Issue number 92 August 2015

WHAT A RACKET WATERLOO WHAT A SCORCHER WATERSPORTS WHAT A SHOT GIFT SUGGESTIONS FROM TUMBLERS The East India Square tumbler THE SECRETARY’S OFFICE Engraved with Club directory crest. £18.50 The ATTIRE 16 St James’s Square, SW1Y 4LH Club ties Decanter Telephone: 020 7930 1000 Silk woven tie in club £75 Fax: 020 7321 0217 colours. £19.50 Email: [email protected] Web: www.eastindiaclub.co.uk

DINING ROOM Breakfast Cut glass tumbler Monday to Friday 6.45am-10am Engraved with club Saturday 7.15am-10am crest. £30 Sunday 8am-10am Lunch Monday to Friday 12.30pm-2.30pm Scarf BOOKS & CDs Sunday (buffet) 12.30pm-2.30pm £17 Club bow ties The East India Club (pianist until 4pm) Tie your own and, – A History Saturday sandwich menu available for emergencies, by Charlie Jacoby. clip on. £19.50 An up-to-date look at Dinner the characters who have Monday to Saturday 6.30pm-9.30pm Sundays (light supper) 6.30pm-8.30pm made up the East India Club. £10 Table reservations should be made with the Front Desk or the Dining Room and will only be held for Club song 15 minutes after the booked time. Hatband Awake! Awake! £15 A recording of the club AMERICAN BAR song from the 2009 St Monday to Friday 11.30am-11pm Saturday 11.30am-3pm George’s Day dinner. £5 & 5.30pm-11pm Cufflinks Sunday noon-4pm Enamelled cufflinks The Gentlemen’s & 6.30pm-10pm with club crest, Clubs of London Members resident at the club can obtain drinks from chain or bar. £24.50 New edition of the hall porter after the bar has closed. Anthony Lejeune’s classic. £28 EAST INDIA ROOM Monday to Friday. Light food and wine menu. Use of electronic devices on silent is permissible. OTHER ITEMS

SMOKING ROOM & WATERLOO ROOM Drinks and light menu from 9am to 10.30pm. Mug Saturday and Sunday 10am to 10pm. £14

BILLIARDS ROOM Open to members from 9am to midnight. Chocolate mint Pass keys will not be issued after 11pm. creams £8 Club blazers Club shield GYMNASIUM £61.50 Open to members from 6am to 10pm. £315/£345 (navy) £345 (sports) Suitable attire must be worn. Club waistcoats BEDROOM CHARGE £170 Includes early morning tea, newspaper, English Golf balls breakfast and VAT. All bedrooms are non smoking. Titleist golf balls. Bearing Members club crest. £29 per dozen Single with bath / large shower £103 (£63*) Single with shower £88 (£54*) Single without facilities £72 (£45*) Golf tees Double or twin room for single occupancy £140 Tin of 50 ‘personalised’ Double or twin room for double occupancy £156 Blazer buttons East India golf tees. £7.75 St James’s Suite £259 Double breasted. Reciprocal members & guests £45.00 Single with bath / large shower £133 (£83*) Single breasted. Single with shower £117 (£73*) £30.00 Golf umbrellas Double or twin room for single occupancy £164 Made in club Double or twin room for double occupancy £186 colours of silver, St James’s Suite £288 blue and red. £17 Club print * Special rate on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays A picture of the Post and packing for non-breakables from clubhouse on a £3. Breakable items are for collection MEMBERSHIP CARDS typical London Members are required to carry their membership from the club instead of posting. early evening. cards at all times when visiting the club. It is essential that they are produced when 52.5cm by CLUB WINE: signing for charges to accounts. 40cm. See page 25 for details £61.50

2 EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 A summer dominated by the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Club diary... Waterloo also included , music, wine, a change in maitre

d’, rowing and golf – and that is just the start. The club is as CHAIRMAN’S REPORT September 7 Lord Mayor’s luncheon busy as it has ever been 16 Library lecture and dinner 18 Rugby World Cup lunch 25 Rugby World Cup lunch CHAIRMAN’S REPORT October 2 Rugby World Cup lunch h, but you have not heard the a fine day. We are about to embark on the 4 Harvest Festival and lunch 8 Grouse dinner news yet, have you?” Rugby World Cup which will be more than 17 Classic car weekend “A HRH The Princess Royal’s just a curtain–raiser to the Six Nations. There 22 Library lecture and dinner quip to the Prince Regent as his curiosity are five rugby lunches organised, the first of 23 Rugby World Cup lunch was aroused by the commotion of the arrival which will feature Nick Farr-Jones. 29 House dinner of Major Percy and Captain White with the Last night I sat in the balmy twilight among 30 Rugby World Cup lunch the trees of St James’s Gardens with a cool glass of the club’s excellent white wine November listening and watching as everyone enjoyed a 4 Port tasting 16 Library lecture and dinner first class barbecue attended by 180 members and guests. The music was enjoyed by many December dancers and it encouraged me to reflect on 3 Carol concert and dinner how very fortunate we are to be part of a 9 Tri-Club carols service and great city; to have the British summer climate Christmas party (kind on this occasion); to enjoy the company 13 Advent carols and lunch of friends in the surroundings of our club. The Square is looking magnificent and the Bank Holidays For the August bank holiday, bars St James’s Square Trust deserves our thanks and catering are closed after breakfast for creating a fine garden. I think it is quite on Sunday 30 August and reopen after the most beautiful square in London. Only a breakfast on Tuesday 1 September. HRH The Princess Royal and the chairman week ago I was in London Fields enjoying a Accommodation and continental picnic with my daughter and friends (and with breakfast remain available. French eagles and Wellington’s dispatch was several thousand Londoners). I do hope that met with deserved applause and a good laugh. the present climate of austerity and cost- Christmas The great occasion was made very special by cutting does not cause us to lose London’s The club closes after lunch on Wednesday 23 December 2015 and the Princess Royal and Vice-Admiral Sir Tim green open spaces, parks and squares. re-opens at 9am on Monday 4 January Laurence and we are all grateful to her for Once lost, they would never be recovered 2016. The cloakroom and day lockers entering into the spirit of the event, making and London would be greatly impoverished will be cleared of left items. The Royal it a memorable, and enduring, highlight for us without them. Air Force Club at 128 Piccadilly kindly all. The plaque on the front of the clubhouse, At the end of June we said goodbye to offers its facilities to our members on unveiled for us by the Princess Royal, will James Dempsey. James has been maitre d’ in dates when our Dining Room is closed. stand as a lasting reminder of a marvellous our Dining Room for the last 11 years and has Please book in advance on 020 7399 carefully seated us all at the best table in the 1000. event. A special report on the Waterloo 200 weekend and the Waterloo dispatch is house every time. He has added humour and included with this summer edition of East & colour to the life of the club and he has been West. Congratulations to Sir Evelyn Webb- a friend to all of us. I am sure you will join me Carter and Tim Cooke on the in thanking him for all he has great success and special done for us and wishing him thanks to Peter Warwick for Ah, but you have well in his retirement (or in bringing to life this important not heard the news fact in his quest for improved East & West part of the club’s history. I am yet, have you? golf handicap). The club sure the legacy of the New presented him with vouchers Editor: Charlie Jacoby Waterloo Dispatch will be felt to add to his golfing armoury 07850 195353 [email protected] “ far and wide over future years. and a humidor with some Montecristo no Designer: Chris Haddon 01279 422219 [email protected] One immediate legacy for us is that the 4 cigars. James handed over the reins to Photography: Phil McCarthy. To download or club has never looked better or been in better Petar” Vasilev as maitre d’ and who is already order photography, login to the members’ repair. The Dining Room and East India Room establishing himself in the role. We all bid him area of EastIndiaClub.com and select event provide us with the great ambience that is a welcome and wish him well. photography fitting setting for the fine cuisine and good I do not think I can remember a period Sub-editor: Cicely Drewe wines we continue to enjoy. Our sporting when the club has been busier. Thank you Printed by: Colour3 (ColourCubed.co.uk) sections have been particularly active in to our management and staff for all they Published on behalf of The East India Club by recent months. The East India cricketers achieve. As the peak of the summer arrives I Charlie Jacoby, c/o The East India Club www.charliejacoby.com played Chobham Cricket Club for the Turnbull wish everyone good cheer for the rest of the Cover photo: Waterloo 200 commemoration Cup and just fell short of the challenge for season. the second year in a row. A fine lunch and Iain Wolsey, chairman

EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 3 NEWS Club life throughout the summer included a cricket match in Sports shorts memory of a former chairman at Chobham, a series of hard- fought snooker matches, our continued alliance with the Snooker in the chess and even a brief view of the rowers

he Saville Club beat the Oriental Spirit of Turnbull Club in the inter-club snooker final, T held at the East India Club in June. embers took to the lanes of Surrey never within reach. Held in memory of late It was just one event that shows the club’s to go to the Turnbull Cup where EIC chairman David Turnbull, the day was role as a hub for club snooker in London. M the East India Club XI played organised by EIC deputy chairman Duncan Chobham Cricket Club for the second annual Steele-Bodger. Turnbull Cup. Chobham batted first and were There was lunch in the marquee and warm soon in trouble at 50-4 only to be saved by weather provided. some strong performances from their junior players eventually to set a daunting total of 230 in the allotted 35 overs. Although the East India innings started brightly, too many wickets were lost too regularly so that the total required was

Hassan Zamir playing in the Billiard Room. Members enjoyed lunch and the cricket from a marquee

East India Club chairman Iain Wolsey congratulates Left-right: Iain Wolsey, Duncan Steele-Bodger and Saville club chairman Michael Ross victorious Chobham captain Jon Allen Well?

Hurlingham by the margin of 3-2. Yaroslav Rowing Chess Voropayev continued his unbeaten run on board 1 and there was a good win for lub Nicholas Lloyd on board 3. blazers Blitz tournaments The most encouraging thing about C made by Colin Ferguson this match is that despite having five of a brief yet our regular team unavailable, we still dashing he club continues to play inter-club managed to fulfil the fixture and come appearance on chess jointly with the Oriental Club. A very close to winning. BBC Television T round-robin ‘Blitz’ chess tournament We played two further friendly matches at the Boat Race (pictured). Thank you marked the end of the season. This was the in March. The first was against a strong to Robert Farrow for capturing this first time that we did manage to muster two Chelsea Arts Team which we lost 6-0. image. Auriol Kensington Rowing Club teams. However, those who represented our They had most of their cup team out hosted members on Saturday 11 April to a combined teams of six players each in this including their star player Richard Black. barbecue and drinks. fun event, experienced mixed fortunes. Nick Lloyd lasted 45 moves before he The A team’s Hamilton McMillan and Peter succumbed to defeat. Needless to say, Haddock, both from the Oriental, lost only our team enjoyed to the full the splendid Racquets one match to the eventual winners MCC (A). hospitality of our hosts, who provided Apart from that, they enjoyed eight wins and them with a delicious meal with fine wine, re you interested in racquets? J7 two halved matches. Well done to them in so the harshness of this whitewash was member James Hodges heads coming joint second. The team included East somewhat diluted. A up the racquets section, which India Club members Yarislav Voropayev and On 18 March, we played against includes squash, badminton, , Nick Lloyd. Roehampton at home. This was a slightly real tennis and fives. The section has The B Team, with Patrick Tobin, Stan closer contest but still resulted in a 1/2 to more than 60 members who run racquet Stepanenko, Craig Nunn, John-Richard Lloyd 2 1/2 defeat. practices every Wednesday and Thursday. and Conrad Cornelissen finished bottom of The new tournament starts in the There is a squash league. Please contact the table, but enjoyed their evening. autumn. If you would like to take part in [email protected] or by finding In March, we lost a close match against club chess, please contact the secretary. the sign up list within the club.

