T H E J O U R N A L O F T H E E A S T I N D I A C L U B

T H E
J O U R N A L
Issue number 81
December 2011
O F
T H E
E A S T
I N D I A
C L U B
The East India
Club directory
The East India Club
16 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4LH
Telephone: 020 7930 1000
Fax: 020 7321 0217
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.eastindiaclub.co.uk
DINING ROOM
Breakfast
Monday to Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Gift suggestions from
the secretary’s office
12.30pm-2.30pm
12.30pm-2.30pm
12.30pm-2.30pm
(jazz until 4pm)
Dinner
Monday to Saturday
Sundays (light supper)
6.30pm-9.30pm
6.30pm-8.30pm
Club ties
Silk woven tie in club
colours. £19.50
Cut glass tumbler
Engraved with club crest.
£25.75
BOOKS & CDs
Club bow ties
Tie your own and,
for emergencies,
clip on. £19.50
Table reservations should be made with the Front
Desk or the Dining Room and will only be held for 15
minutes after the booked time.
AMERICAN BAR
Monday to Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Square tumbler
Engraved with club crest.
£18.50
ATTIRE
6.45am-10am
7.15am-10am
8am-10am
Lunch
Monday to Friday
Saturday (light lunch) Sunday (buffet)
11.30am-11pm
11.30am-3pm
& 5.30pm-11pm
noon-4pm
& 6.30pm-10pm
TUMBLERS
Cufflinks
Enamelled cufflinks
with club crest,
chain or bar. £24.50
Drinks can be obtained in the Waterloo Room from
Monday to Sunday. Members resident at the club
can obtain drinks from the hall porter after the bar has
closed.
The East India Club
– A History
by Charlie Jacoby.
An up-to-date look at the
characters who have made up
the East India Club. £20
Club song
Awake! Awake!
A recording of the club
song from the 2009 St
George’s Day dinner. £5
OTHER ITEMS
Chocolates
Chocolate mint slims, also available
from the American Bar
and the Waterloo
Room. £4.75 per box
BILLIARDS ROOM
Open to members from 9am to midnight.
Pass keys will not be issued after 11pm.
GYMNASIUM
Open to members from 6am to 10pm.
Suitable attire must be worn.
SMOKING ROOM & WATERLOO ROOM
Service from 9am to 10.30pm.
BEDROOM CHARGE
Includes early morning tea, newspaper, English breakfast and VAT. All bedrooms are non smoking.
Club waistcoats
£160
Members
Single with bathroom
£99 (£60*)
Single with shower
£85 (£51*)
Single without facilities
£69 (£42*)
Double or twin room for single occupancy
£135
Double or twin room for double occupancy £151
St James’s Suite
£251
GOLF
Titleist golf balls
Bearing club crest.
£29 per dozen
Reciprocal members & guests
Single with bathroom
£129 (£78*)
Single with shower
£112 (£68*)
Double or twin room for single occupancy
£153
Double or twin room for double occupancy £177
St James’s Suite
£277
Blazer buttons
Double breasted. £40.50
Single breasted. £26.50
* Special rate on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and bank
holidays
MEMBERSHIP CARDS
Members are required to carry their membership
cards at all times when visiting the club.
It is essential that they are produced when
signing for charges to accounts.
V-necked jumpers
Lambswool V-necked navy and burgundy
jumpers also available. £46.50
Club print
A picture of the
clubhouse on a
typical London
early evening
£61.50
2
Club shield
£61.50
Club blazers
£275/£325 (navy) £325 (sports).
Notify the secretary of your interest
Golf tees
Tin of  ‘personalised’
East India golf tees.
£7.75
Golf umbrellas
Made in club
colours of silver, blue
and red. £17
Post and packing on all these items from £3
CLUB WINE:
See page 17 for details
Club diary
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
JANUARY 2011
12 January Wine tasting for beginners
19 January Burns’ night
FEBRUARY
3 February Casino evening
8 February Gourmet dinner
16 February Canadian Room anniversary
dinner
24 February Rugby International lunch
(England vs Wales)
MARCH
9 March Young members’ dinner
16 March Rugby International lunch
(England vs Ireland)
15 March Olympics dinner
APRIL
6-9 April Easter, no lunch or dinner
7 April Boat Race at Auriol Kensington
23 April St George’s day dinner
MAY
7 May May Bank Holiday, no lunch or
dinner
9 May AGM
Over bank holiday Mondays, bars and
catering are closed from 4pm on the Sunday
of the bank holiday weekend and all day
Monday. Accommodation and continental
breakfast remains available. For the Easter
weekend bars and catering close after dinner
on the Thursday night going in to the
Easter weekend and reopen on the following
Tuesday. Accommodation and continental
breakfast remains available. Christmas
closure – the club is closed from 4pm on 23
December and reopens at 9am on 3 January
2012.
East & West
Editor: Charlie Jacoby
07850 195353 [email protected]
Designer: Chris Haddon
01279 422219 [email protected]
Photography: Charlie Jacoby, Alex Bray, Leslie Woit
Sub-editor: Cicely Drewe
Printed by: Stephens & George
Published on behalf of The East India Club by
Charlie Jacoby, c/o The East India Club
www.charliejacoby.com
Cover photo: new print of the clubhouse
David Cartwright at a club event
C
hristmas is fast approaching and our club will, as usual, be buzzing with activity, with
a variety of events to whet members’ appetites. Of course, there are the annual club
functions such as the Winter Party, the Carol Concert and Advent Carols at the Royal
Chapel in St James’s Palace (all of which, at the time of writing, are fully booked). However, it
is also an extremely busy time for our main Dining Room. In this regard, may I ask that if you
are planning a private luncheon or dinner in the run up to Christmas, you book early to avoid
disappointment. If you do book a table and you find yourself in the position of having to cancel
your arrangements, it would be most helpful if you could remember to give James in the Dining
Room as much notice as possible.
It has been a busy autumn for the club. The Grouse Dinner, the Library Lecture and Dinner,
and our Harvest Festival at the Tower of London were all most successful and enjoyable, although
I am not sure the subject matter for the Library Lecture (‘Surgery on board ship during the battle
of Trafalgar’) could be described as enjoyable! It was certainly enthralling and I should like to place
on record our thanks to Michael Crumplin for a splendid lecture.
The Lord Mayor’s Luncheon in September and the House Dinner in November were both
sell-out events, with an unprecedented number of members disappointed at not being able to
secure tickets. To avoid this happening in the future, the main committee has decided to limit
the number of guests a member may bring to each of these two functions and also the St George’s
Day Dinner. This seemed to be the only way to resolve this problem as it is not possible to increase
the seating capacity of our main Dining Room. It is hoped that this will not overly inconvenience
anyone, but it was felt appropriate.
Finally, in this season of goodwill, may I remind you of the importance of remembering our
loyal and hard-working staff. They work tirelessly throughout the year for our benefit and I trust
that you will take the opportunity to support generously our staff fund, particularly in this period
of economic difficulty.
May I wish you all the compliments of the season.
David Cartwright, Chairman
3
Backgammon
Club vs RAC
T
he RAC kindly invited the club
to put together a team to enjoy an
evening of the game on Pall Mall.
Accompanied by a good curry supper, more
than a dozen backgammon enthusiasts played
each other.
Organised from the East India end by
David Brace, it ended in victory for the RAC –
but man-of-the-match went to Eastindiaman
Alastair Evans for winning a total of 13
matches in the evening. The RAC kindly
offered to invite anyone who would like a
game to join them on their regular Tuesday
backgammon evenings. Applications via the
East India Club secretary’s office.
Snooker
by Alan Kurtz
Club vs Lyonsdown
Club, Royal Mid-Surrey
Golf Club and RAC
T
he new snooker season has been
a busy one with friendly matches
against the Lyonsdown Club, a
specialist snooker club in Barnet, and the Royal
Mid-Surrey Golf Club in Richmond. Both
matches resulted in comfortable wins for East
India. A further friendly match is scheduled
for December against the Roehampton Club.
On the competitive front, another close
match with Royal Automobile Club resulted
in a narrow loss so that the St James’s Cup
Cricket
Club vs RAC
by Chris Masterton-Smith
I
n September, the cricket section
brought its season to a close with its
annual dinner. Reliving the glories of
innings and overs from the summer, along
with the ignominy of ducks and extras
bowled, was a great way to end the season.
It highlighted how successful 2011 has
been for the club.
It was a challenging season on the
pitch. We were not always at our strongest
but played the game in good spirits and
never disgraced ourselves too badly. I would
like to thank the committee and match
managers for keeping the club working
over a long season. Overall we have grown
4
returned to Pall Mall. Once again, all turned
on the final doubles match as it had when
East India won in April. With the frame
poised equally and a possible victory in sight,
a fluke on the brown allowed RAC to clear the
remaining colours and take the victory.
