Century as Club · Hilary J Reid Evans Peter I H Haigh ... 9 BILL MCMAHON REMEMBERED Edmund Gordon 14 CENTENARY DINNER ... By the time you receive the

WINTER 2017

Marquis ofTullibardineRESTORING OURFOUNDER

SpotlightSHARING IN A

GRAND NATIONAL

WINNER

JolomoDEBUT IN

HALKIN STREET

The Official Journal of The Caledonian Club, Belgravia, London

Scots in GreatWar LondonHUGH PYM ON A NEWPROJECT

The

Celebrating aCentury as

a Members’Club

FROM OUR PRESIDENT

2 The Caledonian WINTER 2017

100 years as aMembers’ ClubIt was a great privilege tojoin my fellow members atthe Centenary Dinner tocelebrate The CaledonianClub’s 100 years as amembers’ club.

It was way back in 1990 that I wasinvited to become President ofthe Caledonian Club under the

chairmanship of Bill McMahon andI accepted with much pleasure. We have been fortunate to have hadChairmen who, along with theirCommittees, have taken on boardall the challenges that we have facedand with their enthusiasm andpassion for the club, made it what itis today – a great place to stay, dine and meet and socialise withlike-minded people. Of course ourstaff play a pivotal role too so mythanks to them all for their hardwork and dedication.

Over the years I haveenjoyed attending manyevents such as the St Andrew’sDay Dinner, always a greatoccasion with exceptionalspeakers. The Vice Presidents’Dinners have also been mostenjoyable, a chance for me to meetwith those who have led our club inthe past and present and get an updateon how the club is developing.

Living in Brechin my visits toLondon are not as frequent as theyused to be however it is always apleasure to visit Halkin Street whereI always receive a warm welcome,as you all do. I have no doubt that

the Caledonian Club will still begoing strong 100 years from now,and I am proud to be part of such a magnificent establishment andwish it and its Members everysuccess for the future.

Yours aye,

The Rt Hon The Earl of Dalhousie DL

CentenaryAppeal Update The Common Good Fund are delighted to reportthat funds raised by the Centenary Appealtogether with Gift Aid currently total in excess of£140,000. The new funds will enable the House andother commitees to consider a number of differentproposals to be presented to the Common GoodFund on how the money can best be invested inthe club premises.

These proposals will include one major projectwhich will be an enduring testament to the appealtogether with necessary investment in the generalfabric of the building and its fixtures and fittings.One of the first projects will be the refurbishment of the leather armchairs in the hallway and theMorrison room.

The board listing those contributing £500 ormore to the appeal will be hung in the clubhouse inthe New Year and the Secretariat will shortly bemaking contact with those Members qualifying toconfirm details.

The Caledonian Club Common Good Fund

CommonGood FundThe Common Good Fund is the charitable side of theclub and was formed with the objective of preservingand enhancing the Caledonian Club building and ofmaintaining and expanding the art and artefacts ofthe club. In pursuit of these aims the Fund has in thelast year financed the cleaning of the portrait of AngusMackay in the Hall and the restoration of the print ofthe portrait of the 8th Duke of Atholl, (see page 7)the cost of which was donated by David and JanCoughtrie and the cleaning of the portrait of PrinceJames and Princess Henrietta, the two youngestchildren of King James VII and II.

Signet ClubNewsThe Signet Club was formedto recognise those memberswho have notified theSecretary of their intention toleave a bequest to the club. InOctober a lunch was held in theSelkirk Room when members of theSignet Club were invited by the Common Good FundTrustees to a convivial lunch as guests of the club.

We continued the tradition of inviting in additionmembers who had made significant donationsduring the year. We welcomed Iain McAulay, who hasdonated a bound copy of the first years’ editions ofThe Scotsman in 1817, and Deborah Thomson, partowner of the Grand National winner One For Arthur,who has donated funds for the refurbishment of abedroom which will be named the One for Arthurroom to celebrate that victory. It is understood thatOne for Arthur has no immediate plans to stay atthe club.

Do please contact the Secretary if you are thinkingof providing a bequest to the club in your will.