4 EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 NEWS Participation sports including golf keep the EPICS underway Longer shorts with a full programme of matches, while members are also tempted to go to the polo and, of course, to eat well Polo Young members’ dinner by Harman Gill he club’s polo section went to La Martina Queen Elizabeth The he club’s young members came T Queen Mother Centenary Trophy together for their annual dinner in final and sub final at Smith’s Lawn, Guards T the East India Room, after a reception Polo Club. A minbus drove spectators in the Clive Room. It remains a matter of from the club to pride to the club that nearly 50 per cent of to watch this 12-15 goal tournament members are under the age of 35. played in memory of HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The day included guest membership of the polo club with a grandstand seat and access to the members’ bar. The next trip was to the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, to Brendan Brett (left) and Simon Blackaby watch polo in front of New College. This is the third year running that Sandhurst

Left-right: Benjamin Richie, Jaideep Wasu, Oliver has asked the club’s polo section to come. Cawthorne and Rory Gordon There were matches to watch between Royal Artillery, the Honourable Artillery Company and Sandhurst Cadets. In addition to the polo matches, members were offered a short tour of Old College.

Car rally

Left-right: Rory Crichton-Stuart, Miles Woodbridge, Tom Braithwaite and Thomas Gordon Nicholas Ansell (left) and Richard Turner ollowing 2014’s highly successful event, this year’s East India Classic F Car Rally will take place on Saturday captain Paul Blows. 17 October. To register your interest, EPICS He adds: “I’ve sent Paul Blows this photo please email Alexander Reut-Hobbs on which shows him in the bar alongside the [email protected] he club’s golfing section enjoyed 1934 inscription of our future king. It’s a the lovely summer with games pity Paul’s name was misspelled.” T against other clubs and an internal competition, too. John Beddall was surprise winner of the club’s EPICS golfing section handicap match. He says: “Credit must be given to the vagaries of the handicapping system and a run of flukey shots.” Last year’s event For his perseverance at a game “for which I clearly have no natural ability” he thanks EPICS captain Gordon Kenneth and former Paul Blows (not Bowles) Punch

lub member Christopher Garwood of the tragic circumstances around the has kindly donated several Gurkha dinner recent massive earthquakes, the club will C entire years’ worth of Punch by St John Brown be looking to raise (more) money for the magazines to the club Library, covering Gurkha Welfare Trust. the years 1933-1947. These came from 015 is the 200th anniversary of the We are pleased to announce a gala his grandfather who had a much more Gurkhas becoming an official part of dinner (black tie) in favour of the Gurkha extensive collection subsequently split up. 2 the British Army – via the East India Welfare Trust will be held on Monday This adds to the club’s collection of 1841- Company. There will be many events in the 16 November. We are delighted to have 1911 and 1954-1967. If any members with UK this year to celebrate their distinguished author and former Gurkha Major Gordon long-forgotten copies in their libraries feel service to the British Crown. Corrigan as our guest of honour who like passing them to the club, they will The club wishes to host its own will deliver a talk before dinner entitled be gratefully received. Otherwise we will celebration of this anniversary and in light ‘Gurkhas - The First 200 Years’. have to resort to eBay.

EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 5 The chairman, Iain Wolsey, gives an upbeat report about the club at the AGM, held in May. With the defalcation behind us, the club can look forward to a rosy period of good dinners, jolly events and he thanks the long-serving staff who have made it all possible. The club needs its ongoing

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ANNUAL programme of renovation and refurbishment but that, says the chairman, is in hand...

an exercise brings no benefit to the club, its EAST INDIA CLUB ANNUAL members or creditors. It is noted that this aspect of financial reporting will be changing prior to the next annual report and so we may GENERAL MEETING not have to live with that beyond next year. I cannot of course fail to mention the will start this annual report by referring refurbishment costs of a club building as old continuing actions resulting from the to an excellent year of activity, and the as ours and is the reason why the committee defalcations affecting the club’s accounts in I trading results reported by the committee maintains transfers to the modernisation 2013 and early in 2014. The culprit was tried in the business review reflect this. The club’s reserve. and convicted, and is serving a three-year overall revenue grew 5.8% to £5.94 million This year we have carried out major custodial sentence. The police investigation and this gave us a welcome turnaround in projects of refurbishment to the Front Hall into recoverable assets under the Proceeds surplus before tax on ordinary activities from and stairway, the Waterloo Room, the fifth of Crime Act, Section 16, is now complete last year’s loss of £360,315 to a surplus of floor bedrooms, the hot water system and and submissions put before the court. We £21,443. upgrading of the accommodation in the staff do not know the full result of that but what The club has continued to be in demand hostel. There is still a large programme of I will report to members is that the assets with members new and old. Membership has work due to take place this year and, already, that belonged to the culprit consisted of increased to 5,339 by the end of the year and we have completed a major refurbishment of small unidentified deposits, a large chunk of the committee believes this to be about the the main Dining Room and the Smoking Room. pension and his house. The view we have maximum at which our customary high level As you know, the gentlemen’s loo downstairs taken is that we do not want to do anything in of service can be maintained. The increase in is also being refurbished. The committee recovery that damages the dependence of his membership has been mostly in the number believes it still appropriate for a transfer of children. However, we are quite happy to take of full town members and J7 members, who £325,000 to be made to the modernisation the things that we largely have contributed to, continue to bring youth and vitality to our reserve for refurbishment projects, which will like pension, and therefore it is probable that club, which is most welcome. Subscription be initiated over the next 18 months to two we will be awarded a fairly significant sum of income has therefore been strong and the years. This transfer will bring the reserve back money under the Proceeds of Crime Act. club has been able to continue the policy of up to £1.65 million. The club has received legal advice from keeping the increase in subscription rates to As reported previously, the committee counsel and is continuing to pursue avenues a level sufficient to meet the flin ation rate in has not carried out a revaluation of the that offer the possibility for some mitigation staff costs. club’s premises in accordance with Financial of the loss. It is a complicated and quite Occupancy rates have remained high, Reporting Standards and as a consequence difficult case and members will note that reflecting the value the club’s accommodation the Auditor’s Report is qualified in respect the accounts contain an extraordinary offers to members and guests, with what of this non-conformity. It remains the item of £164,982. This reflects the is, I believe, the best breakfast to be found committee’s view that the revaluation costs directly associated with the case, anywhere in London. Gross margins on both of the club’s premises does not enhance including restructuring in our management, food (up 3.9 percentage points) and drink the understanding of the club’s financial recruitment, professional advice on our (up by around 1 percentage point) have statements and the significant cost of such financial processes and procedures, legal improved despite the inexorable rise in costs. The skill and good management of our staff have enabled us to maintain the excellent standards and value members have come to expect from the club; top quality food from the kitchen under the leadership of our chef; great service in the Dining Room; exciting dinners, events, parties and receptions; and low prices, which we continue to hold down for our leading beers, wines and spirits. That we are able to maintain this is a great tribute to the performance of our staff, whose efforts are, I know, greatly appreciated by all our members. It is fundamental to the financial health of the club that we aim for a level of surplus that enables the club to continue the upkeep and maintenance of the club’s infrastructure to the highest standard for the benefit of both current and future members. The increase New committee member: St John Brown (centre, standing) was elected to the committee, following the retirement of Roger Raishbrook. He has become well known to the club for chairing the Library committee in refurbishment costs and the fluctuations, and running the excellent programme of Library lectures. Other committee members re-elected are Charlie year on year, reflect the ad hoc nature of the Jacoby, Ken Morgan, Henry Morris, Richard Robinson and Alasdair Shaikh.

