Annual Banquet

6th November 2023

Mansion House

Pageantry, splendour, heraldry are words befitting a Coronation or Dinner with the King and Queen, yet all were evident at Mansion House on November 6th when our Company held the last official dinner in the Egyptian Hall while Nicholas Lyons was Lord Mayor and Felicity Lyons our Lady Mayoress. Our Members and Guests were greeted by the Pikemen and Musketeers, including a favourite who is also a member of the Irish Guards Association. Their uniforms glistened and the drums rolled as representatives from Belgium, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Majorca, Romania, Switzerland the UAE, Ukraine and the United States as well as the United Kingdom united to make the evening magical. Members of the Company and their guests soaked in the ambience of the glorious Egyptian Room and breathed in the floral centrepieces. The candelabras flicker was so real that the Lord Mayor had to remind me that they weren’t! Past Master, Fiona Adler left no stone unturned as she researched and delivered a fascinating speech about my fellow Masters and Principal Guest, Dr David O’Reilly. I heard audible sighs of relief as each introduction was finished, with several commenting that our famous Past Master and Non Aldermanic Sheriff, Wingman to Past Aldermanic Sheriff, Tim Hailes and now the Secondary in the City of London, knew so much more and they were let off lightly. I suggest that my valued mentor should write a book one day….. Dr David O’Reilly, recently retired as a Board Director from BAT and still working with BAT on the Board of Kentucky Biotech gave a lovely speech where he discussed the Global Tobacco Nicotine Forum (GTNF) that we founded together. His generosity brought tears to my eyes. The Lord Mayor in his address reminded us that this would be his last in his capacity as Lord Mayor and actually made a reference to one of my blogs, something that never ceases to amaze me! I was delighted that after so many meals, engagements and receptions in the glorious Egyptian Room, the Lord Mayor had never before been heralded by the trumpeters before a speech: a lovely touch and lasting memory. In addition to heralding the speakers, the trumpeters played magnificently and closed with their most notable piece. It was an exhilarating evening marked by the Loving Cup and the passing of snuff. An added touch for the benefit of our global guests was an official passing of the snuff on the head table. As this Banquet marked the end of the Coronation year, I commissioned a Coronation pipe for all our Members and Guests to take home. The pipe was made by apprentice, Oliver Meeson, who was in attendance and received a hearty welcome. While I shall never forget this momentous highlight of my year as Master, I shall include the speeches if they were shared with me. May they serve as a lasting memory of our Company’s White Tie Banquet, an extraordinary year and to everyone who contributed.