Andrew Ferguson

PRESIDENTThe Rt Hon The Earl of Dalhousie DL

VICE PRESIDENTS(In order of appointment)George M F GillonPeter A J Gardiner OBERanald T I Munro CBE TDEuan Harvie-WattDavid T Coughtrie

CHAIRMANDavid W Guild

VICE CHAIRMANWilliam E McDermott

COMMITTEECaroline J BanszkyIan M BurrellHilary J Reid EvansPeter I H HaighJoseph C HendryAndrew J JamiesonJames ScrymgeourDavid J SmithJ Stuart ThomKenneth R Young

THE CALEDONIAN MAGAZINEThe Official Journal of The Caledonian Club9 Halkin Street, Belgravia, London SW1X 7DR

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Ian M Burrell (Chairman)Robert Parkhill (Editor)David W GuildWilliam E McDermottLouise J NewtonDavid BaldenAlison Davis (Production Co-ordinator)

DESIGN & PRODUCTIONHalo Design [email protected]

ADVERTISINGAlison [email protected] 7333 8712

PUBLISHERThe Caledonian Club ©2017

CLUB CONTACTSSecretary: David Balden

[email protected] 7333 8711

Secretary’s Alison DavisPA: [email protected]

020 7333 8712Accounts Ewa Janeczek

[email protected] 7333 8716Emma Mitchell020 7333 8715

Banqueting Mia Parsons& Catering [email protected]

020 7201 1508Bedroom [email protected]& Dining 020 7235 5162bookingsChef Lee Francis

[email protected] 7333 8727

Events Amber [email protected] 7333 8722

Financial Angela GrahamManager [email protected]

020 7333 8713House Frankie O'DonnellManager [email protected]

020 7333 8729Membership Anne Rowland

ar@@caledonianclub.com020 7333 8714

Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, neitherThe Caledonian Club nor the authors can accept liabilityfor errors or omissions. Views expressed in this journalare not necessarily those of The Caledonian Club. No responsibility can be accepted for unsolicitedmanuscripts, transparencies or photographs. All prices andinformation contained in advertisements are correct at thetime of going to press. No part of this magazine may bereproduced without written permission from the publisher.

CaledonianThe

WINTER 2017

CONTENTS

WINTER 2017 The Caledonian 3

ON THE COVER

7 MARQUIS OF TULLIBARDINE Restoring our Founder

10 SPOTLIGHTSharing in a Grand National Winner

18 JOLOMODebut in Halkin Street

26 SCOTS IN GREAT WAR LONDONHugh Pym on a New Project

REGULARS

5 CLUB NEWS AND DIARYForthcoming Events

8 MEMBERSHIPWelcome to our New Members

17 SOCIAL SCENESt Andrew’s Day Dinner

21 SOCIETY REPORTSA round up of Society news

FEATURES

2 CENTENARY MESSAGELord Dalhousie

9 BILL MCMAHON REMEMBEREDEdmund Gordon

14 CENTENARY DINNER100 Years as a Members’ Club

16 CALEDONIAN LECTUREScots in Catherine the Great’s Russia

24 ALL IN THE FAMILYLinks Between Two Familiar Scottish Institutions

27 WI’ A HUNDRED SCOTSMEN AN’ A’ AN’ A’The Caledonian Society of London

7

18

26

17

21

14

CHAIRMAN’S LETTER

Arewardingcentenary yearDear friends and fellow MembersAs I prepare for my final fewmonths as your Chairman, it ishighly rewarding to report thatwe have had another successfulyear at the club, with the long-term goal always being tocontinue improving the facilitiesand offerings for members.

The generosity shown by thosewho donated to the CentenaryAppeal has been overwhelmingand this will significantly enhancethe club in a number of ways, asmentioned on page 2.

As some of you may know,August is traditionally known asa quiet month in clubland,however this year we were verymuch open offering lunch anddinner alongside other clubfacilities and following thesuccess of

this we shall continue on this basis.I am delighted to say that duringAugust one of the highlights waswhen renowned Scottish artist DrJohn Lowrie Morrison (Jolomo)and his team transformed theJohnnie Walker Room into amass of colour when showcasinghis exhibition, A Taste of Argyll &the Isles. Present on the eveningwas Alan Horn, DevelopmentDirector, at the Glasgow Schoolof Art who is very keen todevelop links with the club.

The Jolomo exhibitionshowed how diverse the club canbe as a venue whether it be awedding, dinner, exhibition orconcert and on Sunday 22October members and guestswere treated to a most pleasantafternoon of music and songhosted by world renowned opera

singer, LesleyGarrett.

Our keyclub eventswere a greatsuccess asalways andthere was afull housefor our

St Andrew’s Day Dinnerin the presence of LordStrathclyde. The ReelingEvenings celebrated their10th anniversary andthanks to those whocontribute in making this eventso enjoyable for all.