6 EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 advice and investigations in support of our my thanks to all our members. I am grateful for case. This is still an ongoing matter, but the enthusiasm with which members express as stated above, the impact on the day- their views about the club, whether of praise to-day business is now over. Members will or criticism, concern, support or suggestions continue to be advised of our progress in for the future. It is welcome. seeking mitigation. I am gratified by the It is with sadness that I record the deaths GENERAL MEETING ANNUAL professionalism and diligence that has been of 32 members, including Paul Seabrook, shown by our management throughout. who served on the committee. His memorial Turning to our staff, 14 members of staff service was held in St James’s and a reception receive 10-year service awards this year. They was held here afterwards. We remember them are: Norma in housekeeping, James in the fondly as our colleagues and members. Dining Room, Darlington in the Kitchen, Laura I am pleased to report that we have 10 in banqueting, Boni in the Dining Room, Rickie members who have achieved 50 years’ in the Cellar, Lolita in housekeeping, Betty on continuous membership who became, from reception, Junior in maintenance, Magda in 1 January 2015, honorary members. They the Dining Room, Roly in the Dining Room and are: Christopher Bance, Ken Brand, Leonard Tony, whom you normally see at weekends, Birchell, Maurice Cahalan, Bernard Cue, who has served the club for 30 years, an Anthony Gould, John Bell, Professor Sidney amazing record. Congratulations to all of them. Gray, James Heaford and Andrew Wylde. Again, Building works: this year the club has carried out We also have a number of retirements this that is an amazing achievement. major projects of refurbishment to the Front Hall year. Leonora retired in April after 39 years The club’s wine and port stocks remain in and stairway with the club and we had a very good party a healthy state and purchases of fine wine to celebrate that amazing record. She is much continue to go well. Our cellar therefore is Woolf attended the annual lunch, Michael loved by all of us. Nadine, a porter in the well stocked with wines that continue to Beloff was at the house dinner and there was housekeeping area, retires this month. James offer unbeatable quality and value. Indeed a spectacular Christmas season of events. At Dempsey, our maitre d’, is retiring this year. our cellars are quite full and we may have the St George’s Day Dinner we had a Waterloo Andreas, the maintenance manager, will retire to look for additional storage. I thank David theme and our thanks go to John Harle in at the end of the year. Cartwright and the wine committee for their particular for the original music, which made I want to refer to Mohamed Cherrabi, who skill and expertise in selecting such wines. the event so special. The Waterloo Ball was many of you will know has suffered a serious The overall occupancy of our rooms is a magnificent event enjoyed by all who illness and had a major operation. He was due impressive, both by club members and attended. Thank you to Alex and the team to retire in December. I am pleased to report reciprocals. This of course is of fundamental because it was a brilliantly put together event he is recovering, he is now back home and is importance to our financial stability. Those and great fun. Of course we eagerly await the in good shape. We have managed to continue of us who stay regularly, as I do, appreciate Waterloo 200 events next month, which again to support a situation which otherwise would the comfort and value of our rooms. Let us will be very exciting. have been very difficult, and he will be retiring not forget our housekeeping staff – another The club’s social programme last year was during the next few months. reminder for contributing to the staff fund. most successful, with all major functions full I would like to thank all our staff for their The Library contains more wit and wisdom to capacity and greatly enjoyed by all who loyalty and their special contribution to the than ever and we have enjoyed a series of attended. The dates of all this year’s events enjoyment of the club. excellent Library lectures, with some more are available from the secretary’s office and I would also like to thank members for their coming up soon. are advertised on the notice board, on the generous support this year of the staff fund. I am grateful to all members of the club’s website and also in the East & West magazine. It is a tangible way in which each of us can formal sub-committees – the young members’ Thank you to the active committees within demonstrate our gratitude and I hope we can committee, the wine committee, the library the club running our social and sporting all contribute to increasing this support in the committee and the property committee events and looking after aspects of the life future – it is certainly well deserved. for their invaluable had work, support of the club, and particularly of course to the Our secretary Alex Bray and the and enthusiasm over the past year. It is young members’ committee. I am pleased management team of Tim Wilks, chef appreciated and we continue to benefit from to report that the club’s sporting and leisure Mark Leach and maitre d’ James Dempsey, the effort, enthusiasm and ideas generated. sections are in fine form and each has had Sandra, Maria, Sue, Joe and David who joined I particularly want to pay tribute to Roger a successful year. It is most heartening to us exactly a year ago, have together and Raishbrook, who is standing down from the see so many activities available to members, individually continued to provide excellence committee and from his role as chairman of ranging from rugby, cricket, rowing, fly- and set ever higher standards of service to the property committee. Thank you, Roger, for fishing, shooting, golf, snooker, chess and members. Again I want to pay tribute to those your invaluable contribution to the club over backgammon. The yacht squadron is going who look after our accommodation from front many years, the result of which we can see as from strength to strength as well. May I take desk to the house itself. The food, the wine, we look around us. this opportunity to thank those who are the bar, the best breakfast in London continue There were yet again some great events responsible for running so effectively our to receive accolades from both members and in the year. I think I said last year that we had sporting sections. Without the tireless work of guests, and their praise is well deserved. the best Burns Night ever, but we have now those who make all the arrangements, these Turning to our membership, we continue had the best Burns Night ever. The gourmet club activities would not take place. to attract new members of all age groups and dinner was a triumph. Rugby lunches are Finally I would like to express my categories. Town membership has increased picking up brilliantly. The dedication of the appreciation to deputy chairmen,Richard above the average rate and our membership roll of honour of club members and staff who Robinson, Duncan Steel-Bodger and Matthew continues to grow slightly and is currently gave their lives in the service of their country Ebsworth and all the committee for their about 100 above last year’s level. I also extend was a wonderful occasion. Lord Mayor Fiona continuing support and their contribution in

EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 7 many different ways, both to the success of Street. We own the staff hostel at 48 Old item in the accounts. He asked why the cost the club and to the handling of the difficult Gloucester Street. We have for some time of processing credit card facilities had risen problems we experienced last year. They been a little concerned about the fact that by 20.2 per cent, more than four times higher have been invaluable. I want to pay particular it is a fairly basic piece of accommodation. increase than the rate of turnover. tribute to the corporate governance, finance It is very valuable to us because it offers There are initiatives already afoot to ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ANNUAL and audit committee led by Richard Robinson, accommodation for about ten staff, but there improve the way in which we handle with the support of Duncan Steele-Bodger, are only four bathrooms there and they payments, which are not directly related to Patrick Storey and Ken Morgan. This body has are quite small rooms. By good chance the credit cards. As you say, the total proportion been instrumental in raising the standard of property immediately next door to it at 46 of credit card use is quite small, but what financial and management procedures and in Old Gloucester Street, which is a mirror image we are encouraging people to do with both giving a new integrity to our control and audit of 45, came up for purchase. This offered us accounts and subscriptions is to pay by direct procedures. Thanks also to David Selfe for an opportunity greatly to enhance the staff debit, which simplifies the whole process both his contribution to this and our management accommodation and possibly also to add for members and for the club. A very small accounting and budgeting processes. I can say some member accommodation, a couple of proportion of our payments are made by direct with confidence to members that our financial suites perhaps, to relieve the heavy periods debit currently and there is no reason why we management and corporate governance is of test matches, Buckingham Palace garden should not encourage members to do that. fully up to date and stands up to the spotlight parties, Wimbledon and so forth, when we are That is an initiative that is already in play but I of modern audit. Most importantly, I wish really under pressure in the clubhouse. So we am sure we will discuss this matter further so as always to pay tribute to the way both decided to buy that property, supported by a thank you for raising it. management and staff have managed the loan from HSBC, which is secured against that Member Carl Statham asked about the club and its many activities. Thanks to their property on an interest-only basis. feasibility of an outside space at the club? efforts the club is healthy and significantly At the moment we are in the process of The proposal some time ago to try and do stronger in all respects than it was a year ago. letting the property, which will more or less something on the roof does not work and we Moving to the formal business of the AGM, cover the interest cost of the loan, while we have abandoned that. We are in a long term there is one special resolution you would sort out exactly how to achieve our objective process of looking at what we can do with have received, which moves the timing of of improving the staff accommodation. the total space at the club and how we might calling short on members who have not Although it is a post-balance sheet event so be able to create an outside space, but that paid their subs from three months to two far as this year is concerned, it will of course is a long term matter. If the question is in months. The reason for this is that the three be fully reported in the next balance sheet. Its regard to smoking, then I am afraid we have month rule belongs to an era when people effect on our balance sheet is wholly positive not made much progress with that. There wrote cheques and sent them by Royal Mail. because the two properties together will be are some ideas under consideration and we Nowadays we have Twitter feeds and email worth more than the balance sheet currently have not forgotten about it, but there is not a and we are suggesting that two months is states and from that point of view members’ simple solution. reasonable given the massive increase in assets would increase. We will report what we Member Mr Jones raised points about the speed of communication. The club does not decide to do in detail in due course. extraordinary costs of the defalcation and take a hard-faced view on this and we are not Another member wanted to know about who was to blame for it. getting heavy handed, but the resolution does the club’s fidelity insurance in relation to Half of it roughly was in restructuring enable us to be tidy when things do go wrong, the defalcations. I think I mentioned in my costs and the other half was in the necessary which in a very small number of cases they do. report that although we made a claim on our work we had to do of a professional kind The resolution was passed. insurance policy, sadly that claim was turned completely to analyse our processes and I have received one or two questions from down and we did not receive any insurance Reeve and Co were hired to do that. We have members that they wanted to raise. One compensation. The maximum we could have implemented all their proposals, and we also question in particular was in relation to the received was £150,000, but there were had investigative work carried out to track house that we purchased in Old Gloucester insuperable obstacles to our succeeding down the possibilities of recovery - we had with that claim, including the nature of the legal work ongoing to do that – and all of electronic banking system and the approval that is within roughly 50% of that figure. We processes, which did not meet the terms of also had to recruit and pay for a professional the insurance. accountant for three months – an interim Member Oliver Ransom asked about the finance manager – while we held the whole liver and bacon, which we have not had in thing together. Against that, however, we the dining room for some years now because were no longer paying for some members of of the difficulties cooking it the way we like staff, one of whom was the culprit, so a fairly it to be cooked and still obeying health and substantial figure could be subtracted from hygiene regulations. that if we chose to, but that is not the way the The committee’s views are massively in accounts work. We are pursuing the bank and favour of serving liver and bacon, as you I do not want to comment in public in a way would expect, but there is a lot of pressure that could be prejudicial to the action we are being put on us from Westminster local taking. The increases in food and beverage authority because, if we did have a problem, have nothing to do with the defalcation. we would lose all our ratings. The view of our The ballot for membership of the professionals and of the management is that committee of the club for 2015/16 was from a we should not be serving it. However, we will count of 456 voting papers received, of which keep it under constant review because I, too, 11 were void. The candidates elected are St like liver and bacon. John Brown, Charlie Jacoby, Ken Morgan, Henry 46 Old Gloucester Street, WC1: our new building Mr Ransom next posed a question about an Morris, Richard Robinson, Alasdair Shaikh.

8 EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 A bright summer afternoon in the gardens – what better

More shorts JAZZ BARBECUE opportunity to move chef and his team out of the kitchen and hold our annual barbecue? Members and guests enjoyed our Poppy ownership of the garden keys to the full

his ceramic poppy is one of STANDING THE HEAT those installed in the moat of T the Tower of London in 2014 to commemorate the centenary of the start lub members and guests took to St of the First World War. It was donated to James’s Gardens for the annual jazz the club by member Ranjit S Attalia. C barbecue. There was spectacular catering – and woe betide anyone who asked chef for their burger to be well done. The gardens were recently closed to the public following an incident where a member of the public tried to throttle a volunteer caretaker who asked him to leave as the gardens closed at 4.30pm. In addition, the St James’s Square Trust The ceramic poppy, now in the Front Hall is appealing for donations to buy a set of new railings to return it to its pre-war glory. Anyone interested in helping is asked to Shooting email [email protected]

Chef Mark Leach

Club shooting team: Alexander James, Wiliam Downey, Ian Spencer and Andrew Harting Summer evening dancing Members and guests enjoy the gardens ell really! The winner of the inter-club shoot, held at We have been memorialized W Holland & Holland Shooting Ground, fielded a team including former he club’s position as somehow seems apropos that we should memorialize Olympic gold medal-winning trapshooter the last vestige of the once great that action and the subsequent peace with Richard Faulds. It made no difference to T – even though a memorial plaque,” writes Lt Rojek, who the East India Club’s position of 11th out of we were not formally connected with presented it in person in June. 12 but it shows the level of competition ‘John Company’ and came into existence in at this excellent event, organised every the last few years of the company’s life – year by the . Richard means we receive many requests to mark shot for the Naval & Military Club and his the association. brilliance put them in first place but his Lieutenant J James Lawrence Rojek, USA, obvious ability disqualified them. Bucks kindly presented the club with a plaque to won it. commemorate an action between the East India Company and the USA. Lt Rojek is an officer of the General Society of the War of Retiring chaplain 1812, founded by the American veterans of the War of 1812. ub-dean of the Chapel Royal the The War of 1812 (1812-1815) between Reverend Prebendary Bill Scott’s the United States and Great Britain was the S congregation arranged for him last conflict between those two countries. to have a painting. Around 25 of them The last battle of the war took place on 30 including club members enjoyed the June 1815 between the USS Peacock and unveiling in the club, hosted by David the East India Company ship Nautilus. Cartwright. There are Advent carols and “Since your club is the last vestigial a service at the Chapel Royal, St James’s connection to the East India Company, it Palace on 13 December. The new plaque

EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 9 SUMMER At the risk of looking as if it were stealing a good idea, the summer party started in St James’s Square Gardens this year, before moving indoors to enjoy a buffet dominated by seafood, prepared by chef and his team SUMMER PARTY

he annual summer party in June brought members first to the Left-right: Douglas Banks, Marie McCarthy, Catherine McCarthy and Richard Lindeman T gardens (it has been wonderful weather) and afterwards to the clubhouse for a cold collation. Ice sculptures and music brought a summery atmosphere to the Smoking Room. Chef’s buffet included trays of prawns and other goodies.