The final weekend in November saw the
arrival of the United Club of Guernsey for the
annual match for the Channel Cup, it being
their turn to come to London. The team of
James Thomlinson, Bradley Stanton, Bernard
Stirzaker, Oliver Bolton, Roger Raishbrook
and Alan Kurtz retained the trophy for a fifth
successive year by 8 matches to 2.
Attention now turns to the in-house
competitions for the Devonshire Cup, the
scratch competition and the Harold Bloom
Trophy played on handicap. More participants
for these are always hoped for and wanted,
and notices in the Billiards Room and the club
notice board should provide details.
in numbers and depth of skill greatly this
year and it provides us with a strong section
for the future.
Looking forward, 2012 is shaping up
well, with the tour to Oporto Cricket &
Lawn Tennis Club scheduled for 14-16
July an obvious highlight. The match
schedule will be similar to this year, mainly
Sundays with the odd mid-week Twenty20
or Saturday match thrown in, but skewed
more towards the first half of the season.
We have decided on an increased roster of
nets sessions at both Lords and the Oval
starting in January, so keep an eye out for
dates.
New members are always welcome,
skill never being a major obstacle to getting
involved, just a willingness to turn up
and get stuck in. Please email secretary@
eastindiaclub.com and eastindiacricket@
gmail.com to register your interest and we
will gather your details and sign you up.
The New Year will see the club team start
on the defence of the London Clubs Snooker
(Handicap) Competition and hoping to win
for a third successive year.
The Billiards Room has been refurnished.
The club has carried out work on the tables,
the room has been repainted and there are
new (to us) scoreboards and honours boards.
Alan Kurtz opens the newly refurbished Billards Room
Parking
Westminster City Council is introducing
new evening and Sunday parking
restrictions and charges which will have
a serious adverse effect on parking in
St James’s Square, where charging is to
be introduced for evening and Sunday
parking. The changes come into effect on 9
January 2012. There is pressure from a wide
coalition, from hospitality operators, led by
the Chairman of the Restaurant Association
The Earl of Bradford, to retailers, to the
churches.
If you live, work or study in Westminster
you can sign a petition, initiated by a
councillor at http://petitions.westminster.
gov.uk/WestEndParking/. Please consider
adding your name to the petition.
STAFF
Leadership awards
T
he chairman was delighted to give
CTH team leadership certificates to
ten members of staff. Offered by the
Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality,
the certificates go to staff who have completed
a course and passed an exam.
Joe O’Farrell, Susanne Matheis, Alfonso
Gabriel and Marco Coffaro won the
team leadership awards. Rizwan Sheikh,
Elias Kyriazis, Ricky Gwee, Iker Banales
Gorostizaga and Bruno Corazza won level
three awards in inspirational team leadership.
The CTH was established in 1982 to
provide recognised standards of management
training appropriate to the needs of the
hotel and travel industries, via its syllabi,
examinations and awards. These have been
continuously developed and improved to
ensure they are relevant and up to date. This
has been carried out under the careful scrutiny
and supervision of experts in all aspects of the
hotel, tourism and travel industries.
CTH programmes are well respected
across the hospitality, tourism and
travel industries. Those studying for the
examinations of the Confederation are offered
a structured learning process, encompassing
both the theoretical and practical aspects of
the industry, integrating the various subjects,
together with a clearly defined pattern of
career development through progressive
grades of membership.
Grouse dinner
Chef produced another wonderful grouse
dinner in September, where members heard
a rousing speech about fieldsports by David
Taylor (pictured) who is director of shooting
at the Countryside Alliance.
Repainting
The clubhouse enjoyed a lick of paint in the
summer. The building committee oversees
a rolling programme of refurbishment and
improvements to the building. Painting
required cloaking the front of the building in
scaffolding.
Staff line-up (left-right): Elias Kyriazis, Susanne Matheis Tim Wilks, Alfonso Gabriel, Bruno Corazza, Rizwan Sheikh,
Iker Banales Gorostizaga, Ricky Gwee, chairman David Cartwright, Marco Coffaro, Lobato Fuertes Santiago, Joe
O’Farrell, deputy chairman Richard Robinson and assistant secretary Keith Goldacre
New print
This new print of the clubhouse is both the
subject of the club’s Christmas card and
available from the secretary’s office as a print
in its own right.
Team leadership awards for Marco Coffaro...
...Alfonso Gabriel...
Farewell Vasco
A well-known face in the dining room has
retired. Joau Vasconcelos, known as Vasco, is
here seen receiving the congratulations of the
chairman after 14 years’ service.
...Susanne Matheis...
...and Joe O’Farrell
5
LIBRARY
LECTURE
Michael Crumplin
G
iven the club’s links with the
‘Waterloo
200’
celebrations
arranged for 2015, the 200th
anniversary since the battle of Waterloo,
it was appropriate that the autumn library
lecture should be given by Michael Crumplin
FRCS. A retired general surgeon, Mick is the
honorary curator of the instrument collection
at the Royal College of Surgeons of England’s
Hunterian Museum and an acknowledged
expert on surgery at the beginning of the
nineteenth century.
Few who have studied the Napoleonic
period could have failed to grasp the magnitude
of the injuries caused by shot and sabre and to,
what appears to us, the often brutal surgery
which was undertaken in frequently far from
satisfactory conditions. Mick is the author of
Men of Steel – Surgery in the Napoleonic Wars.
It gives what is possibly the most definitive
study to date of the surgical procedures of the
period. Dealing authoritatively with the men
and weapons of the period we are soon drawn
into the trials and tribulations in retrieving
the wounded and their treatment, often in
graphic detail.
Given, by modern standards, the poor
knowledge of the workings of the body, the
lack of anaesthetics, disinfectant, X-rays and
all the things we would take for granted before
attempting major surgery, the success rate of
these surgeons is phenomenal.
Mick’s special expertise is medical services
in the British and French forces, particularly
surgical services in the Royal Navy. His hero
is George Guthrie, whom he describes as
one of the unsung heroes of the Peninsular
War and Waterloo, and of British military
medicine. He was a guiding light in surgery.
He was not only a soldier’s surgeon and a
hands-on doctor, he also set a precedent by
keeping records and statistics of cases. While
the innovations in the medical services of
the French Republic and Empire have been
publicised, a military surgeon of the calibre of
Guthrie has been largely ignored by students
of the period – until now. In another book,
Guthrie’s War, Mick follows him through
his career in the field and recognises his
exceptional contribution to British military
medicine and to Wellington’s army.
Mick’s previous book on the subject
is A Surgical Artist at War, co-written with
Peter Starling, a study of Sir Charles Bell’s
illustrations of battle injuries from Corunna
and Waterloo. He has lectured internationally,
acted as an advisor for media programmes and
films, including Master and Commander.
Mick offered copies of his book at the end
of the lecture. It is apparent that this is a book
6
written by a surgeon about a subject he is well
familiar with. For the lay reader a glossary
at the end may have assisted, although the
writing is kept simple and clear and the book is
well-illustrated throughout. You might think
that this were a book restricted to those with
an interest in contemporary medical services,
but those in particular who wish to re-enact
the surgeons of the time will do little worse
than to have copy of this book to hand. A
recognised expert in the field of battle trauma
in this period Mick provides and extensive
yet accessible work on the subject. This book
takes a methodical approach working through
the terrible effects of combat weapons at the
time, the training and preparation of medical
services and, in some detail, the treatment and
recovery – or not – of battle-wound victims.
In an age where modern ideas of medicine
were just beginning and knowledge of
anaesthesia and analgesic treatment were
virtually non-existent, he draws on extensive
and often traumatic contemporary accounts
to paint a picture of suffering, stoicism and
fortitude that is hard to imagine in modern
times. Most importantly, it is the story of the
surgeons working in desperate circumstances,
facing soul-destroying situations and yet
showing exceptional humility, pushing the
forefront of medical science. Their own words,
Michael Crumplin at the lecture
together with those of their patients, tell a
story rather different to common mythology
and are well worth reading.
The text is highly narrative and easily
readable, though not untechnical where it
needs to be. The backbone of the book is the
use of anecdotes from both practitioners and
victims of the time.
Men of Steel
Men of Steel – Surgery in the Napoleonic
Wars by Michael Crumplin is available
for £30 from Country Books Direct
www.countrybooksdirect.com
HOUSE DINNER
M
embers and guests assembled for
what turned out to be one of the
most ‘legal’ house dinners for
years. Happily, the club was on the right side
of the law, fielding after dinner speakers in Mr
Justice Alistair MacDuff and Mr Justice David
Maddison.
In the news recently, Mr Justice MacDuff
ruled in the High Court that the Catholic
Church can be held liable for the offences of
its priests.
The chairman welcomes
the speakers
Left-right: Patrick Storey, Mr Justice Alistair MacDuff, Mr Justice David
Maddison and Jon Sperrin
Left-right: Sinan Rabee, David Booth and Robert
Legget
Max Kuhnke (left) and Tom Bradfield
Hurlingham Club chairman David Paterson
Guests enjoy a speaker’s joke
Anil Khosla (left) and Phil Day
The loyal toast
After-dinner speeches
Jeff Probyn
Robert Maclennan (left) talks to Professor Colin Seabrook
7
CHAPLAIN
POLO
Harvest festival
by Orion M Judge
T
he club was happy once again to go to
the Chapel of St Peter Ad Vincula in
the Tower of London for the Harvest
Festival service. The Rev Roger Hall is both
chaplain at St Peter’s and at the club.