In the winter 2016 issue Imentioned that it was my intentionto get to meet as many membersas possible and I am delighted tosay that the introduction of theChairman’s Lunch has been veryworthwhile. Several lunches havetaken place this year givingmembers the opportunity to airtheir views and meet fellowmembers. This will continue over2018 so please contact theSecretariat if you would like toattend a future lunch.

Head Chef Lee Francis hassettled in well over the last fewmonths adding some new andexciting dishes to the menu. Do make use of our wonderfuldining room and sample the newmenus for yourself. We haveintroduced a Tuesday Lunch Clubwhere members can meet andenjoy a specially prepared menuwith bin end wines for £45.Numbers are limited so pleaselook out for forthcoming dates inthe club email newsletters.

By the time you receive themagazine we will have gatheredfor the Members’ CentenaryChristmas Lunch on 18 December.This was the very day a centuryago that we became a members’club and as the President hasmentioned in his letter I am surethe club will still be around inanother 100 years. Many of youwho attended the CentenaryDinner in September contacted meto say how much they enjoyed theevening. It was clear to see that allare very proud to be members ofThe Caledonian Club. A centenary

booklet has been produced toaccompany this issue and thanksto Tessa Szczepanik, one of ouryounger members and professionalconsultant genealogist, who did avery thorough job on researchingthe founder of the club, NevilleCampbell.

It is clear that 2018 andbeyond will continue to bechallenging and we are managingthis to minimise the impact onour members. Please continue toshow your support by utilisingthe club and encouraging family,friends and colleagues to join ormake use of our function rooms.

May I thank all those who giveup their time to organise and assiston committees and with events andto Secretary David Balden and hisstaff who consistently look afterus so well. I heartily encourageyou to show your appreciation forthe staff by supporting the annualStaff Fund, as I know many ofyou do as a matter of course.

Like many of you, I wasparticularly delighted to learn ofthe engagement of two of ourprominent younger members,Angus Burrell, Chairman of theYounger Members’ Society andAlexandra Cruden who sits on theArt & Artefacts committee. Theymet at the Club a few years agoand I am sure you will join me inwishing them many years of healthand happiness as a married couple.

May I conclude by wishing you and your family a very MerryChristmas and a happy, healthyand prosperous 2018.

Best wishes. David Guild

Chairman


The new centenary booklet

CLUB NEWS

FOR YOUR DIARYDECEMBER22 Fri Club Closes 4pm

JANUARY4 Thu Club re-opens 9am5 Fri Staff Party9 Tue Number 9 Society Dr David Rooney,

Keeper of Technologies andEngineering Science Museum, London

16 Tue Book Club The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth

19 Fri Burns Supper

FEBRUARY3-17 Mar RBS Six Nations Rugby Members Bar

open every Sat/Sun when there is a match5 Mon New Members’ Dinner Invitation only6 Tue Number 9 Society Andrew Ferguson

(Club Member)16 Fri Younger Members’ Society Dinner20 Tue Book Club India by John Keay20 Tue Musical Evening Clare Hammond

(piano)21 Wed Golfing Society Social Evening24 Sat Calcutta Cup26-23 Mar Scottish Schools Art Exhibition Private View – Thu 22 March28 Thu 25 Year Lunch Invitation only

MARCH2 Fri Reeling Evening6 Mon Open Evening6 Tue Number 9 Society Justin Urquhart

Stewart 16 Fri Younger Members’ Society Gin

Tasting22 Thu Alba Lunch 20 Tue Book Club The Last Mughal by

William Dalrymple20 Tue Musical Evening Alessandro Fisher

(tenor)30 Fri Good Friday

APRIL1 Sun Easter Carvery2 Mon Easter Monday3 Tue Number 9 Society TBC24 Tue Book Club A Strange and Sublime

Address by Amit Chaudhuri24 Tue Musical Evening Oxana Shevchenko

(piano)

For further information on Club events,call 020 7333 8722

MEMBERSHIP REPORT:100 years and 100 newmembersI am pleased to say that the encouragingstart to the year continued for theremainder of 2017. We expect to haveelected close to 100 new members by thetime you read this, an appropriatenumber in our centenary year. With anew total of over 1,300 members, this willsee us pass another milestone on the roadto our long-term goals.