Left-right: Max Taylor, Cristina Perez Diaz, Julia Cameron Taylor, Jackie Pollen, Paul Cameron Taylor and John Pollen

Julie and Patrick Duke

Franz Forrester (left) and Wasem Shiraz A magician kept guests entertained, especially with this trick, which offered the promise of ready cash

A brass quintet provided music in the gardens

Left-right: Gerlinde Kathuria, Helen Tunny, John Andrews and Julianna Camacho Guests enjoyed a buffet in the Smoking Room Natasha Ghai and Ferhan Pagano

The Steele-Bodger party (left-right): Duncan S-B, Angela Murray, Clair S-B, George Murray, Micky S-B, Elisa and Alex Langley Callum Murray, Muff S-B (seated), Tanya S-B, Janette Kitson, Jayne Lawless, David Bird and Guy S-B

10 EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 WATERLOO Waterloo commemoration

EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 11 WATERLOO The eagles’ landing HOW THE FRENCH EAGLES ARRIVED FROM WATERLOO

he commemorations started in Belgium and ended at the club. Two historical T interpreters representing Major Percy and Captain White took a new version of the Waterloo dispatch, Wellington’s report on the battle, from the battlefield to the clubhouse where, 200 years ago, the Prince Regent was attending a party when the original Major Percy dramatically threw the captured French ‘eagles’ (standards) at his feet. Over two days, it involved organisations including the Royal Navy, the Army, the Metropolitan Police and other forces, the Belgian Embassy, and Broadstairs & St Peter’s Town Council. As well as the naval escort for the new Waterloo dispatch, the commemoration included 7 Rifles. Theth 7 Battalion The Rifles is descended from the 95th Rifle Regiment that was part of Wellington’s army at Waterloo. 7 Rifles is one of two army reserve battalions of the Rifles. Another army unit, the Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers, took part. The costumed side of the commemorations was The two French eagles, modelled by New Waterloo Dispatch chairman Peter Warwick and club secretary Alex Bray provided by historical interpretation company Past Pleasures. It provided the club with a Prince dispatch. At 11am the following morning, the it landed at Broadstairs and made its way to Regent who, with HRH The Princess Royal, was New Waterloo Dispatch was presented to a London via a civic reception at Broadstairs and able to receive the new dispatch. It began on member of the Belgian royal family, the Mayor of the New Waterloo Dispatch service at Canterbury 18 June with a formal ceremony organised by the City of Brussels and other dignitaries during Cathedral. The replica imperial eagles stopped the Belgian Government and concluded with an a ceremony at the Royal Museum of the Armed to make presentations of the New Waterloo early evening New Waterloo Dispatch ceremony Forces and Military History. It travelled via the Dispatch to figures en route, culminating with at the Wellington Museum, Waterloo, where the Governor’s Residence, Bruges to and the presentation to the Princess Royal at the Duke of Wellington began to write his original HMS Northumberland. The following morning, clubhouse.

The bloody fields

he horror of the Battle of Waterloo came home to members at a joint lecture by Tformer surgeon Mick Crumplin and Hougoumont guide Alasdair White at one of the popular series of Library lectures, this one held in March. Mick Crumplin Mick retold the legend of Lord Uxbridge’s leg, one he points out that is told with relish by aficionados of Waterloo. At around 8pm on 18 Alasdair White my leg,” to which he supposedly replied, “By June 1815, as the day was turning to blood red God Sir! So you have.” dusk, Wellington gave the signal for a general The two experts gave their talks and advance of the victorious allied line. Lord answered questions from members and guests Uxbridge, an outstanding cavalry commander, about a battle that saw 41,000 killed or lost on was riding forwards alongside the Duke just the French side and 24,000 on the side of the beyond La Haye Sainte farm, when he was struck Anglo allies and the Prussians. They talked on the right knee by a stray volley of grapeshot. about dealing with that weight of wounded and According to tradition, Uxbridge turned and dying, and also how to dispose of the bodies exclaimed to the Duke, “By God, Sir! I’ve lost ?The lecture took place in the Smoking Room after the battle.

12 EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 WATERLOO Major Percy’s dash Timeline AS THE EAGLES MADE THEIR WAY ACROSS THE ecause of the clubhouse’s part in the ENGLISH CHANNEL, THEY WERE ACCOMPANIED NOT Waterloo story, the club’s part in the JUST BY HMS NORTHUMBERLAND BUT A FLOTILLA Bcommemoration was assured. OF OTHER CRAFT, INCLUDING OUR SAILING SECTION by Jim Miller 2011: Waterloo Room presented the squadron with Moet et Chandon he East India Club Yacht Squadron victuals to speed our cruises home. We carefully arriet Harman’s Equality Act meant put out an impressive flotilla of four monitored the dispatch through its entire we no longer had need of a Ladies’ T yachts for Waterloo 200. On 18 June, nautical journey, even keeping an eye on HMS H Drawing Room. Because it was the we toasted the Scots Greys with East India Club Northumberland’s AIS position as she came room that the Prince Regent received news of Champagne while at sea, exactly 200 years across the sea to England. victory, it was easy to rename it the Waterloo after their immortal charge into battle. On 19 Room. The then Marquess of Douro, now Duke June, we sent a delegation of seven members of Wellington, snipped the ribbon in the summer of the squadron to Ostend at the invitation of of 2011 (pictured). the British Deputy Ambassador to Belgium and the Commanding Officer of the Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland to witness the Waterloo 200 Dispatch coming aboard during a flight deck reception on the ship, followed by a detailed ship The new Major Percy and Captain White about to land tour and sunset service. the Waterloo 200 Dispatch at Broadstairs As the dispatch came into shore at Broadstairs on 20 June, we were anchored in line astern, dressed overall fore and aft, close in on the 5-metre contour, with HMS Northumberland in the offing offshore. We were saluted by the new Major Percy as 2013: Battlefield visit he was rowed to shore by an HMS Victory cutter crew and returned the salute with a synchronous he club has twice been to the stern ensign dipping salute. When we went battlefield. the first trip was in 2013, ashore at Broadstairs, we were heartily thanked when 34 members and guests took the Members of the squadron and the Belgian diplomatic T for our efforts by the Mayor of Broadstairs, who court learning HMS Northumberland’s workings Eurostar to Brussels and boarded a bus that took them back in time to that Sunday in 1815. Their guide was club member St John Brown, who explained the conflict.

2013: Silver Duke

he club commissioned silversmith Mark Gartrell in 2012 to make a silver Duke of Wellington and his The club’s representatives to Ostend: (left-right) T Prashant Chakravarty, Michael Wane, Alex Van Ingen, horse, Copenhagen. Mark, pictured below, Gentlemen, the toast is: The Scots Greys. 1330 BST 18 Paul Rose, Alastair Mazumdar, Lachlan Mulholland and painstakingly researched what the Duke was June 2015 Jim Miller, all in Cowes rig wearing as well as Copenhagen’s saddlery, and, in 2013, produced a masterpiece. Other invitations

embers were invited to dinner at St James’s Palace with the Earl of M Mornington and Lukas Friedrich, Count Blücher von Wahlstatt. With the gracious permission of Her Majesty The Queen, Waterloo 200 and the New Waterloo Dispatch arranged a Waterloo Banquet at St James’s Palace on 9 June 2015, nine days before the anniversary of the battle and exactly 200 years to the day that the Final Act of the Congress of Vienna was signed by the Great Powers in 1815. The glamorous stiffie

EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 13 WATERLOO The commemoration THE CHAIRMAN’S ADDRESS TO THE WATERLOO 200 DINNER, 21 JUNE 2015

his afternoon we witnessed the historic presentation of the New Waterloo T Dispatch and the eagles of Napoleon’s Imperial Guard to Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal here at the East India Club, just as the originals were delivered to the Prince Regent at 16 St James’s Square exactly 200 years ago almost to the hour. Mrs Edmund Boehm, no doubt furious at the disruption of her elegant dinner and soirée, little knew the significance that her society entertainment would have 200 years thence, while I think we can be sure that today’s events will be recalled 200 years from now. On 19 June, the Duke of Wellington sat down to write his dispatch to Lord Bathurst, secretary for War, as he was obliged to do after every action. It is as well that the communication technology of the time was ‘hard copy’. A message via SMS or an email with a photo attachment would not have had quite the same dramatic or historic impact. I remember, about 25 years ago, walking through an arch into the Roman arena at Verona, I let my hand brush against the wall. There was, to me, a frisson of a direct connection to other hands that doubtless touched those walls in history. It was the same today. The scene in St James’s Square and in the Waterloo Room brought to life a personal connection with the arrival of the news from Waterloo: news of a great battle, of glory, of loss, of heroes on all sides known and unknown. It accounted for among the heaviest loss of lives ever experienced in a single battlefield on a single day and truly was the greatest of all great battles. Wellington was a practical man, not given to expansiveness in words but nonetheless might have had Shakespeare in mind: “He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours” He did indeed hold a dinner on the anniversary every year and, doubtless, all those who lived that day remembered the story and told their sons. At the East India Club, we have always been Continued on page 16

14 EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 WATERLOO

EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 15 WATERLOO Royal visit HRH THE PRINCESS ROYAL VISITED THE CLUB

‘Never shall I forget that evening … I was Continued from page 14 sitting quietly alone at Lord Castlereagh’s, when proud of this historical link to that last great battle suddenly there came the sound of shouting and of the Napoleonic age, so it is a source of great the rush of a crowd; and on running to the window pleasure that we have all been able to enjoy being to discover the cause of all this noise, I saw a Have some part of these commemorative events. The re- post-chaise and four, with three of the French enactment of the presentation of the dispatch, the eagles [fashionable ladies are never precise about Madeira... announcement from the balcony, the presentation numbers], projecting out of its windows, dash of the eagles, which I am delighted to say will across the square to Lord Castlereagh’s door. In a hilip Miles kindly donated three remain here on permanent display, is a story moment the horses’ heads were turned, and away bottles of 1815 Madeira, which which ‘we few, we happy few’ who are privileged went the chaise to Mrs Boehm’s.’ Pclub members and guests enjoyed at to be here, will tell to our sons, daughters and It was, of course (you will be amazed to dinner on 21 June. Just as the modern HMS grandchildren. The dispatch has travelled the hear), the work of just a few minutes for Lady Northumberland escorted the new despatch original route from Mont St Jean through Belgium Brownlow to dress and join Lady Castlereagh at in 2015, it was the British warship HMS to Ostend and across the channel on board HMS Mrs Boehm’s house. She continues thus: Northumberland which took Napoleon to Northumberland accompanied by yachts of the ‘The ladies had left the Dining Room, and exile in St Helena in August 1815, stopping at East India Club squadron, from Broadstairs to I learnt that Major Henry Percy had arrived, Madeira en route. Canterbury Cathedral, to Woolwich and then by the bearer of despatches from the Duke of post chaise through London and finally to 16 St Wellington, with the intelligence of a glorious James’s Square where we witnessed its arrival this and decisive victory of the Allies over the French afternoon. army, commanded by Buonaparte in person. The It has been a momentous journey, just as it was despatches were being then read in the next room when the hon Major Percy and his colleagues to the Prince, and we ladies remained silent, too made the journey in 1815. They arrived ragged anxious to talk, and longing to hear more. Lord and exhausted after hard riding, rowing across Alvanley was the first gentleman who appeared, the channel and chasing through London with an and he horrified us with the list of names of the ever-increasing crowd of followers before placing killed and wounded… What I heard stupefied their precious charge before the Prince with the me; I could scarcely think or speak. The Prince news: “Victory, sire, victory”. presently came in, looking very sad, and he said, The scene on that evening was described with much feeling, words to this effect: ‘It is a by Lady Brownlow in her Reminiscences of a glorious victory, and we must rejoice at it; but the Septuagenarian: loss of life has been fearful, and I have lost many

16 EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 WATERLOO Timeline 2014: Library lectures

he club has enjoyed a number of Library lectures devoted to Waterloo. T Andrew Roberts (pictured), whose series on Waterloo has just aired on BBC television, was one. Another was Michael Crumplin FRCS, retired general surgeon and honorary curator of the instrument collection at the Hunterian Museum.