Originally a parish church, the Chapel
was incorporated into the walls of the castle
during Henry III’s expansion. It has been
rebuilt at least twice, once in the reign of
Edward I, and then again in its present form
during Henry VIII’s reign.
T
Clinton and most prime ministers of India.
Since the days of the British Raj, the royal
family of Jaipur has retained close ties with
the British Royal Family.
Polo matches in colonial India were
always treated more ceremoniously than the
typical sport. They were said to be magnificent
spectacles, possessed of “pomp worthy of
the best of the British Empire”. Pre-game
traditions included teams of elephants all
trained to raise their trunks in unison in
salute. Sir Winston Churchill said that polo
“is not merely the finest game in the world,
but the most noble and soul-inspiring contest
in the whole universe.”
The magnificence of polo events in
colonial India was brought to mind when I
went to watch the Royal Jaipur team play in
its first ever India versus Canada polo match,
held recently near Toronto.
This first contest between the two former
colonies took place in June 2011, a perfect
mid-twenties day with more than 5,000
spectators buzzing around the polo fields. The
venue was lavish, the spectators well bronzed
and the champagne flowed in majestic
quantities. The Argentinian player and face
of Ralph Lauren, Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Figueras,
headed the Canadian team. His Excellency
Maharaj Narendra Singh, headed the Royal
Jaipur team.
As we watched the ponies galloping and
turning in the background, I discussed polo
with His Excellency.
The Maharaj considers it integral to
his family’s role actively to seek to arrange
matches with teams from around the world,
and promote Indian polo on the world stage.
A closely matched and fast-paced game
was played. The game was a hard-fought
trade of goal for goal throughout, often tied.
Notably, Ignacio Figueras scored all goals for
team Canada save one. In the final chukka,
the Jaipur team took one more goal, an acutely
angled shot from right of midfield. This 7-6
lead was held against stiff competition during
the last two minutes of the game. The final
score was 7-6, with the Royal Jaipur team
securing the historic victory for India.
Three queens of England, Anne Boleyn,
Catherine Howard and Jane Grey, and two
saints of the Roman Catholic Church, Sir
Thomas More and John Fisher, are buried
here. Their headless bodies were buried under
the nave or chancel without memorial until
the 19th century when remains found in the
nave were re-interred in the crypt.
The chapel also has many monuments
which commemorate officers and residents of
the Tower who worshipped here. It remains a
place of worship for the Tower’s community of
150 or so residents.
he ancient game of polo has been
played in India for more than 2,000
years. During the 1800s, the East
India Company’s cavalry popularised the sport
in England, having played it across British
India as part of their training. The modern
game of polo was developed in Manipur, in
the north-east of India, from a game with
records dating back to 33AD. The early game
was played at an extremely fast pace and it
was not uncommon to have players injured or
ponies suffer heart attacks on the field of play.
Following codification of the modern game in
1874 by the Hurlingham Polo Association in
London, the sport was rapidly exported to the
wider world.
The royal family of Jaipur can trace its
close relationship with polo back to Raja Man
Singh Ji of Amber (1550-1614), who learned
the game during his stay at the courts of
Emperor Akbar. It was the Indian maharajas
who gave the game its royal tradition, causing
it to become widely known as ‘the game of
kings’.
Jaipur is the home of Indian polo. An
excerpt from The Tatler in 1933 confirms
the Jaipur team’s commanding presence at
the time: “This team won the British Polo
Championships… this Jaipur team is a
very fast one indeed… above all, a very fine
shooting team with a predilection for bringing
off 60 yarders from angles that often look
impossible. In England, nothing has been able
to stand up to it, and the best team America
will produce will not be good enough.”
The Royal Jaipur team won every major
polo cup in Britain and India for the next
eight years. This record was interrupted only
by the Second World War.
Jaipur’s central role in polo is epitomised
by the many famous visitors who have played
or enjoyed watching polo matches in the
city, including Prince Philip, Prince Charles,
Princess Diana, Jacqueline Kennedy, Bill
Roger talks to members of the congregation (and
the club) after the service
The Royal Jaipur team in blue playing Canada in yellow in Toronto earlier this year
Club chaplain the Rev Roger Hall in his other role
at St Peter Ad Vincula
8
LORD MAYOR’S LUNCH
T
he club welcomed the 683rd Lord
Mayor of London to lunch in a
tradition brought to us by members
of the Eccentric Club who joined the East
India en bloc in the 1980s.
Michael Bear’s mayorship was marked by
the start of the anti-capitalist occupation of
the St Paul’s Cathedral steps.
A liveryman of the Paviors’ Company,
Michael subsequently joined the Chartered
Surveyors’ and Engineers’ Companies.
The mayoral car
Left-right: Del Smith, Roger Raishbrook and John Hauxwell
Left-right: Matthew Blagg, James Lambert and Steven Walker
Members and guests prepare to dine
Canon Gerry Murphy
Wiliam Enderby (left) and Mike Burmester
Members and guests enjoyed drinks in the
Smoking Room before going in to lunch
Two good Dereks: Derek Underwood (left) and
Derek Thurlow
Left-right: Jonathan O’Neill, John Burcham, Richard Nelson,
Peter Corder, Bill Agnew and John O’Neill
Chairman David Cartwright welcomes Lord Mayor
Michael Bear
Fanfare from the Light Cavalry, the HAC
The Lord Mayor of London
9
YOUNG MEMBERS
T
by Matthew Ebsworth
he obituaries are probably not often
the first page of the newspapers and
‘news feeds’ our young members
read. However, with the passing of Steve
Jobs, the genius behind Apple and its range
of i-products, may have drawn your attention.
It is a great shame that an innovator,
whose technological advances have touched
most of our lives in the last 10 years has died
so young.
Of course, Steve Jobs did not fit the traditional model of A-grade high school student followed by an Ivy League degree. Quite
the opposite. If Steve Jobs hadn’t stumbled
into a calligraphy class, we may never have
experienced the eye-catching graphics that
embody Apple and its collection of gadgets.
Furthermore he only lasted six months at
Reed College before dropping out.
As our young members develop their life
skills, it is good to know that sometimes there
is an alternative to the traditional path. Let’s
say that education is what you make of it
and that if you have a passion for something,
have the courage to pursue your dreams.
With Christmas fast approaching, many
of our sporting societies are well into their
season and I would take this opportunity to
thank all those involved in making sure these
activities continue to develop and prosper.
I am pleased that hockey is now on our
agenda, so please contact the secretary’s office
if you fancy a game.
My thanks also goes out to my young
members’ committee which looks after many
of the events and societies that help foster such good bonhomie within our young
members. Thank you gentlemen.
May I take this opportunity to wish all
of you and your families a very happy Christmas and healthy new year.
Chess
by Max Kuhnke
O
n Saturday, 5 November, we
welcomed the chess team of our
reciprocal the Cosmos Club of
Washington DC. Engaged in a breakneck
speed chess tour including four matches in
two days, two European capitals and two
trips across the pond, one might have felt a
twang of sympathy for our American friends.
However, if there was any, it certainly didn’t
show on the boards.
Our team of Yaroslav Voropayev, IJ Parry,
Hamilton McMillan, Yianni Kyrionymou,
The ‘Battle on Board One’ underway between
Roy Berg (left) and Yaroslav Voropayev
10
Post match drinks with members from the teams of
the Cosmos, East India/Oriental and Reform clubs
John Luke and Max Kuhnke took a
commanding victory 4½ vs 1½, with board
1 turning into an epic battle between two
great players. Although Mr Voropayev was
in the end moving towards a convincing and
well-earned victory, it was the flag dropping
at the end of the time that finally saw off his
opponent Roy Berg.
A splendid lunch (and a few drinks) later
the Cosmos went valiantly against the Reform
Club, although a strong team headed by a
correspondent’s grandmaster again proved too
much for the visitors.
In the end, it was the camaraderie that
won out, and over friendly drinks in the
Waterloo Room the teams were invited out to
Washington to see how we fare on away turf!
A big thank you goes to the secretary and all
the staff for helping make this international
contest run as smoothly as the World Chess
Cup itself.
FLYFISHING
Look at the tie: the new flyfishing section tie,
modelled by Peter Matthison
T
he flyfishing section thrives thanks in
part to its links via Peter Matthison
with the Lawyers’ Fishing Club.
It has held a number of events this autumn
and is pleased to announce its new section
tie, which celebrates the marlin caught by
former chairman the late Commander Robin
Whalley, which hangs near the door to the
American Bar (you can’t miss it).
Among events, there was a day at Elinor
Trout fishery in Northamptonshire in October.
