It is with great sadness we announce the loss of Past Master John Bainbridge who died Wednesday morning.
News of his death reached the Company shortly before the start of Installation Court. On its opening, Court stood to observe a minute's silence in his memory.
John was born in 1946 in York Road, Westminster, 'outside Waterloo Station' as he would put it. He joined Blakemore, Elgar & Co as an articled clerk in 1964, qualified as a chartered accountant and subsequently headed up their principal auditing department. On being offered partnership in 1973 he decided to see life outside the profession for a couple of years and joined the investment division of Schroders where he spent thirty enjoyable years. He progressed to Executive Director of Schroder Investment Management Limited, as well as Chairman of Schroder Investment Management (Guernsey) Ltd. and Schroder Investment Management (Ireland) Limited, as well as various other directorships within the company. Following the disposal of the investment banking business in 2000, he became Group Company Secretary of Schroders plc. His eventual retirement at the end of 2003 was marked in the Daily Telegraph's Alex cartoon:
John was admitted as a Freeman of the Fuellers on 26 January 1998, enrobed as a Liveryman on 27 October 1999 and joined Court in 2004. He was installed as Master on 15 October 2009 at Clothworkers’ Hall and presided over the Company's 25th Anniversary Year.
As a Past Master he remained an active member of the Company: he was editor of The Fueller magazine for many years, was responsible for researching and recording much of our history and artefacts and was one of the main driving forces in the production of our Company history The Fuellers Tale. He was a Trustee of the Fuellers Charitable Trust Fund for thirteen years, many of which as Honorary Treasurer - he stepped down from his second stint only last year.
Details of his funeral will be circulated when known.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his widow Marilynne.
He will be greatly missed by the Fuellers.