2015: Gourmet dinner

or this year’s gourmet dinner, chef took a surviving bill of fare from the F Duke of Wellington’s home at Apsley House as his inspiration.

friends’ and, while he spoke, the tears ran down James’s Park. his cheeks’ On behalf of the East India Club, I would like We are very proud to have the commemorative to pay a tribute to all those who have made the plaque on the front of our clubhouse, unveiled by commemoration of Waterloo such a great event Her Royal Highness, as a permanent reminder of and particularly for the special place the East the events of 200 years ago and their connection India Club has had in it all. We are particularly to us today and in the future. grateful to Peter Warwick and the New Waterloo As an aside you may or may not know that 16 St Dispatch team for their splendid recreation of James’s Square in 1815 was a narrower building. the events culminating in the presentation in the 2015: Regency ball Those seated this evening in the East India Room Waterloo Room of the East India Club. It has been have the more authentic places as they are in the our pleasure to be involved in all of this. Thank he club has run a number of original house owned by the Boehms. you also to our secretary Alex Bray and the whole commemorative events of its own The Dining Room side of our house is the team here for tireless work over a long period T for Waterloo, including a glittering original no 17. The buildings were joined by the of planning and for the excellent dinner we are Regency ball in March. East India United Services Club in 1865 after enjoying this evening the purchase of no 16 from Lord Clanricarde in The Waterloo 200 organisation, led by Sir 1861 for £18,750, and the purchase of no 17 for Evelyn Webb-Carter and Tim Cooke, has £14,500 in 1863. We are most grateful for this far achieved a great success not just for the events sighted investment by our predecessors. of the last days but also in creating important This is made more complicated by the heritage on the battlefield, (at Hougoumont Farm renumbering of the square, which took place later for example) and throughout the sphere of today’s in the 19th century. No 16 was originally No 14. Europe that was touched by the many outcomes

The plaque is a welcome and significant of the battle itself. The service in St. Paul’s on ? addition to a great building in what is (I think) the Thursday, the anniversary of the battle itself, was grandest square in London. It has seen the birth of a special international event which some of us had three kings and been home to seven dukes, seven the great privilege to attend. earls, houses full of other lords, ladies famous and Finally our deepest thanks to Her Royal infamous, ambassadors and statesmen including Highness the Princess Royal for doing us the great honour of being with us at the East India Club to three prime ministers: Pitt the Elder, the Earl of ? Derby and the GOM himself William Gladstone. receive the dispatch and the eagles, and unveiling As another aside, the Duke of Wellington held the commemorative plaque marking the end of the among his many titles, that of Ranger of St Waterloo Way.

EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 17 WATERLOO The legacy WHAT WILL WATERLOO 200 LEAVE BEHIND?

aterloo 200 has been remarkable, and not just for the club. Where we will W remember some superb events, and continue to enjoy chattels such as new silverware and this commemorative table, now in the Waterloo Room, the event also provides a legacy, including education. The New Waterloo Dispatch is one of the most visible ways of educating people of all ages about the battle, its context and lasting significance for Britain and Europe. It is part of Waterloo 200’s extensive educational and legacy activities, and includes working with schools along the route of the Dispatch, the Waterloo Way, inviting children to participate in some of the ceremonies through visual arts and the Timeline 200 competition, which asks them to nominate their defining moments in European history over the past 200 years in the fields of history, nature, art, sport and science, in collaboration with Hungry for History. A commemorative table in the Watertloo Room The latter hosted two special schools events for Waterloo 200 in March. They were audiences never met Napoleon at Waterloo? with Dan and his father Peter Snow, discussing Waterloo 200, in partnership with the Online The new plaque outside the club the battle. For more, visit TheNWD.org.uk Book Company, unveiled a new project, uniting The World Without Waterloo saw a group of 200 schools across Europe in a collaborative work For the club, the commemoration will live historians, creative minds and history students to uncover our shared Waterloo history. Each on in the name of the Waterloo Room, our new come together to debate how history might have school researched a soldier connected to their local silverware commemorating the Duke and his changed were the Battle of Waterloo never to have area. They uploaded their research into an e-book at horse Copenhagen and, most visibly, in the new taken place. What if the Duke of Wellington had Ebook.Waterloo200.org. plaque on the wall outside the club.

Waterloo shopping

few items from the Waterloo 200 celebrations that caught the secretary’s A eye… Simpson’s Folly – Songs of the Extraordinary Editions – Waterloo Era CD A Canadian group

Waterloo 1815 which specialises in the A Commemorative Anthology. traditional folk music of Limited edition of 200. www. the British Isles. Available waterloobook.co.uk from Reception. £950 £6 Hare & Humphreys The Napoleonic imperial eagle of the 45eme de la ligne, limited Fortnum & Mason’s edition gilt replica. The Queen’s Waterloo Gunpowder decorators & gilders Hare & Blend Tea Humphreys made multiple 3D To commemorate the battle, the scans of the original Eagle of the Piccadilly grocer has produced a 45th Regiment in the Royal Scots new tea. It is available to purchase Dragoon Guards Museum at in store at F&M’s or via their Edinburgh Castle to create their website FortnumAndMason.com replicas. Hare-Humphreys.co.uk £9.95 £375

18 EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 The club’s watersports enthusiasts include both sailors and Sailing WATERSPORTS fishermen. Both offer opportunites in the UK and abroad, both take a clubbable approach to their sports. You are slightly more by Guy Gibbs likely to get wet with the yachting section n a surprisingly sunny April day three Eastindiamen (Jim Miller, O John Stanley and reporter Guy Gibbs) boarded the tall ship TSS Pelican FLYFISHING to sail out to the wreck of the East India Company’s ship the Earl of Abergavenny, lay a wreath and learn its history. he stretch of river at Stratfield Saye Abergavenny’s final voyage began we enjoy alongside the Lawyer’s from Portsmouth in February 1805 under T Fishing Club is a gem. We let go our Captain John Wordsworth, the poet’s fishing on the Test at Broadlands at the younger brother, and it was heavily end of last season after a disappointing laden with cargo, company soldiers and couple of years. The Loddon at Stratfield passengers destined for India and China. Saye is, however, everything chalkstream Having become separated from the fishing ought to be – and it is not a river convoy by storms and through the alleged that usually makes it into the chalkstream error of the pilot, the ship struck the premier league. Add to that a pile of pies notorious Shambles shoal in Weymouth from the local Wellington Farm Shop washed Bay and, while the crew made a desperate down with club sauvignon blanc and life can attempt to steer her to shore, she sank become as meandering on a warm afternoon David Powell and tigerfish on the Zambezi with the loss of over 260 lives, including as the river itself. that of her captain. For the 2015 season, the club enjoyed a We laid a wreath in commemoration Thursday and Sunday each month on a rota’d on the wreck-site and representatives beat with up to two people fishing. The from Portland Museum told the story of Lawyer’s Fishing Club run by Nick Marshall the Abergavenny and the archaeological kindly administers this for us. Breakfast at work that began in the 1970s. They had Tylney Hall Hotel is worth a look, too. brought with them artefacts recovered The club’s flyfishing section offers a range from the wreck, including East India of fishing including chalkstream, starter days Company regimental cap badges, ingots on reservoirs and more serious reservoir and cloth seals bearing the company’s days, and trips to more far-flung fishing. We marks, a range of coins including rupees also get together in the club and elswehere minted by the company and imperial to tell wild stories about fish caught and Chinese cash. We were also shown missed. The Salmon & Trout Association some of the personal effects recovered dinner at the House of Lords clashes with The chairman Iain Wolsey fishing on the Loddon at including a pair of cufflinks believed to the club’s own grouse dinner. The flyfishing Stratfield Saye have belonged to John Wordsworth. section generally donates rods to SATA The homeward leg was not without auction, in aid of the Second Chance charity. In October, club member David Powell is incident, with the coastguard helicopter The flyfishing section’s autumn going tigerfishing on the Barose floodplains practising winching a crewman on to the programme includes flyfishing for sea bass of the Zambezi in western Zambia. ship’s deck while skilfully manoeuvring in Chichester Harbour; a day on Bewl Water Organised by Navigate Africa Safaris, it the helicopter in close to the masts. After in Kent on 5 September; 19 September sees is a five-night trip costing US$2,600 and a brief wave to the crowd the crewman us at the remarkable Dever Springs Fishery includes domestic charters, transfers, tented was winched off and, within minutes of in Hampshire; 10 October on the Elinor Trout accommodation, meals, local beverages and leaving, the helicopter was heading back Fishery near Kettering; and we plan winter 25 litres of fuel per day. out to undertake a real-life rescue off grayling on the Test at Wherwell on 21 The tiger fish(Hydrocynus vittatus) Exmouth. This was a thoroughly enjoyable November. All these days are organised by is Africa’s, if not the world’s, premier way to learn more about the company section chairman Peter Matthison. freshwater game fish. Toothy, muscular while experiencing, albeit briefly, the hard and streamlined, they have extraordinary work and nostalgic-pleasure of sailing on strength, speed and ferocity. It is not a tall ship. uncommon to land fish of between 10-20 lb, while tigers can grow to over 30lb. The best and most consistent period to tiger fish is between August and October when the waters have warmed up and the remaining flood waters are receding back into the main channels spilling in the last of the bait fish. The aim of flyfishing, someone once said, is to meet on the bank and walk in opposite directions. The club flyfishing section has a A brace of Loddon trout. Note the mink damage more convivial approach. Miller takes the helm of the Pelican

EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 19 Even the club’s traditional St George’s Day dinner had a

