecture and every one congratulated Sir Bernard Ingham on a fascinating, informative and topical presentation entitled: - Energy Policy; The Struggle Between Myth and Fact. |
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At the end of the lecture the Master, Nigel Draffin, thanked Sir Bernard for his excellent and thought provoking lecture and presented him with a gift of appreciation.
The Master, Wardens, Court Assistants, Fuellers and Guests were treated to an excellent meal during which the main topic of conversation was around the many issues raised by Sir Bernard during his lecture. |
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A copy of the text of this, as well as the previous two lectures, are availble for download in PDF format by clicking on the link below.
PDF Transcripts of the Fuellers Annual Energy Lecture
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The Fuellers’ Lecture, is an annual event that has been made possible due to the generosity of Lord Ezra. |
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RFA "Wave Knight"
22nd Feb 2007
A party of 10 Fuellers travelled to Harwich to visit RFA Wave Knight at the invitation of Commodore Robert Thornton on 22nd Feb 2007.
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We were greeted with great hospitality by the ships company led by Captain Ian Pilling, given tea and biscuits before a very interesting and very relevant presentation on the function of the modern RFA by Commodore Thornton.
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After a very good lunch with the ships officers we were taken in three separate groups around the vessel to see all of the different departments and meet the officers and crew.
At the conclusion of the tour, we returned to the wardroom where the relationship between Wave Knight and the Fuellers was market by the exchange of plaques.....
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......and the donation to the vessel of a Fuellers flag to be flown when refuelling at sea. |
Details of the visit can also be found on the Royal Navy website RFA Wave Knight - Fuellers Visit.
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Fuellers Game Day - 2006
The Fuellers guns were active again in Devon, taking part in the Annual Game Day at Coffyns. This was our fifth annual game day. Bleak wintry weather and snow flurries the night before made driving interesting and indicated the need for some nice warm clothing for the following day.
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Whilst a bit of a cold start, it was actually a very pleasant day, with the sun breaking through in the afternoon. |
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The game day is open to a team of 10 guns, and these places were quickly filled as this is now a very popular event. We arrived at Coffyns at 09:30 and, after a cup of tea and safety briefing on the format for the day, we set off on foot. |
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By the end of the day we were once again reminded that Devon has many more uphills than it has downhills. |
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However, there was the occasional respite, with a quad bike giving a lift up the steeper hills to the more frail members of the team. |
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A very welcome lunchtime break, back at Coffyns, with a lovely hot lunch to warm us through before setting off again for the afternoon. After the shoot Bob, our host, invited us to join him for tea and cakes and a quick celebratory 'nip'. We had another change of venue for our pre and post shoot festivities this year, staying at The White Hart hotel in Moretonhampstead.
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Back at The White Hart hotel we enjoyed a very good Shoot Dinner followed by a nice relaxing celebration in the lounge.... |
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This is a very pleasant and hospitable establishment, it has very nice comfortable rooms and the food and drink is excellent. |
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The more we relaxed the more impressive the tales and recollections of the day became..... |
This is a great but pretty exhausting day out and it is so good to get that clear Devon air through the lungs. The bag of the day was 98, this was a good result and almost on the nail of the offer of a 100 birds - the best result we have achieved. The pre-shoot bet on the bag for the day ranged from 76 to 123 and Past Master Doug Barrow won the pot having opted for 98 - Very well guessed.
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