This is Northamptonshire’s premier medium
sized trout fishery, with 50 acres of spring fed,
gin clear limestone water. Water quality like
this produces natural food in abundance and,
as a result, the trout are fat and healthy. There
are 1.5 miles of bank and for those that wish it
they have 15 modern boats.
Rib Valley Trout Fishery in Ware,
Hertfordshire, is due to host its annual Fur &
Feather Competition in December, after East
& West went to press.
The club will host the section’s annual
dinner on 4 February. Cost is £65 including
wine. Please apply via the secretary.
Also in February, the section is offering
a week’s bonefish fishing in Los Roques,
Venezuela. “Having done this a few times
before I can guarantee you some of the
most exciting fishing you are ever likely to
experience. If your taste is for ‘singing reels’
and plenty of visits to the backing then come
along and join me,” says Peter Matthison.
Los Roques is an archipelago of
uninhabited islands, transparent waters
and coral reefs just 80 miles offshore of the
Venezuelan mainland. There are tarpon to
be found at all times of the year, some over
100lb. And no saltwater destination would
be complete without being able to offer the
chance to land the ‘grand slam’ – the trio of
bonefish, tarpon and permit in one day. The
trip is being organised by Castaway Flyfishing.
Cost including flights is about £2,600.
New website
Club to relaunch online
T
he club has a newly redesigned
website. This brings us firmly
into the internet age while still
respecting the club’s principles of privacy and
understatement. It follows questions raised at
previous AGMs about the charming but dated
nature of the old website.
The new website does everything the old
website did, with some improvements, and
it caters for the new sporting sections that
members now run.
Like the old website, it is an online
brochure, which gives details of what the club
offers its members, the rooms that are available
for receptions or meetings, and a sense of the
history and culture of the club. The brochure
elements of the website have been updated to
offer, for example, floorplans of meeting and
conference rooms as well as new photography
of the club’s interiors.
Also, like the old website, members will
be able to log-in and look at pages unavailable
to the general public, including copies of East
& West, the ability to pay club bills online and
news of club activities.
Unlike the old website, the logging in
system has been rationalised so you now need
only one username and password instead of
the old system where you had to have two.
Our bill-paying is handled on a ‘secure server’
run by a company called Infodata. We have
now integrated out own password system with
the Infodata system.
The biggest difference between old and
new is the activities area. Members who run
sections such as rugby, EPICS or chess, now
have the ability to log in and either post the
dates of new events or match reports and
previews, with pictures. These will not only
go on to the website and be available to
members who have logged in under section
headings but will automatically be emailed to
anyone who has expressed an interest in that
section. This is designed to ease the flow of
communication between the sporting sections
and their enthusiasts.
Activities posting will be ‘moderated’ by
the secretary. But the ability to allow members
to add to the club’s website means it will be
more relevant and useful to other members.
And if you run a section and do not
want to post your own events, the club can
do it for you. Staff have been trained to run
the ‘content management system’ behind the
website.
Unlike the old website, the new one will
be able to tell members quickly and easily
about any planned closures or refurbishment.
The old website hardly changed from
month to month. Despite the club’s general
dislike of change, the new website will always
be able to grow and evolve, taking on new
aspects of the web as and when we think they
are appropriate. For example, some members
involved in the website design process were
keen to see a Facebook-style online meeting
area for members. However, this goes against
another current feeling in the club that the
American Bar is already a kind of Facebook,
only with real faces.
Others would like to see integration of
some of the other great social media websites
of today. Because this generally goes against
the club’s strong sense of privacy, however, we
have decided not have a Flickr or YouTube
page on the club’s website.
You will be delighted to learn that the
club has not bothered with expensive ‘search
engine optimisation’, because we only want to
be found by people who want to find us.
The club has been working on this project
for the past year with web design company
Jellyfish Creative, which is run by former
Northampton Saints winger Ian Hunter.
Due to go live in early December, you can
find the new website at the same address as the
old website: www.eastindiaclub.com. And it is
possible to survive without using it.
CHAPLAIN’S CORNER
let alone the fact that this Sunday is Advent
Sunday!”
We seem to live in a world where
everything church-based has become confused
with the world’s need. I understand theat
retailers need to sell their goods and that times
are difficult for some folk but the 12 days of
Christmas started in October for some people.
Watching, waiting, and anticipating the
birth of Christ at Christmas reminds us that so
much of life is based upon waiting patiently.
Being satisfied with what we have, perhaps
doing without everything we crave for and
putting Christ into this Christmas will make
Christmas day so much more special.
I wish you and your family every happiness
this Christmas and hope that with everything
that lies ahead for 2012, God will bring you
peace and contentment.
The Rev Roger Hall
B
ut why don’t you want the
Christmas tree up yet?” the
Yeoman Warder said, looking at
me in complete horror.
“We’ve put up all the other Christmas
trees in the Tower,” I replied, “because
we haven’t even reached December yet,
11
MEMBER PROFILE
M
att Saunders (here pictured
taking a break from operations
in Helmand Province to read a
fashionable magazine) is one of the many
thousands of territorials who have served in
Afghanistan. Since the invasion of Iraq in
March 2003, more than 17,000 reservists
have served on operations around the world.
They make up around nine percent of British
Forces in Afghanistan, and four percent of
British Forces in Iraq.
Matt joined the Territorial Army in 2004
as part of the OTC at Birmingham University.
He left university in 2007 and rejoined a TA
squadron with the Royal Yeomanry in 2008.
“I went in as a trooper with the express interest
of getting a commission within three years of
joining. Of five young officers in my squadron
three of them have gone through three weeks
at Sandhurst as well as a period of ‘beat-up’
training,” he says.
Matt is from Berkshire and went to
Wellington College. He joined the CCF
there and shot at Bisley. It was a rugby injury
12
Matt Saunders
that prevented him from joining the regular
army. A double shoulder dislocation put him
in a sling for three months, sustained as part
of a university touring side against a side in
Austria. Instead of the army, he joined a small
insurance broker in Mayfair after university,
then moved to Aon in 2008, looking after
banks and asset managers.
In 2010, he had his call-up to go to
‘Afghan’. He had three weeks from leaving
his job to reporting for duty in Nottingham.
From there, he went to join his regiment, the
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, in Germany.
“For my employer, it was sudden though
not unexpected,” he says. “Aon has lots of ex
regulars on its staff and the support they have
given me is superb. I felt I was letting my team
at Aon down – but they said they were very
proud and would send me goodies.”
It was a 12-month deployment.
Companies have to treat that as a kind of
extended maternity leave.
Matt had three months’ training in
Germany in tactics versus unmounted
infantry. From there he went to the main
operating base at Lashkar Gah, the capital of
Helmand, it is the main British military base
in Afghanistan. He spent six months there as
part of a force of 150 who were mentoring the
Afghan national police.
He was lucky enough not to see British
casualties but he recalls going to a checkpoint
to find it had been attacked. He speaks fondly
of the boxes of goodies supplied by the charity
Afghan Heroes.
Matt returned to the UK and civilian life
in September. He says: “You come out with a
lot of confidence. I was dealing with a lot of
young Scottish people who have not finished
education and who looked to me for all sorts
of life advice. I would certainly go on tour
again. It is such a defining period of your life –
sleeping under the stars – it is life-changing.”
Matt joined the club in 2003 as a J7 and
is now in his second year as a town member.
“I’ve got friends whom I have met through the
club, and I don’t think a lot of young members
of other clubs in town can say that,” he says.
Sir Henry Jermyn
Henry Jermyn, Earl of St Albans (1605-1684), after a painting by Van Dyck, reproduced as the frontispiece
of AI Dasent’s The History of St James’s Square (1895)
A
plaque has been unveiled in St James’s
Square to mark the 17th-century
courtier who laid the foundations of
the present West End. Henry Jermyn (16051684), a friend of the royal family, was given
land north of St James’s Palace, up to Pall Mall
and Piccadilly, in the 1660s by the King. He
built St James’s Square and developed the area
including St James’s Church and the current
Regent Street.
Westminster Council gives green plaques
to honour famous residents. Now named
Chatham House and the home of the Royal
Institute of International Affairs, 10 St James’s
Square is the house where Jermyn died.
Between the 1660s and 1680s Jermyn,
who was made the 1st Earl of St Albans,
built up the area by widening the narrow
streets, laying pavements and building brick
houses. Jermyn’s vision helped to inspire the
rebuilding of London after the Great Fire of
1666.
The writer Anthony Adolph, who is
researching a biography of Jermyn, did most
to persuade Westminster Council to allow
the plaque. He says: “I approached English
Heritage, which operates the well-known blue
plaque scheme. They asked if Jermyn’s house
in St James’s was still standing. In fact, he had
two, but both have subsequently been rebuilt.
“To my dismay, English Heritage
informed me that, as the actual buildings were
not standing, then they were not interested.
Luckily, I quickly found out about another
scheme, the green plaque scheme, which
had been pioneered within Westminster City
Council by its deputy leader, Cllr Robert
Davis and which was not hemmed in by silly
rules.