ST GEORGE’S DAY ST GEORGE’S Waterloo theme. Divided into the armies which took part in the battle, the four long tables in the Dining Room fought each other bravely ST GEORGE’S DAY DINNER

he St George’s Day dinner had its usual attributes: excellent food, T song and an inspiring performance The Duke of Wellington and Copenhagen by Alasdair Shaikh of Shakespeare’s Henry V, Act III, where King Henry is exhorting his troops to attack the city of Harfleur, which the English army held under siege. A mild anti French theme, then, and one that was fanned by the separation of the Left-right: Robert Boyle, Alasdair Shaikh and tables into different armies of the battle Paul Mawn of Waterloo. They were exhorted to make the sounds of their sections, groaning or whooping. There was rousing music from the period and the whole evening was held together admirably by our chairman and Peter Warwick of the New Waterloo Dispatch. By the time we had finished David Cartwright (left) and Sir Ken Knight singing Land of Hope & Glory, conducted by the excellent John Harle, we were ready to launch an assault on Calais. Dinner and song

Patrick Odenwalder (left) and James Lambert Nikolaj Serikoff and Sandip Basu Ron Collins

Field Marshal Viscount Hardinge was a Club portraits formidable soldier and statesman and is

by John-Richard Lloyd one of three governors-general of India to be portrayed in the club’s paintings. have always been struck by the While many of the paintings have been numerous paintings our club has on in the same place since they were first Idisplay and how often the plaques commissioned, some of those in the East beneath them reveal names and deeds India Room have been resituated in the of people from now untaught periods of last couple of years to accommodate the history. It was with this in mind that the portraits of the King of Oudh and of Queen Library Committee decided to organise a Victoria. Library Talk to share the history of some of The Smoking Room has many these club paintings with other members interesting paintings including three and guests. copies by the artist Frank O Salisbury Field Marshal Hardinge The talk began in the Dining Room, which ? who during his lifetime was very well has twelve paintings in total. All have the ? Some of the portrait subjects may seem patronised. The painting of Monty same dimensions, are painted in oil on obscure, such as that of Sir Bartle Frere, pointing to the Normandy beaches was canvas, set into the panelling, and are copies but when we are reminded of the sitters’ commissioned when he was stationed in of leading celebrities of the day, the originals exploits – in his case triggering the Zulu Berlin and he flew Salisbury out especially of which hang in the National Portrait Gallery War of 1879 and the resulting rout of Lord to Germany to paint him. and the National Army Museum among Chelmsford’s army and the subsequent There are plans to create a booklet to others. Rorke’s Drift many will recall their actions. catalogue the paintings in the club.

20 EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 LECTURE A tour de force, Rob Caskie kept members and guests spellbound as he explained how 100 able Welsh and English soldiers defended a hospital against 4,000 Zulu warriors RORKE’S DRIFT

erhaps the most famous of all the left full time work at the lodge to became a battlefields of KwaZulu is Rorke’s freelance speaker. P Drift. In a long night of high drama, Rob captured the drama of Rorke’s Drift; Matthew Saunders asking a question the battle was characterised by astonishing as he spoke, we could easily imagine the acts of bravery. The British forces’ desperate battle raging, and his answers to members’ defence, room by room, led to the award of questions were equally well informed. eleven VCs for bravery; more in this single military action than any other in history. Rob Caskie brought alive the personalities of the soldiers in ‘the theatre of the imagination’. Internationally known for his telling of this battle, Rob grew up on a dairy farm and studied agriculture. But his love of adventure saw him take off on long solo Rob signs a book for Professor Roger Benson motorbike journeys around southern Africa, and the adventurer Kingsley Holgate invited him to join the Afrika Odyssey Expedition in 1993 documenting their journeys along waterways from east Africa to Cairo. In the 1990s Rob worked in the Okavango Delta of Botswana with National Geographic making films and taking photographs. Rob Caskie The storyteller David Rattray invited Rob, who speaks fluent Zulu, to join his team The lecture took place in the Smoking Room at Fugitive’s Drift Lodge, which was fast becoming internationally famous for David’s brilliant accounts of the battles of Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana. Rob is always quick to give David credit for the powers of storytelling he has developed; and this is typical of a man who is humble and courteous. After David’s untimely death in 2007, Rob took over as lead guide at Fugitive’s Drift Lodge as well travelling to After dinner in the Dining Room, Rob took the UK and US as a guest lecturer. In 2011 he Rob and former club chairman Michael Bellegarde questions from members and guests

conclusion. James Dempsey, the maitre d’ to them. And at a members’ club, unlike Farewell James of the East India Club, is retiring after 50 a hotel, you can really get to know the years of working in hospitality, including 11 guests. Sláinte, Mr Dempsey. The club will by Kate Quill years at the club. He should have retired last not be quite the same without you. October when he turned 65, but the club he East India Club has always been asked him to stay until it found someone to a magnet for notable personalities, replace him. Men in Dempsey’s league are T and it is sad to lose one of its not easy to find. most loved. If you dine at the club, you will Retirement, says Dempsey, an elegant know the dapper silver fox who greets man with the vitality of a 20-year-old, brings customers warmly in the bar, and who glides mixed feelings. “I am a little nervous about around the Dining Room – his undisputed it,” he admits. “I’ve worked since I was 16, domain – ensuring everyone is happy. More 100 miles to the minute. I love the staff here importantly, he will know you. He will also and I will miss the members.” know where you like to sit, and with whom, The members, he says, are what has your preferred dish, how you like it cooked, made this job particularly special – and bear your taste in wine, and the exact moment in mind that Dempsey’s career has included when you need him to interrupt the post- years managing top restaurants at the Savoy prandial conversation and diplomatically and the Dorchester. “I love people,’”he says. hasten the meal towards its natural “It’s not an act, I genuinely love chatting James with a satisfied guest

EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 21 A consultant IT director and member of the club committee, target FTSE 100 top staff offering them ’emulation software’ that enabled them MEMBER PROFILE Robert has worked in all aspects of computers in the to download financial data from the City of London. He has a keen love of club life company mainframe systems to their new desktop PCs and perform “what If” scenario analysis using new technology MEMBER PROFILE spreadsheet and database applications. This was a time when companies were only slowly starting to move away from Robert Williams typewriters and ‘Wang’ word processing systems. “Today we would call it ‘Microsoft Office’,” he says. “At the time, they were ahead of the curve,” he says. “Within a few years, everyone was doing it.” Since just after Big Bang in 1987, Robert has worked in the City in the investment banking sector as a consultant and information technology director. He has primarily worked in delivering global trading system solutions for interest rate and foreign exchange derivative products and lists Swiss Bank Corporation, Deutsche Bank, Standard Bank and ABN Amro as some of the institutions with which he has worked. His observation about banks is that, since 2008, the primary focus has been implementing regulatory changes and cost containment. “The focus has been about putting their houses in order,” he says “and less around new product innovation.” He lives in East Horsley, Surrey with wife Julia, son Sebastian, 16, and daughter Charlie, 14. Robert enjoys shooting both game and clays, plays tennis and is a fair-weather sailor. For the last 10 years, he has been involved in coaching at Effingham & Leatherhead RFC and is chairman of junior and youth rugby. His son Sebastian, who is at St John’s School, Leatherhead, plays second row at the club for the U16s. Robert is a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, a freeman of the City of London and a member of the City Livery Yacht Club. Robert joined the East India Club in 1989, introduced by Sandy Morrison obert Williams joined the club to study computer science. and Bill Wells. “In those early days, I was committee in 2014. He felt that It was the era of the first home computers given the privilege of joining them to play R 25 years of and Robert recalls using BBC spoof in the corner table,” he says. “There membership was a Micros. It is a long-forgotten fact was always an interesting mix of guests, “reasonable amount of It’s a great place that the BBC made some of the including the great cricket all-rounder time” before his election. to meet up with first home computers. Keith Miller.” He adds: “I wanted to get “This was also the age of the It is the people part of the East India like-minded people involved and make sure the IBM PC and the real beginning of Club he likes the most. “It’s a great place to “ – friends and club continues the same Office Automation,” he says. meet up with like-minded people – friends values of friendship it has colleagues When Robert left university and colleagues. always had. We don’t want in 1984, he worked in what was And the staff – “as a club we have to lose our identity”. then a unique start up software company been so fortunate in the wonderful staff Robert was brought up in Guildford and, at in Borough Market. Founded by two former we have had look after us, long may it the age of 18, went to University in London ”Honeywell Directors, their idea was to continue,” he says.

22 EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 WINE

The club has an astonishing collection of ports held in cellars that extend under the Square. One of port’s top people, Amanda Lloyd gives her verdict PORT TASTING by Amanda Lloyd

Amanda explains the origins of port arly in March I was privileged to be able to conduct a tasting of a selection E of ports from the club’s cellars. My first glimpse into those hallowed vaults was when I first visited a few years ago. I have visited many fine cellars but I have to say my jaw dropped when I saw case after case of rare vintage stacked floor to ceiling. There were ports of of which we, as the producers, only have a few bottles left. So it is not difficult to imagine how thrilled I was to be able to Members and guests tried a variety of ports present some of them during the event. What a turn out. The room was packed. aromas from its long ageing. Club sommelier Eric had suggested I use a I must confess I did not notice the Amanda Lloyd: plaudits for our cellars microphone to make myself heard. I’m still not spittoons being used much when time sure if he was suggesting I have a timid voice the room and I took advantage of the mood came to empty the glasses and make room or perhaps that things might get rowdy. to press on with my slideshow. Using photos for the second flight of wines. At this point, I started with some background on both of the stunning Douro scenery, we went on the contents of many a glass was hastily the history of Port and Taylor’s, Fonseca and a journey from vine to glass, talking about knocked back, should there be a risk it Croft, the houses of the Fladgate Partnership, the region, the many grape varieties and might be whisked away. the port group for which I work. The first finishing with the different ageing methods. The second flight was even more flight was Croft Triple Crown, Fonseca Late We explored the steep terraces carved into animated. There were questions and Bottled Vintage (unfiltered) 2008, and a the hillsides and the traditional foot-treading discussions and all too soon we had Taylor’s 20-year-old tawny. method still used to extract the rich colours, swirled, sniffed and swallowed our way I was no further than explaining the map tannins and aromas from the grapes. through three great classic vintage ports; of the classified Douro Port Wine Region The course of this pictorial journey was Fonseca 1977, Taylor’s 1985 and Taylor’s of 1756 when I noticed fingers twitching interspersed with tasting the different 2007. I was fascinated to see that these compulsively towards the first glass. Clearly, I styles of port. The second was the LBV that were original labels on the bottles. The was not doing things in the correct order and presently features on the club’s wine list. The Vintage Ports had clearly been maturing a little refreshment was required before going wine is an altogether more complex port, since the year of their bottling in optimum any further. Duly I introduced the Croft Triple displaying notes of rich prunes, blackcurrant conditions in the club’s cellars. Crown. This straightforward ruby port swirled preserve, spice and dark bitter chocolate to What a privilege it was to participate around in glasses releasing delightful fresh name but a few. The last of the wood aged in the tasting and how fortunate the fruit aromas of raspberry and cassis. There ports was a Taylor’s 20 year-old tawny with members are to have access to such a rich was a general hum of appreciation around its mellowed fruits offset by spicy nutty cellar of fine vintage ports.

