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 very humorous reply to which I responded initially by drenching poor Tim in a glass of water - he was very kind about it ( sorry Tim !). I was very pleased to show off the newly found Livery Grant of Arms and Letters Patent which have been missing for many years - our Clerk tenaciously sought them out , and the new Immediate Past Master , Chris Allen , and his IPM , Mark Gower-Smith have funded a beautiful representation 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 .
Churchill at Yalta with Roosevelt , Stalin and cigar , 1945
In contrast , Winston Churchill enjoyed a great cigar , and made sure everyone knew it . This year , a halfsmoked Cuban cigar that Churchill didn ’ t finish in 1941 came up for auction . The great man had left it in an ashtray on board HMS Duke of York while on a critical mission to the USA . It was picked up by the ship ’ s chaplain , the Rev Robert Evans , and carefully preserved by his family for 77 years . At auction in Shropshire in May 2018 , this extraordinary relic fetched £ 2,600 .
After the links between smoking and disease gained acceptance in the 1950s and 60s , some brave efforts were made to launch alternative products . One was a no-tobacco , no-nicotine cigarette called Bravo , launched in the USA in 1965 . It didn ’ t do well – perhaps because it was made of lettuce . One reviewer is said to have reported : “ It ' s like smoking old socks ”.
Whilst all this was going on , apparently biblicalstyle 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 Sadly , emblazoned the Bravo guys on seem it . Several to have of been us also chasing sported a the limited wrong edition goal by Livery trying Smoking to preserve hat smoking - originally while conceived eliminating as nicotine a sort of . Today shooting ’ s innovators hat , it serves believe its it ’ s purpose not the nicotine so well you as a should “ team ” eliminate hat , that ; of the the idea twenty is to let ordered smokers , get but ( relatively one remained harmless by the ) low close doses of of the nicotine day ! , Thank without you the to harmful the Master effects Mariners of inhaling for smoke allowing from us the use burning of the herbs venue . We , to ’ ve Tim come for a being long way a perfect since Pliny Principal the Guest Elder thought , and for inhaling everyone smoke attending could and cure giving coughs my . year such a special start .
Fran Morrison The Liveryman Master
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