“As soon as I presented Jermyn’s case,
they took up the project with enthusiasm.
We decided that, of the two sites of Jermyn’s
two houses in St James’s Square, the most
appropriate, and publicly visible one was his
second, on the corner of the square and Duke
of York Street, the house in which he lived his
last years and where he died in January 1684.”
Jermyn was a young Stuart courtier who,
largely due to his skill in speaking French,
became the confidant and life-long friend of
Henrietta Maria de Bourbon, the beautiful
wife of Charles I.
Their closeness is widely attested by
writers of the time, and some went so far as
to assert he was the real father of Charles II.
Through the Queen’s influence, Jermyn
rose to prominence and power in Charles
I’s court. Yet as his status increased, the
foundations on which royal power lay were
shaken by the King’s conflict with Parliament.
As the crisis mushroomed in 1640-1641, and
without holding any significant office, Jermyn
became the most powerful man at court. Yet
his plot to bring military force to bear on
Parliament backfired and he fled into exile in
France.
The Civil War began and Henrietta Maria
joined him abroad. Together, they raised a
great army and, risking near death in a terrible
storm, they sailed back to England to wage
a moderately successful campaign against
Parliamentary forces. In 1644, when the
Queen became pregnant again, they returned
to France, setting up their home, and hence
the unofficial power-centre of the English
court, at the Louvre in Paris.
During the rule of Cromwell, Jermyn
worked ceaselessly to restore Charles II to the
throne and was the driving force behind the
‘Second Civil War’. As life on the Continent
became ever harder for the exiled royalists,
however, factions developed and Jermyn’s
Louvre circle eventually lost power to the
chancellor, Edward Hyde.
After the Restoration of 1660, Jermyn
made a final bid to oust Hyde from power
in 1663. Being unsuccessful, he focused
on his life-long plan of creating a lasting
peace between England and France. Parts
of Jermyn’s plans were successful, including
the marriage of Charles II to Catherine of
Braganza, daughter of France’s ally the King
of Portugal – a marriage that brought England
Bombay and thus laid the foundations for
Britain’s empire in India. The Secret Treaty
of Dover (1670) created the Anglo-French
Grand Design, a temporary fulfilment of his
aims, and a massive political achievement for
Jermyn. Ultimately Charles II would end his
days in a firm alliance with his cousin Louis
XIV for which Jermyn could take full credit.
For more information and for news of
Anthony Adolph’s forthcoming book about
Jermyn, visit www.anthonyadolph.co.uk
13
WINE
2010 in Bordeaux:
what next?
H
by Mark Pardoe MW
eaven preserve us; the club has a
wonderful new gadget. One of
the biggest challenges facing any
restaurant service is how to provide a wide
and engaging range of wines by the glass while
ensuring that every measure is served in perfect
condition. This is because once any wine is
opened, the air that is introduced begins the
process of oxidation whereby the wine loses
freshness and takes the first steps down the
road that could eventually lead to vinegar.
Lighter wines collapse more quickly than
heavier wines and really heavy wines, such as
port or sherry, can resist the degradation for
several weeks, but in the end all wines will
eventually oxidise and become undrinkable.
Thus, many restaurants only offer a small
number of wines by the glass, usually limited
for reasons of reducing wastage to the most
popular, leaving the undiscovered gems to
fight for the consumer’s attention in bottle
form only.
The industry’s solution to this problem is
to mirror the techniques employed by today’s
winemakers. All commercial estates have to
store wine in bulk before bottling and oxygen’s
deleterious effects are mitigated by removing
all contact with air by keeping the wine in
inert, impermeable containers and creating a
seal between the wine’s surface and the outside
world.
Stainless steel is the modern storage
medium of choice and nitrogen forms an
effective barrier against the air. This works
because nitrogen is heavier than air, so it sits
Waterloo 200
E
ducation is the main focus of the
Waterloo 200 charity. The aim is to
influence schools, universities and
teaching more mature students (sometimes
called ‘the U3A’) in the teaching of history.
Waterloo 200 has introduced two pilot
schemes at primary school level. “These
have been well received enabling us to plan
for the next phase,” says a spokesman. The
organisation has further plans to improve the
package that is available before launching this
initiative more widely, including secondary
schools.
14
Liam using the new device
The new ‘Vinoglass’
guarantee that the wine will remain fresh and
the last glass from the bottle will be as fresh
as the first.
This will allow the club’s sommelier,
Eric Lagré, the luxury of offering hitherto
unknown or overlooked gems to members
on a by-the-glass basis, in addition to the
perennial favourites.
More dish-specific
recommendations can be made, with a
commitment by members to just a glass, not
a whole bottle. Or a party of members can
each choose a different wine, according to
their menu choices. Single diners could enjoy
a glass when a bottle would have been too
much. The options are multitude but most of
all the members can now be offered real choice
and variety.
A further benefit is that, as a service
to members, the by-the-glass price will be
proportionately the same as a bottle, so there
will not be a premium for buying by the glass,
unlike in the commercial world.
The new dispensing machines have been
ordered and Eric will soon be enthusiastically
recommending his current choices on offer
by the glass, introducing members to his
new discoveries and making intriguing and
inspiring food and wine matches. The club
already has one of the most eclectic and
carefully constructed wine lists of its type. We
hope that this innovation will further enhance
both its reputation and its appreciation by
members.
The East India Club supports the work
of Waterloo 200 and gave it stand space at
the annual meeting in St Andrews of the
Headmasters’ Conference (HMC) schools –
the major private schools across the UK.
Waterloo 200 brought a display featuring
a musket, a Baker rifle, assorted swords and
a bayonet, as well as surgical instruments
and Waterloo medals. Many of the delegates
showed interest in the idea of teaching the
Battle of Waterloo in their schools.
Other education initiatives from Waterloo
200 include working with the University
of Portsmouth to establish Waterloo-based
research projects.
East India assistant secretary Keith Goldacre and
Waterloo 200’s Carole Divall in action on the stand
as an inert gaseous seal between the wine and
the air.
Although available for some time for
restaurants, this technology has been very
expensive in small format. However, this
is now changing and diligent research has
unearthed a new generation and affordable
examples. The club’s members have a great
thirst for and interest in wine, so the wine
committee has recently authorised a purchase
of two wine preserving machines that will
allow up to eight different wines (four white,
four red) to be served by the glass, with the
Wine tasting
Sweet wines
S
ommelier Eric Lagré gave a superb
tasting of sweet wines in November.
He offered wines so sweet they may
even “compromise foie gras,” warns Eric, so
do be careful.
Eric started by discussing the horrible
diseases that bring us the incredible
concentration and purity of wines such as
Château d’Yquem. Single vines can produce
two bottles of wine. Vines that produce the
best sweet wines come up with no more than
a glass. Botrytis-riddled, shrivelling, rotting
grapes – if they could get gangrene the grapes
would. Yet almost all the wine that Eric
offered, from a cheap Greek fortified wine to
an incredible 2002 eiswein, will produce wows
at the table. Only the Muscat did not get Eric’s
approval. He said it smells like aftershave. The
tasting started with a 2008 Riesling Zilliken,
which both Eric and Magda believed at first
to be a dry Riesling. Fresh and tartaric, it was
drinkable on its own.
There were two other Rieslings of note –
a 1999 Beerenauslese and that eiswein whose
grapes were picked at -8 degrees centigrade
– and a Tokaji, all of which Eric described as
“gold in a bottle”. Then Eric’s natural creativity
brought a range of most unusual sweet wines.
Eric says of the Tokaji: “It smells incredibly
ripe but the acidity is very cleansing. It’s a
lovely, juicy sweetness that is good with rabbit
stew.”
The Vin de Constance 2004 from South
Africa is, says Eric, “the only wine really to
compete with the Tokaji.”
The cheap vin de liqueur, the 2008 Vin
Doux from Samos, is served both by the club
and by the television chef Heston Blumenthal.
“You cheat a bit with this,” says Eric, “but for
so little money it produces a lot of satisfaction.
This is sunshine in a glass.”
Another unusual wine is the 30-year
old Noé from Gonzales Byass in Jerez.
“It’s so lusciously sweet it could qualify as
sickening,” says Eric. “Suppliers tell me that it
is wonderful over ice cream. So it is marketed
as an alternative to chocolate sauce.”
One that received a better write-up is
the 1999 Vinsanto del Chianti Classico from
Tuscany – or “flinty, nutty, just delightful,” as
Eric puts it.
Sweet wines range from Greek to French
Eric in full flow
Madeira
I
am so grateful, that the Madeira wine
tasting I tutored last July was so wellattended once again, writes Eric Lagré.
Madeira is one of the most exciting fortified
wines still produced and probably one of my
favourite tipples. But fortified wines are no
longer fashionable, for high alcohol and high
sugar levels are probably as demonised as
greasy fast food nowadays. Port manages to
remain well-established on the UK market,
but who still drinks Madeira or sherry on a
regular basis? This sad reality made me even
more determined to showcase this treasure of
a wine with a 500-year history. The tasting
featured nine wines, many of which were
award-wining examples, for I could not
possibly mess up that rescue mission up.
