The Livery Newsletter and Gazette Issue 29 Summer 2018 | Page 37

The lunch was deliciously catered by Mark Grove
and his team at Cook & Butler and we cracked
along at a goodly pace. Our guests were admirably
introduced by Liveryman Fran Morrison and our
Principal Guest, Tim Wonnacott gave a generous and
Peter the Great in 1698
very humorous reply to which I responded initially
After Peter the Great
got sole control
of Russia’s
throne
in 1696,
by drenching
poor Tim
in a glass
of water
- he was
he decided, like very
James kind
I in about
the UK,
that
it
was
smarter
to
cash
in.
it (sorry Tim!). I was very pleased
He revoked the Russian
(he newly
also abolished
the Patriarchy
to show ban
off the
found Livery
Grant of of
Arms
Moscow, which and
had Letters
imposed Patent
the ban,
to
boot)
and
copied
the
UK’s
which have been missing for
many
royal monopoly. years
He licensed
an English
company
to import
1.5 and
- our Clerk
tenaciously
sought
them out,
million pounds the
of tobacco
a year, from
which
he raked
the then-
new Immediate
Past
Master,
Chris off
Allen,
and his
astronomical sum
of
£28,000
annually.
IPM, Mark Gower-Smith have funded a beautiful re-
presentation and they are now resplendent in frames
carved with tobacco leaves (or close to); Sandra also
located a huge banner not seen since 1985 and Angus
Menzies, Clerk to the Master Mariners and never shy
of a challenge saw to it that it was displayed on the
Quarterdeck.
East India Company official with hookah, c.1760
When the British arrived in India, some Brit sahibs
took to the water pipes used for smoking tobacco in
India, a style of smoking that later spread to the Middle
East. Some British officials even employed a servant
called a burdar, whose sole job was to tend to his boss’s
hookah.
In the 20th century, Nazi Germany was the first
government to wage major anti-tobacco campaigns,
with bans on smoking in many public places,
thumping taxes and advertising restrictions. The term
‘passive smoking’ (passivrauchen) was coined in Nazi
Germany. There were some genuine health concerns,
but this was largely driven by the Nazi obsession with
the ‘master race’. Hitler ranted that smoking was
"decadent” and "the wrath of the Red Man against the
White Man, vengeance for having been given hard
liquor”. (Enough said, Adolf. Glad you’ve gone from
the face of the earth.)
Whilst all this was going on, apparently biblical-
style downpours were being had all over London
- oblivious to all that drama we ended our lunch
and trooped back to the quarterdeck where Coffee,
Cigars, and Cognac awaited us (I did mention that
our Livery enjoyed dining on the High C’s..) and
which seemed to hit the mark – Liveryman Jemma
Freeman had kindly provided the torpedo cigars
and had had them placed in souvenir tubes with our
Crest emblazoned on it. Several of us also sported
a limited edition Livery Smoking hat - originally
conceived as a sort of shooting hat, it serves its
purpose so well as a “team” hat, that of the twenty
ordered, but one remained by the close of the day!
Thank you to the Master Mariners for allowing us the
use of the venue, to Tim for being a perfect Principal
Guest, and for everyone attending and giving my
year such a special start.
The Master
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