Warren Hastings, Governor General of India East India in 1774, again reorganised the postal system and opened it to the general public. A letter Stamps of 2 ½ tola weight cost 2 annas for every by Pradip Jain 100 miles. During the first four decades of the 19th century, the post spread almost all he East India Company brought over the company’s domain. The East India a systematic and regular postal Company issued its first stamp in India on 1 T service to large parts of the Sub October 1854, with the Queen’s image and Continent. By 1688, the company had in four denominations: half anna, 1 anna, 2 established its activities in Calcutta, Bombay annas and 4 annas. In 1856, a new design and Madras and these increased activities for stamps, with in an oval of the company created the necessity for vignette inside a rectangular frame, was a regular exchange of correspondence inscribed ‘East India Postage’. These stamps between these trading centres. In 1688 were printed by De La Rue in England, which Pradip Jain of the Tollygunge Club kindly presented the club with East India Company the company opened its first Post Office in produced all the subsequent issues of British postage stamps, now framed and on display in Bombay followed by Calcutta and Madras. India until 1925. the club.

EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 23 STAFF

Rodolfo, universally known as Rudi, has been working in the would like to be a catering assistant at the club’s kitchen for 13 years and is now senior chef de partie. Hotel Russell, then owned by Forte Hotels. He said: “I don’t mind...” – and next thing His speciality, he says, is fish he knew he had left the catering business and was working at the Russell. Rudi stayed there until the late 1990s, STAFF PROFILE where he rose to become chef de partie. In the ‘brigade’ system of kitchen jobs, chef de partie comes under sous chef, which is Rodolfo Carino second in command to chef de cuisine. A chef de partie is in charge of commis chefs. Rudi went back to the Philippines for a few years and met his wife Salome there through friends. His eldest son was born there. In 2002, he took a job in the kitchen of the East India Club and he is now senior chef de partie, working Fridays to Sundays. He and his wife have three children, and he splits childcare with his wife, who works as a nurse from Monday to Wednesday. Ryan is 14, Khristine is about to be 12 and Justine is about to be eight years old. The Carinos live in Woodford Green and the children go to St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School in Gants Hill. Thursday is Rudi and Salome’s day off. “We tend to spend it doing babysitting and,” he says (of course), “cooking. I go to the gym sometimes.” Rudi enjoys working at the club. It is the longest job of his career to date. He especially likes working there because, “It is not owned by people who want to make money”. He likes the members he meets and feels part of a strong team of staff, not just in the kitchen but in the club as a whole. Rudi’s working day starts at 9am and ends at 10.30pm. “You get used to the hours,” he says. “We work on the menus we are given. The kitchen gets busy, not just from the Dining Room but when we look after the banqueting and the many events that the club holds.” As senior chef de partie, he works with the commis chefs. “I take the pressure off,” he says. “I have knowledge of all aspects of cookery – vegetables, the larder, sauces. t is the smile that Born and brought up in a You need to know all the sections.“ hits you first. Rudi’s rural province in the Philippines, So, what is his speciality? Rudi is I smile is infectious I love cooking. I once Rodolfo (better known as Rudi) particularly fond of cooking fish. and charming. However, tried to get away first came to the UK aged 10 in “I’m good at it,” he says simply, then working out of sight of 1980. His family lived in Forest adds: “I am not so good at desserts.” from it but I keep members behind the swing Gate, they were all cooks and The Carino family is still very much in “ coming back. It is in doors of the kitchen, it is ran a kitchen business, he says. the catering businiess. Rudi’s brother is a the hands that create some the blood Rudi studied business and chef in San Diego, Cailfornia. of the wonderful dishes finance. He started working with “I love cooking,” says Rudi. “I once tried members are served in the Dining Room, for his mother in a catering business. Soon he to get away from it, but I keep coming which Rudy is best known – and has been was to find himself drawn back to cookery. back. It is in the blood.” known these past 13 years. ” One day in 1989 , someone asked if he And, he says: “This is a safe job.”

24 EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 SECRETARY time in housekeeping as a cleaner looking A WORD FROM THE SECRETARY after the staff areas, the gym, the New York by Alex Bray Room and the Billiards Room, which in more recent times saw him brush and block the n intense commitment on the project’s elements. And tables on a daily basis to assist the tables’ few months boy, were there a lot of elements. A most performance. A finalising the ambitious and far reaching commemoration Sub Dean of Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal club’s involvement has been successfully delivered by the Bill Scott retired in May and we had the in the Waterloo Trustees of Waterloo200 and the sub- chance to say thank you. Bill carried on the commemorations in committee of the New Waterloo Dispatch. welcome afforded to our members, especially June was the highlight Congratulations to all involved. at Christmas time for Advent Carols. We of the club’s immersion After a two week handover with our new remember with great fondness Gerry Murphy in the Waterloo story over the last few maître d’, James Dempsey has retired after 11 who as former chaplain to the club made the years which started with the club becoming years at the club to enjoy his golf, cigars and Chapels Royal connections for us at St James’s a founder member of the Waterloo200 grandchildren. The club wishes James and his Palace and the Tower. The Revd Canon Paul charity. Subsequently we occupied a seat wife Caroline great happiness in retirement Wright succeeds Bill as Sub Dean. specifically on The New Waterloo Dispatch and recognised James with a suitable send- committee which was a window on to all the off and by passing on the many personal arrangements being put in place. It has been tributes from members who have appreciated New sword remarkable. A broad committee of particular his care and attention over the years. skills and knowledge was accumulated by the We welcome Petar as our new maitre d’. dispatch committee chairman Peter Warwick, Petar has the right skills, dedication and whose vision and animation for what could be understanding for our club and I am sure he achieved was infectious. will do very well with us. He inherits a well ember Chris Jones has kindly All those who give their commitment to drilled brigade and a busy Dining Room, and donated a scarce East India work on voluntary/charitable projects will we look for more of the same under Petar’s M Company sword from the first half understand the highs and lows of progress management. of the 19th century. A 30in blade designed but know also of the steely determination We also wished Nanding a happy for both thrusting and slashing, with a disk to deliver on the aims. This has been retirement after 25 years with the club, shaped pommel, the blade is marked with a palpable from the group involved who have initially in the kitchen, before a brief stint in triangle touch mark with EIC on the points worked with single minded enthusiasm and the Dining Room before the majority of his and a Sanskrit word. East India Club Wine Order Form

ORDER THESE WINES FROM OUR WINE ORDER THESE WINES MERCHANT FOR HOME DELIVERY FROM THE ACCOUNTS OFFICE FOR PAYMENT Wine per case of 12 bottles Totals I enclose a cheque payable to Davy’s AND COLLECTION Club Champagne / £137.50 for 6 for £ FROM THE CLUB Club white / £129 OR Club white Burgundy / £151 I authorise you to debit my Wines and spirits per case of 12 bottles Mastercard/Visa/Maestro by Club claret £119 Club red (de Ciffre) / £138 Club white £119 Club claret / £129 £ Club red (de Ciffre) £128 Card no Club white Burgundy £141 Club Champagne (per case of 6) £132.50 GRAND TOTAL Club Cognac VSOP per 70cl bottle £43.50 Name Issue no Membership no Expiry date Address Wine gift box Three East India Club wines in Postcode presenta- tion Daytime telephone Please send your order with credit box – club claret, card details or cheque to: Special delivery instructions club white Davy’s and 161-165 Greenwich High Road, club white Greenwich, London, SE10 8JA Burgundy. Tel: 020 8858 6011 £41.25 Fax: 020 8853 3331

Email: [email protected] Not chargeable to account. Card with handling All prices include VAT Website: www.davy.co.uk fee, cash or cheque.

EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 25 HISTORY A member’s visit to Lucknow took him to a school which still commemorates the siege of the Residency during the Indian Mutiny. He tells its story LUCKNOW

East India Company connections

Memorial to Henry Lawrence by Joss Bassett Company. Working for the British proved to s you may know, Lucknow became be his making and he became a wealthy man famous through the successful stand from casting cannons for the EIC. A of the British Residency against four The school has the usual battle honour and a half months of continuous siege and roll for students and staff who served in both bombardment during the Indian Mutiny of World Wars and also has one for those who 1758. The result of this was the creation of served in the defence of the British Residency the and the dramatic scaling back in 1857. When the mutiny broke out, Sir of the East India Company, finally wound Henry Havelock quickly had all the British in up in 1874. What I didn’t realise was how Lucknow moved to the grounds of the 33 much more there is in Lucknow of interest in acre estate of the Residency for shelter. In all relation to the EIC and just how many of the some 3,000 took refuge there. people whose portraits hang in the club are Today the Residency is preserved just as tied to the events of the city. it was left following the Mutiny. It was first During the siege Sir Henry Lawrence A bust of preserved by the British and was the only was hit by a sniper’s bullet and died in the Martin place where the Union Flag permanently flew doctor’s house where today a marble plaque at full mast, doing so as a tribute to those commemorates his death. Sir Henry Havelock, Lucknow is one of a few cities where old who bravely succeeded in defending it. Now it whose portrait is in the Dining Room also colonial style buildings exist in abundance. is maintained by the Indians as an important died there in 1857. On three occasions he I was taken to a private boarding school site that marks what they refer to as the First attempted to lift the siege and was finally called La Martinière College, a strange place Indian War of Independence. successful on the third try. to be taken and one I had no real interest in seeing. However, my visit there quickly proved to be the most interesting part of my Claude Martin’s stay in the city. The school was founded in School an old French style building on the death of the building’s owner and in accordance with his Will. This individual was a Frenchman named Claude Martin. Born in 1735, he left his birthplace of Lyon at 17 to join the French East India Company but, realising his lack of advancement prospects, left and headed A Martin cannon used at Seringapatam to Calcutta to join the British East India

more pleasure: hunt the thimble. Players A message from the Pigeon Loft (mostly pigeon lofters – who else possesses the tenacity and physical stamina required?) by Alan Taylor gather outside in the corridor while someone ummer is upon us and the pigeon needs games involving physical activity. With – sworn to secrecy – enters the Smoking lofter has wasted no time in making this in mind he approaches other members to Room and hides the thimble. He is soon Sfull use of it. He is seen dashing join him with the question: “Are you a tiddler?” followed by the participants and the hunt off into the garden to play ‘tag’ with other The confusion this may cause is soon begins. Members will be asked to stand up members or enjoying ‘hop, skip and jump’ cleared up: it is only his way of asking them while their chair is searched or at the very sessions on our stretch of pavement. if they play tiddlywinks. Before long every least to move their feet or take off their Alas it is not all sunshine and rain drives us spare table will be occupied by enthusiastic shoes. But any slight inconvenience is worth back into the club more often than we would participants who shout with joy whenever it when, say, a pigeon lofter removes his head like. But there are compensations. One of they hear the plastic disc landing in the bowl from under an armchair and triumphantly these is a quiet game of chess in the Smoking with resounding ‘ping’. holds up the thimble. He grins from ear to ear Room. Although intellectually challenging, If tiddlywinks is a firm favourite, there is despite scratches on his face and tousled hair. it does not satisfy for long; the pigeon lofter still one game that gives the pigeon lofter If there is enough hair to tousle, that is.