As much as I was sure to conquer my
audience with a wine that is so complex and
so incredibly rich but refreshing at the same
time, I wasn’t sure that I would be able to
convey the subtle style differences. After
all, Madeira is always made by deliberately
oxidising the wine by virtually stewing it
and maturing it extensively in barrels. The
process systematically results in wines with
similar features: a symphony in brown, as
far as colour is concerned, and aromas of
molasses or curry derived from a chemical
compound known as Soloton, so typical of
Madeira wines, plus a multitude of different
flavours, but always nutty and dry-fruity,
with a twist of citrus fruit in character. That
high degree of resemblance in winemaking
and style is echoed in the humble and rather
humorous words of Juan Teixeira, winemaker
at Justino’s Madeira wine SA: “The secret for
a good Madeira wine is having good grapes
to start with, and then a good old cask. Then,
you just sit and wait”. It made me fear the
worst: coming across as boring. I was actually
surprised by how enthusiastic the members
were and I can safely say that they enjoyed
the journey. There was a lot of left over wine
at the end, and by the time I had answered
informal questions and shared impressions
and opinions on the wines, not a drop was
left to drink. A mouthful or two of every
sample would prove intoxicating enough to
anyone, so I hope that no one suffered too
bad a hangover on the following day.
Member’s guest Sabrina Kim enjoys a sweet wine
15
STAFF PROFILE
Felipe Cascayan
Y
ou will see Felipe every morning,
six days a week, polishing the brass
handles of the front door. From the
Philippines, Felipe arrived in London in 1986.
He has been working for the club since 1990.
Felipe grew up in a rural area. His parents
were farmers. His mother and brother came
to London in the late 1970s. He accompanied
his father. The whole family found a home in
East London. He now lives with his wife five
minutes from his parents and near his brother
too. “My brother wanted to bring my dad
here,” he says. “I came here because my dad
can’t travel alone.”
Felipe first found work with his brother
as a general builder. “I had been working
with my brother for almost a year when my
brother’s best friend, Leila Lucas, who was
head housekeeper at the East India Club at
the time, said that there was a job there as a
chamberboy.”
Felipe spent almost two years in that job
16
and then did room-cleaning for a further six
years. He now works in general cleaning of the
public areas, a job which has has had since the
late 1990s.
His day starts at 4am. He reaches the club
at 5.30am and is the first member of staff to
come in. He has a 10-minute break in the
morning and finishes at 12.30pm.
“I like the club,” he says. “I like the people
because they are very friendly.”
Felipe lives to work. He also has a fourhour job Monday-Friday cleaning at a private
school in Chelsea.
He has little leisure time but likes going to
his local pub. He and his wife have been back
to the Philippines only four or five times since
he arrived in the UK.
Felipe’s wife works as a chambermaid.
They met in London. For 15 years she worked
at a Hyatt hotel. She now works in a care
home.
“I had no idea about a club like this in
the Philippines,” he says. “In the Philippines,
a ‘club’ is different. It means a drinking house
and dancing hall. When Mrs Lucas said come
and work in a club, I was surprised.”
This is all a long way from his youth in
the 1970s. He was brought up in a poor area
in the provinces, eight hours from Manila.
His first job was with one of his brothers as a
mechanic in Manila. This helped him pay his
way through high school. Then he spent four
years as a seaman. He still has two sisters and
five brothers in the Philippines.
He enjoyed helping his parents with farm
work. “I loved working on the farm,” he says.
“I would go and work with them. It is hard
work in the Philippines.
“Some of the people there were lazy and
didn’t work hard.”
Felipe’s young looks belie his age. He is 56
years old. He attributes it to work. “If you are
working hard, your body gets lots of exercise,”
he says.
A WORD FROM THE SECRETARY
by Alex Bray
T
he year’s main project methodically
to check, repair and update the club’s
electrical circuitry has continued and
we will have completed this important work
by year end. We have added energy saving devices with the use of motion sensor switches
for our energy efficient bulbs. In a similar vein
we have improved the lighting levels in the Library and the Canadian Room, and are working on a solution to improve the levels of light
in the Smoking Room.
An unexpected cost and inconvenience in
the summer was the unrepairable failure of the
middle lift. Typically, replacement works were
being planned for both this lift and the front
lift in the next couple of years due to obsolete
parts. We replaced the motor and controls,
and will get on with the same on the front lift
in the New Year.
Deputy Chairman Matthew Ebsworth
(with an eye on the home nation internation-
als in February and March) has set about organising two lunchtime events on the Fridays
before England’s matches against Ireland and
Wales. Bookings are being taken in the usual
ways.
The 60th anniversary of the reopening of
the Canadian Room after rebuilding, made
possible by donations from Canadian Officers, has prompted a dinner to be planned for
February. Numbers will be capped at 60 to allow for a reception in the Canadian Room so
early booking is recommended.
After the success of the last couple of outings to Auriol Kensington Rowing Club for
the Boat Race, we shall again plan for the
event. However it coincides with Easter so
please book early to give us an idea of interest.
The office asks me especially to alert members to the availability of our Ascot box on the
Saturday of Royal Ascot. Please do enquire after availability for this day in June.
On a less positive note, the hours of parking in parts of Westminster are due to be extended into evenings and weekends from the
beginning of January. A public appeal has
been lodged to which we have contributed
and at the time of writing we are awaiting the
outcome (see page 4).
Please remain alert to the rules designed
to support the more formal and social sense
of ‘home’ that the club engenders (belongings,
dress, business papers and phones). I ask you
to keep a watchful eye on your guests who
may be less familiar with our etiquette.
Besides the front hall staff, the stewards
serving from the Waterloo Room do their
best to intercept any transgression but we
must look to the members to keep their guests
within the rules. On confirming a function,
the events office do advise members of the relevant rules, as do reception when confirming
reservations.
Sommelier Magda has been closely following in the footsteps of Eric. She has successfully passed with merit her wine diploma
qualification and has helped with the harvest
at Chateau Reynier. After the retirement of
Vasco we promoted both Iker and Santiago
to supervisory roles in the Dining Room. In
reception Elias was promoted to senior receptionist this summer. Both Elias and also Andy
in the kitchen are celebrating their respective
marriages and receive the club’s best wishes.
The club closes over Christmas from 4pm
on 23 December and re-opens at 9am on
Tuesday 3 January. As mentioned in the last
issue we will take the opportunity to clear out
the cloakroom and the day-use lockers of unclaimed belongings, so please claim your items
before it’s too late.
Season’s best wishes from the management and staff.
EAST INDIA CLUB WINE ORDER FORM
ORDER THESE WINES
FROM THE ACCOUNTS
OFFICE FOR PAYMENT
AND COLLECTION
FROM THE CLUB
ORDER THESE WINES FROM OUR WINE
MERCHANT FOR HOME DELIVERY
Wine per case of 12 bottles
Club Champagne / £143 for 6
Club white / £108 Club white Burgundy / £129
Club red / £88
Club claret / £114
Totals
GRAND TOTAL
Name
Membership no
Address
Postcode
Daytime telephone
Special delivery instructions
All prices include VAT
I enclose a cheque payable to
Mayor Sworder & Co for
£
OR
I authorise you to debit my
Mastercard/Visa/Maestro by
£
Card no
Issue no
Expiry date
Please send your order with credit card
details or cheque to:
Davy’s
161-165 Greenwich High Road,
Greenwich, London, SE10 8JA
Tel: 020 8858 6011
Fax: 020 8853 3331
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.davy.co.uk
Wines and spirits per case of 12 bottles
Club claret
£104
Club white
£98
Club red
£78
Club white Burgundy
£119
Club Champagne (per case of 6)
£133
Club Cognac VSOP£43.25 per 75cl bottle
Club Cognac 3* £31.75 per 75cl bottle
Wine
gift box
Three East
India Club
wines in
presentation
box –
club claret,
club white
and
club white
Burgundy.
£40.50
Not chargeable to account. Card with handling fee, cash or
cheque.
17
RECIPROCALS
The Vancouver Club
The Capital Club, Dubai
surprising. After luncheon it’s a delight again
to experience that much missed element of a
London club – the gentle aroma of a Havana.
Visit www.capitalclubdubai.com
ancouver is a great destination in
its own right and also a gateway
to Alaska. I had both these reasons
to visit this city recently and spent three
enjoyable nights at the Vancouver Club.
The club is located in the heart of this
modern and vibrant city and has been in
existence since 1889.
Their clubhouse is a listed (heritage)
building with an excellent bar and restaurant
that have been tastefully renovated.
They offer a good selection of North
American and French wines. The double
bedrooms are spacious and well-appointed
but visiting members should book early as
there are only nine guest rooms available.
This is a high quality club that is definitely
worth a visit.
Visit www. vancouverclub.ca
attractions from the Treasury, Federation Square,
to the riverside development of Southbank
and the Regent and Athenaeum theatres are
within walking distance. All these are also easily
accessible by tram (with a tram stop just in front
of the club) which proved to be reliable and
efficient. For those there for business, Collins
Street is home to the major banks and several of
the large Australian corporations.
The weather is unpredictable, so that should
you ask a resident, they will tell you that you can
experience “four seasons in a day”. I was fortunate
that during my stay the days were sunny and
generally pleasant. Any visiting member must be
prepared to experience extremes within the day
so flexibility of wardrobe is the key.
The club itself is small, over four floors,
with facilities including a fully equipped gym,
not dissimilar to the East India, making any
visiting member feel very much at home. With
16 rooms of which there are several suites, the
rooms are comfortable and on a par with any
five-star boutique hotel. However, what makes
for a pleasant stay is the staff.
We were made welcome from the moment
we arrived. The front desk staff made an effort to
ensure that we were comfortable and the service
was warm and friendly.
I heartily recommend the Athenaeum Club
to members visiting Melbourne for both business
and leisure.
Visit www.athenaeumclub.com.au
David Scotting
V
Jonathan Shaw
S
panning three floors in the newly built
DIFC business complex, the club
is at heart of Dubai’s international
business community. The club’s tastefully
modern interior differentiates it from many
of Dubai’s other developments. The daily life
of the club maintains an onus on members’
commercial lives with social events such as
wine tasting etc running alongside. Dress
code varies from smart-casual for most of the
club to requiring a blazer in the grill restaurant
(whereas the pan-Asian and Sushi restaurants
are more relaxed). Remembering its location,
don’t be surprised to see a Kandura-dressed
gentleman – although at the bar it can be a tad
The Athenaeum Club,
Melbourne
ZA Zulazman Esq
I
was recently in Melbourne staying at the
Athenaeum Club for almost a week. Prior
to my arrival, in an exchange of emails
the concierge was already helpful, even making
arrangements for my early arrival (several hours
before the check in time).
The club is located on the ‘Paris end’ of
Collins Street and is surrounded by fashionable
local and international brand stores some award
winning restaurants and very ‘Parisian’ cafes. By
tram, it is close to to the principal shopping area
with David Jones and Myers at its centre. Tourist
The Capital Club
OBITUARY
Ronald Rivett
1924-2011
by Roger Raishbrook
R
on Rivett (pictured) or Lord Rivett
as he was affectionately known to
many of his friends was a member
of the club for more than 20 years having
joined originally from the Eccentric Club.
Ron was a very friendly and likeable man
who in his younger days was very interested
in sports, excelling at athletics, football
and cricket. He was also a very keen golfer,
making himself readily available for scoring at
matches for both the EPICS and Crocks, and
regularly attended the Crocks’ lunches. He
was also member of the Crews Hill golf club.
After leaving school he worked for
his father William Rivett in the family art
dealing business based in the City, and he
travelled constantly around the British Isles
18
‘Lord Rivett’
visiting both dealers and auctions in search of
fresh stock for the gallery. When talking with
Ron about any part of the UK he would have
a canny recall of the most obscure auction
house or dealer in a given area, together with
a seasoned knowledge and appreciation of the
better local hostelries.
His knowledge of the business was truly
astounding and the things he could recall in
detail from many years ago always impressed
me. Like others who knew him and respected
him, I thought he should have recorded for
posterity his wide and many experiences, but
sadly this has all passed on with him.
During the Second World War Ron was
rear gunner in the RAF Coastal Command,
where he saw plenty of action and travelled
the world. Although he never really spoke in
depth about his wartime activities, he kept
in touch with his friends from the Air Force,
entertaining some of them to lunch in the
club from time to time. Ron’s untimely and
sudden death came as a real shock to me and
to those who knew him and cared about him.
At his funeral, held at the City of London
Crematorium in Wanstead, his nephew Keith
gave a very good eulogy, telling us in greater
detail about his home life, his love of sport
and his sheer devotion to his life-long partner
Dora who has been housebound for many
years. This must have been a great strain for
Ron at his advanced age, but as was so typical
of this modest man, you never heard him
once complain. I am sure his presence, his
wisdom and his genuine good humour will
be greatly missed both here in the club and in
the NR Omell Gallery, where he was a senior
art advisor.
New members
The club welcomes the following:
J Barbaccia Esq
KW Barnes Esq
JB Berry Esq
JAD Breslin Esq
FEV Chubb Esq
Dr N Douvartzidis
H Edwards Esq
B Ekberg Esq
S Emmanuel Esq
DR England Esq MA
JD Enriquez Esq
MD Evans Esq
RJR Evans Esq
SE Farr Esq
JR Flaxbeard Esq
JB Hackett Esq
RJ Halhead Esq
CD Hall Esq
DW Hayward Esq
M Heritier Esq
N Jones Esq
J Kandunias Esq
Justice IRC Kawaley
HA Khan Esq
A Kirkby Esq
JMA Laville Esq
N Lloyd Esq
RF Looker Esq
LA Mackenzie-Platt Esq
B Mahr Esq
BD Mallon Esq
JNG Mason Esq
N Mead Esq
JN Murray Esq
S Newnes Esq
IR Osman Esq
RJ Petersen Esq
AJ Quartermaine Esq
SF Rickard Esq
BJ Sainty Esq
SC Sampson Esq
M Sennett Esq
Dr G Shidlo
JS Smid Esq
Y Soda Esq
HI Stewart Esq
DR Taylor Esq
DH Thomas Esq
R Thomson Esq
DN Warren Esq
N Watkins Esq
G Wild Esq
JR Wilkinson Esq
J Wood Esq
PRA Youngs Esq
(Crosby)
CAW Hooper Esq
Milton Abbey
RJA How Esq
Haileybury
MR Howard-Coombe
Esq
Eltham College
A Howard-Smith Esq
Bishop’s Stortford College
SR Hoyle Esq
The Haberdashers’ Aske’s
Boys’ School
RA Hunt Esq
St Bede’s College
SKR Hunter Esq
St Columba’s College
CE Jenkinson Esq
Harrow School
EP Karsten Esq
Haileybury
M Karunairetnam Esq
Dulwich College
AS-Y Ko Esq
Winchester College
V Kumar Esq
St Albans School
OB Kwok Esq
Tonbridge School
P Lehmann Esq
Sedbergh School
R Lelliott Esq
Warwick School
TXS Lim Esq
Winchester College
DJ Lowry Esq
Warwick School
D Mackinnon Esq
Wellington College
(Berkshire)
EA Martin Esq
King’s College School
(Wimbledon)
T Martin Esq
Brentwood School
DP Mason Esq
Merchant Taylor’s School
R McClellan Esq
Royal Grammar School
(Guildford)
AE McLoughlin Esq
Oratory School
AJ Meyer Esq
The Haberdashers’ Aske’s
Boys’ School
TS Minihan Esq
Merchant Taylor’s School
JRS Mitchell Esq
Charterhouse
G Moore Esq
St Columba’s College
JC Moore Esq
Kimbolton School
ADJ Morton Esq
Lincoln Minster School
AJ Murray Esq
Royal Grammar School
(Guildford)
O Nicolaou Esq
City of London School
A Nimba Esq
Eton College
DI Ogbonnaya Esq
Bedford School
HBJ Oliver Esq
Marlborough College
AJG Parrett Esq
St Columba’s College
(St Albans)
KR Patel Esq
Whitgift School
MA Penny Esq
Wellington College
(Berkshire)
CB Peterseim Esq
Malvern College
JA Pimblett-Speck Esq
Bradford Grammar
School
W Porter Esq
Chigwell School
V Prakash Esq
Winchester College
J Reed Esq
Stonyhurst College
JA Richards Esq
Cranleigh School
AW Rieder Esq
Giggleswick School
OH Roberts Esq
Merchant Taylor’s School
A Robertson Esq
Stowe School
D Scanio Esq
St Columba’s College
JP Sheard Esq
Merchant Taylor’s School
HPG Sheehan Esq
Haileybury
J Simcox Esq
Royal Grammar School
(Guildford)
A Sloan Esq
Eton College
BG Smith Esq
Wrekin College
GHC Smith Esq
Glenalmond College
JG Smith Esq
Bablake School
HPA Snow Esq
Uppingham School
FTF Spencer Esq
Charterhouse
HF Spencer Esq
Radley College