26 EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 PL Freccero Esq DA Randall Esq W Sweeney Esq New members JWR Goulding Esq GJ Rawlings Esq PML Uprichard Esq NEW MEMBERS The club welcomes the following: J Howell Esq RR Reeves Esq MF Urry Esq O Ahmed Esq BA Cooper Esq JH Jackson Esq WJP Richards Esq JPNK Van Lare Esq PS Alexander Esq J Coustaury Esq JBM Jones Esq RD Robinson Esq AJ Watson Esq DLS Baldi Esq D Crawley Esq DR Kelsey Esq ID Sayers Esq RJ Wilmont Esq MBE MJ Barnes Esq K Crowe Esq ASW Kingsnorth Esq D Shaw Esq J Wood Esq JD Barry Esq FN David Esq R Kishor Esq GA Sherriff Esq Captain LJ Woodward RF Browne Esq JP Ellis Esq CP Kleineidam Esq GG Smith Esq CA Wraith Esq RJ Bush Esq C Elmastas Esq RPJ Lamberth Esq JSW Sparrow Esq BJ Wrench Esq P Christodoulou Esq AG Fairservice Esq A Perkins Esq MR Sutherland Esq J Yau Esq DA Cook Esq M Fisher Esq RJ Pugh Esq AC Sweeney Esq Dr R van der Star

R James Esq SJ Park Esq EJ Youel Esq New J7 members Malvern College Dulwich College Loughborough Grammar Sch The club welcomes the following: AJ Jeffrey Esq MJNR Paspaley Esq AOP ter Kuile Esq A Adebiyi Esq HM Dickie Esq Tonbridge School Malvern College Malvern College Winchester College Dulwich College BW Jeffries Esq AN Preston Esq ED Baker Esq F Douthwaite Esq Tonbridge School Liverpool College Tonbridge School Victoria College ADD Johnston Esq JLK Reich Esq Deceased A Balalau Esq WHB Dunphy Esq Dulwich College Wells Cathedral School It is with regret we announce Framlingham College King’s College Auckland JH Kim Esq C Rintoul Esq the deaths of the following EJ Barden Esq J Elliott Esq Winchester College Oratory School members St Edmund’s School Cant Warwick School A King Esq AJ Robinson Esq PS Barry Esq D Barnes Esq PE Fady Esq Malvern College Oldham Hulme Grammar JF Holden Esq Tonbridge School St Paul’s School School MB Hurley Esq K Klammert Esq CF Lepper Esq E Barrett Esq WTE Foulkes Esq Haileybury BZT Smith Esq Haileybury Dean Close School St Bede’s School C Ragg Esq O Knight Esq RE Salter Esq R Bernath Esq CD Furby Esq Charterhouse OTS Smith Esq Doctor LT Shields Eton College Exeter School Monmouth School TKS Lau Esq J Blumberg Esq A Gaskell Esq EJR Sutcliffe Esq Magdalen College School Abingdon School Haileybury Uppingham School Gone away We have lost contact with J Mahon Esq LO Bourke Costello Esq G Geddes Esq CHD Tam Esq the following, who may have Radley College St Bedes’s College Berkhamsted School Winchester College moved without giving the FJ Mark Esq club their new addresses. If RJ Brumpton Esq L Genghini Esq W Temple Esq Bradfield College you know where to contact Rugby School Malvern College Reading Blue Coat School them, please let the secretary’s G Maxted Esq MKY Chui Esq J Goves Esq J Thorn Esq office know or ask them to get St Albans School Winchester College Abingdon School Rugby School in touch: P McNamara Esq V Cocchi Esq O Gregory Esq NR Tolner Esq JAS Barnett Esq Westminster School Dulwich College Caterham School Mill Hill School NE Beaves Esq TH Bennett Esq AT Correya Esq JWO Halliday Esq J Minien Esq DGC Toomer Esq J Bernstein Esq Blundell’s School Shrewsbury School Oratory School Marlborough College Mrs M Bernstein A Cromie Esq DJS Hamlyn Esq CAS Mitchell Esq M Weaver Esq B Fenner Esq Solihull School King’s School (Canterbury) Leys School Charterhouse JJ Hempel Esq AJ Hogan Esq NP Czech Esq G Hamlyn Esq MD Molnar Esq B Wiegman Esq FS Lamb Esq Malvern College King’s School (Canterbury) Magdalen College School Rugby School E Lawton Esq NW Daley Esq T Harvey-Scholes Esq JJD Morris Esq T Wiegman Esq JE Lennard Esq Marlborough College Shrewsbury School Eton College Rugby School PW Littman Esq Miss A Livesey J O’Leary Esq G Davey Esq KC Hodcroft Esq MRJ Wood Esq WP Merriam Esq Oakham School Newcastle Royal Grammar Pate’s Grammar School Dulwich College SLA Moss Esq EMG David Esq M Lovino Esq JF O’Sullivan Esq A Yelland Esq DHM Ng Esq Harrow School Dulwich College St George’s College Lancing College PH Williams Esq

says Paul. “I got suspicious when I couldn’t Corrections find him in our Tonbridge School Register, so then I tried Who Was Who,” he writes. aul Thompson points out some “There it says ‘Blackheath School and Eton errors in our captioning of the House, Tonbridge’. Eton House wasn’t P picture of signatures on page 8 of anything to do with Tonbridge School: it the last issue, which show pencil sketches was a private crammer’s establishment, from Ormond Blyth’s autograph book which happened to be in the town of Offending autographs (pictured). It should read: Artists, HRH Tonbridge! Young Durand can’t have done the Duke of York (later HM King George created a peer and chose the title ‘Beresford’. well enough at Blackheath to progress to V), his brother-in-law Prince Adolphus Also on page 8, the drawing includes his next stage, so was sent to a crammer to of Teck (later Marquess of Cambridge), one man of real distinction, although it just do the job.” Rear-Admiral Lord Charles Beresford (later says ‘J Chuter Ede MP’, in 1946 he was Home On page 12, Napier was born in 1782, Admiral Lord Beresford). Secretary. not 1772. Finally, Major-General Sir Evelyn He was Lord Charles because his father On page 11, Sir Henry Mortimer Durand was Webb-Carter says we mistook Field Marshal was a Marquess; later in life he was himself actually not educated at Tonbridge School, Sir Evelyn Wood for Henry Wood.

EAST & WEST – SUMMER 2015 27 Reciprocal clubs

The East India welcomes members of BERMUDA PAKISTAN other clubs from all over the world, Tucker’s Town Mid-Ocean Club Karachi Sind Club who may use the club’s facilities as if Islamabad Islamabad Club CANADA they were their own. A reciprocal SRI LANKA ] arrangement has been made for Montreal James’s Club Colombo Colombo Club University Club members to visit these clubs when a Nuwara Eliya Hill Club card of introduction, obtainable from Toronto National Club SINGAPORE the club secretary, is required. These University Club of Toronto Singapore Tanglin Club clubs have all been chosen for their Albany Club suitability for our members but have SOUTH KOREA different facilities. Vancouver Terminal City Club Seoul ] Seoul Club Vancouver Club UK If you are going to visit any of them, Victoria, BC Union Club of Belfast ] Ulster we suggest you telephone first and British Columbia Edinburgh New Club find out about them. Let us have your ] Union Club, St John Royal Scots Club views on your visits and tell us if you Glasgow Western Club EUROPE have found other clubs with whom we Henley on Thames Phyllis Court Club should enter into reciprocal Barcelona Círculo Ecuestre Liverpool ] Athenaeum Club arrangements or if one of these, in Bilbao Sociedad Bilbaina London ] City of London Club your opinion, is no longer suitable. ] ]] Hurlingham Club Brussels ] Cercle Royal Gaulois (membership card and Dublin Stephen’s Green Hibernian Club photo ID is essential ) Newcastle Northern Counties Club AFRICA Frankfurt Union International Club upon Tyne SOUTH AFRICA Gothenburg ] Royal Bachelors’ Club Perth Royal Perth Golfing Society & County and City Club Cape Town Cape Town Club Guernsey ] United Club USA Durban Durban Club The Hague ] Nieuwe of Literaire Societeit Albany, NY Fort Orange Club de Witte Johannesburg Country Club of Berkeley, CA Berkeley City Club Hamburg ] Anglo-German Club Johannesburg Boston, MA Algonquin Club Rand Club Helsinki ] Svenska Klubben Harvard Club Union Club Kimberley Kimberley Club Luxembourg ] Cercle Munster Bethesda, MD Kenwood Golf & Pietermaritzburg Victoria Country Club Madrid ] Financiero Génova Country Club Polokwane Pietersburg Club ] Real Sociedad Española Cincinnati, OH Queen City Club Chicago, IL Chicago Athletic Association Port Elizabeth Port Elizabeth St George’s Club Club de Campo Standard Club Oporto Oporto Cricket and Lawn Union League Club KENYA Tennis Club Detroit, IL Athletic Club Nairobi Muthaiga Country Club Paris ] Cercle de l’Union Interalliée Mountain Lake, FL Mountain Lake Osterville, MA Wianno Club ZIMBABWE Stockholm ] Sällskapet (open May-Nov) Bulawayo Bulawayo Club HONG KONG Minneapolis, MN Minneapolis Club Harare ] County Club New York, NY Princeton Club Hong Kong ] Hong Kong Club Harare Club Lotos Club ] Hong Kong Cricket Club Metropolitan Club AUSTRALIA Union League Club INDIA Norfolk, VA Norfolk Yacht Adelaide Adelaide Club Calcutta Tollygunge Club & Country Club Naval, Military and Air Force Philadelphia, PA Union League Club Club of Adelaide Mumbai Royal Bombay Yacht Club Phoenix, AZ ] University Club Public Schools’ Club Golden Swan San Francisco, CA Marines’ Memorial Association Brisbane Queensland Club JAPAN University Club Tattersall’s Club St Louis, MO Racquet Club Tokyo Tokyo American Club Canberra Commonwealth Club Seattle, WA Rainier Club MIDDLE EAST Fort Worth, TX Fort Worth Club Hobart Tasmanian Club Bahrain ] British Club Richmond, VA Bull & Bear Club Launceston Launceston Club Washington DC Army & Navy Club Dubai ] Capital Club Melbourne Athenaeum Club Cosmos Club University Club Australian Club NEW ZEALAND Melbourne Club Auckland Northern Club ] Accommodation not available ]] Christchurch Canterbury Club Sports facilities not available Newcastle Newcastle Club Christchurch Club Members are reminded that the production of a Perth ] Western Australian Club current membership card and photo ID is essential Dunedin Dunedin Club Weld Club when visiting . Our reciprocal clubs Sydney Union, University & Napier Hawke’s Bay Club usually require an introductory card which may be Schools’ Club Wellington Wellington Club obtained from the secretary’s office.