TB St Clere Smithe Esq
The Judd School
JH Stacey Esq
Eton College
OM Steeple Esq
Shrewsbury School
RFM Sutton-Mattocks
Esq
Sevenoaks School
MJE Syfret Esq
Welbeck College
H Taylor Esq
Giggleswick School
P Tikilyaynen Esq
Malvern College
G Tveito-Duncan Esq
St Albans School
H Walker Esq
Charterhouse
NA Wallendahl Esq
Worth School
FCR Ward Esq
Wellington College
(Berkshire)
HHW Watkins Esq
King’s School (Worcester)
CEC White Esq
Winchester College
HE Wignall Esq
Ellesmere College
JEC Wilkinson Esq
Sedbergh School
GR Williams Esq
Birkenhead School
BJ Wilson Esq
Merchant Taylor’s
(Crosby)
MA Wilson Esq
Merchant Taylor’s (Crosb)
AJP Young Esq
Manchester Grammar
School
W Zhu Esq
Westminster School
A Ziff Esq
Wellington College
(Berkshire)
New J7 members
The club welcomes the following:
V Adatia Esq
Haileybury
A Ahmed Esq
Monmouth School
A Alam Esq
St Albans School
JRC Allan Esq
Woodbridge School
TWD Allison Esq
Wellington College
(Berkshire)
TWE Archer Esq
Lancing College
J Ashcroft Esq
Royal Grammar School
(Guildford)
CLR Bailey Esq
Wellington College
(Berkshire)
M Bhojwani Esq
St Albans School
JEH Brawn
Monkton Combe School
B Brenton Esq
Tonbridge School
A Brown Esq
City of London School
JGD Brown Esq
Cranleigh School
CJ Carrigan Esq
Leys School
E Case Esq
Eton College
PM Chakravarty Esq
St Leonards School
DC Chaplin Esq
Eton College
JH Charlton-Briggs Esq
Shrewsbury School
JCS Cheung Esq
Clayesmore School
GC Cooper Esq
Shrewsbury School
LEJ Corbridge Esq
King Edward VI School
JMLF Cullen-Loftus
Esq
Malvern College
T Cureton Esq
Winchester College
BD Dean Esq
Plymouth College
TJ Deasy Esq
Dulwich College
A Dismore Esq
St Albans School
BHG Downey Esq
Shiplake College
SG Ellington Esq
St Olave’s Grammar
School
G Emkes Esq
Bedford School
EJ Fellowes Esq
St Albans School
MJ Fletcher Esq
St Albans School
WPN Ford Esq
Kimbolton School
TP Garner Esq
Queen Elizabeth
Grammar Wakefield
WAB Gewanter Esq
Westminster School
AWL Grable Esq
City of London School
OR Greenwood Esq
City of London School
C Gubelman Esq
St Bede’s College
PW Hamilton-Jones Esq
Dulwich College
The Hon Thomas
Hardinge
Stowe School
J Harkness Esq
Eton College
AN Harrison Esq
Kimbolton School
TPW Harvey Esq
Tonbridge School
EA Hawkins Esq
Alleyn’s School
CSR Heaton Esq
Bradford Grammar
School
MM Heimer Esq
Bedford School
J Hemsley Esq
Stowe School
JC Hogan Esq
St Albans School
M Hogan Esq
Malvern College
ACL Holden Esq
Nottingham High School
OG Hooker Esq
Merchant Taylor’s
Half centuries
in 1961. And all of them are now relieved
of having to pay a subscription to the club.
T
W S McCann Esq
D S Grover Esq
S G Hope Esq
P C Thompson Esq
he following members have
achieved 50 years membership. All
of them joined the East India Club
Gone
away?
We have lost contact
with the following,
who may have moved
without giving the club
their new addresses.
If you know where to
contact them, please
let the secretary’s office
know or ask them to
get in touch:
A Calder Esq
T A Fraser Esq
P Gray Esq FRIBA
G J Grobler Esq
J R Hill Esq
S K Kruger Esq
S Reardon Esq
H J Rowe Esq
C J Tabeart Esq
Deceased
J Cook-Sands Esq
RJ Franklin Esq
JW Hele Esq CBE
AJ Horton Esq
W S Jackson Esq
B Lewis Esq
R F Lewsley Esq
FRICS
WJ McGrath Esq
N More Esq
RW Rivett Esq
PW Simon Esq
AN Smith Esq
RJC Wait Esq OBE
AL Wilbraham Esq
E H M Alleyne Esq
V E Callaghan Esq
D F Mant Esq
K F Goodenough Esq
D H R Yorke Esq
K G Palmer Esq
Reverend J S Richards
19
Reciprocal clubs
The East India welcomes members of
other clubs from all over the world,
who may use the club’s facilities as if
they were their own. A reciprocal
arrangement has been made for
members to visit these clubs when a
card of introduction, obtainable from
the club secretary, is required. These
clubs have all been chosen for their
suitability for our members but have
different facilities.
If you are going to visit any of them,
we suggest you telephone first and
find out about them. Let us have your
views on your visits and tell us if you
have found other clubs with whom we
should enter into reciprocal
arrangements, or if one of these, in
your opinion, is no longer suitable.
AFRICA
SOUTH AFRICA
BERMUDA
Tucker’s Town
PAKISTAN
The Mid-Ocean Club
CANADA
Toronto
The National Club
The University Club of Toronto
SINGAPORE
The Albany Club
SOUTH KOREA
Vancouver
The Terminal City Club
The Vancouver Club
Victoria, BC
The Union Club of
British Columbia
] The Union Club, St John
EUROPE
Barcelona
Círculo Ecuestre
Bilbao
Sociedad Bilbaina
Brussels
] Cercle Royal Gaulois
Dublin
Stephen’s Green Hibernian Club
Gothenburg
] The Royal Bachelors’ Club
Durban
The Durban Club
Johannesburg
The Country Club of
] Nieuwe of Literaire Societeit
The Hague de Witte
Johannesburg
Hamburg
] The Anglo German Club
The Rand Club
Helsinki
] Svenska Klubben
Kimberley
The Kimberley Club
Luxembourg
] Cercle Munster
Pietermaritzburg
The Victoria Country Club
] Financiero Génova
Madrid ] Real Sociedad Española
Club de Campo
The Pietersburg Club
Port Elizabeth St George’s Club
KENYA
Nairobi
The Muthaiga Country Club
ZIMBABWE
The Islamabad Club
SRI LANKA
] The James’s Club
The University Club
The Cape Town Club
Port Elizabeth
The Sind Club
Islamabad
Montreal
Cape Town
Polokwane
Karachi
Oporto
Oporto Cricket and Lawn
Tennis Club
Paris ] Cercle de l’Union Interalliée
Stockholm
] Sällskapet
Bulawayo
The Bulawayo Club
HONG KONG
Harare
] The County Club
The Harare Club
Hong Kong
] The Hong Kong Club
] The Hong Kong Cricket Club
AUSTRALIA
INDIA
Adelaide
The Tollygunge Club
Royal Bombay Yacht Club
The Golden Swan
The Adelaide Club
Calcutta
The Naval, Military and Air Force
Club of Adelaide
Mumbai
The Public Schools’ Club
JAPAN
Brisbane
The Queensland Club
The Tattersall’s Club
Tokyo
Canberra
The Commonwealth Club
] Tokyo American Club
MIDDLE EAST
Colombo
The Colombo Club
Nuwara Eliya
The Hill Club
Singapore
Seoul
The Tanglin Club
] The Seoul Club
UK
Belfast
] The Ulster Reform Club
Edinburgh
The New Club
Royal Scots Club
Glasgow
The Western Club
Henley on Thames
The Phyllis Court Club
Liverpool ] The Athenaeum Club
London
] The City University Club
] The Hurlingham Club
(membership card and
photo ID is essential )
Newcastle
upon Tyne
The Northern Counties Club
Perth
The Royal Perth Golfing
Society & County and City Club
USA
Berkeley
The Berkeley City Club
Boston
The Algonquin Club
The Harvard Club
The Union Club
Bethesda,
Maryland
The Kenwood Golf &
Country Club
Cincinnati
The Queen City Club
Chicago The Chicago Athletic Association
The Standard Club
The Union League Club
University Club of Chicago
Florida
Mountain Lake
Massachusetts
The Wianno Club (open May-Nov)
Minneapolis
The Minneapolis Club
New York
The Princeton Club
The Fort Orange Club, Albany
The Lotos Club
The Metropolitan Club
The Union League Club
Philadelphia
The Union League Club
Phoenix
] The University Club
San Francisco
Marines’ Memorial Association
The University Club
Seattle
The Rainier Club
Manama
] The British Club
Texas
The Fort Worth Club
Dubai
] The Capital Club
Richmond, Virginia
The Bull & Bear Club
Virginia
The Norfolk Yacht
& Country Club
Washington
The Army & Navy Club
The Cosmos Club
The University Club
Hobart
The Tasmanian Club
Launceston
The Launceston Club
Melbourne
The Athenaeum Club
The Australian Club
Auckland
The Northern Club
The Melbourne Club
The Royal Automobile Club
Christchurch
The Canterbury Club (closed until further notice)
Newcastle
The Newcastle Club
Perth ] The Western Australian Club
The Christchurch Club (closed until further notice)
The Weld Club
Dunedin
The Dunedin Club
Sydney
The Union, University &
Napier
The Hawke’s Bay Club
Schools’ Club
Wellington
The Wellington Club
NEW ZEALAND
] Accommodation not available
Members are reminded that the production of a
current membership card and photo ID is essential
when visiting the Hurlingham Club. Our reciprocal
clubs usually require an introductory card which may
be obtained from the secretary’s office.