A large thank you must go to all ourmembers, committee members and oursecretariat, without whose efforts this would nothappen. Referral from existing memberscontinues to be the leading source of newmembers, although this year 40% of referralscame via the internet. This increase overprevious years is largely due to the recentintroduction of a web-based application form. Of course there is a side effect from this in thatthe number of candidates needing interview hasmultiplied, and I thank all those committeemembers who give of their time to do these. Wehave also seen an increase in the numbers ofprospective new members attending our OpenEvenings and a subsequent increase of newmembers joining the club via this route.

I urge all members to bring any prospectivemembers to one of these evenings. It is anopportunity for them to meet other members,members of the secretariat and committeemembers – above all to get the opportunity toexperience the club. We only ask that you contactAnne Rowland and give her your details and thatof any guests.

Anyone who, over the years, has beeninvolved in the work to increase the membershipwill tell you that one is always struck by thenumber of Scots based in London, who havenever heard of the Caledonian Club. The pastyear has seen a major effort to identify andengage with other Scottish institutions andorganisations who have strong links to London.This of course is an ongoing effort.

You may be interested to learn of the currentmake up of our membership:

• Our youngest member is 19 years of age, ouroldest 101. The average age of our membershipis just under 59, which is marginally below the2016 level and well below that of 10 years ago.

• The total number of lady members is 223 whichis a few more that 2016; of these 33 are under35, with 23 being under 30 years of age.

• We have 102 gentlemen who are under 35 years(60 are under 30), this is approximately 10%higher than 2016; it follows that we have a totalof 135 younger members aged 35 and below.

This can only be good for the future of the club, andwe owe a huge thanks to all those younger membersand their committee under the chairmanship ofAngus Burrell who make our club such a vibrantand welcoming place for young Scots.

We are in a good place to face 2018 but westill need to improve our retention rates; whilst welost fewer than 2016 they are still higher than wewould like. Our losses in any year vary greatly,with mid 70s and mid 80s being common, withmid 90s on occasion. It can be seen that we spenda lot of time catching up. This is now the greatestbarrier to us achieving our membership goals.

Can I take the opportunity to wish allmembers a Merry Christmas and a Guid NewYear and hope to see all of you in 2018.

WE McDermott, Chairman Membership Committee

On 28 November, we held a reception for newMPs representing Scottish constituencies.

Despite a very crowded parliamentary schedule sixMPs were able to be present and although all partieswere invited it so happened they were from theConservative and Unionist party. With David Guild (l)and Stuart Thom (r) are from left to right. Colin Clark(Gordon) Kirstene Hair (Angus) and John Lamont(Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk).

Also in attendance, butnot in the photographwere: Andrew Bowie(Aberdeen West & Kircardine),David Duguid(Banff andBuchan), andDouglas Ross(Moray).

Reception for newly elected Scottish MPs


Open Evening

CLUB NEWS


Eugenio arrived in London in the80s having left his hometown ofTurin, Italy. He has vast experiencein high-end establishments such asthe Connaught, Harry’s Bar, 5Hertford Street and Morton’s onBerkeley Square. Prior to arriving atthe club he spent two yearsconsulting for a private members’club in the Middle East as well as

assisting in the familyrestaurant back in Italy. He enjoysspending timewith his family.

British-born Paul wasbrought up inSouth Africaand returnedto the UK in the90s where hebegan a careerin hospitality.Like Eugenio,Paul is familiarwith club life

having worked as Head Barman atboth the Reform Club and Army &Navy Club. When not working Paullikes to watch rugby now ratherthan play and frequently travels toSpain, the homeland of his wife.

Both Eugenio and Paul arelooking forward to working togetherand sharing their wealth ofexperience gained over the years.

Library updateA Library Group was established in May, answerableto the Arts and Artefacts Committee and under thechairmanship of Andrew Ferguson. The membersare Hilary Reid Evans, John Murray, RichardHolmes, Malcolm Noble and David Balden.

A Statement of Principles has been adoptedwith the following aims:

• The purpose of the library is to providequality reading and reference material forclub members and their guests. A key aim isto build a specialist Scottish collectionavailable for reference by other London clubsand London-based Scottish organisations.The library collection will be built through atargeted acquisitions strategy.

• Outwith its use as a library, the room will beretained as a business area and should bemade more comfortable for that purpose withimproved lighting and furniture.

• The improvements to the library shouldenhance its appeal as a venue for privatefunctions.

The library collection is now listed by authorand title under classification headings; the majoroutstanding task is to store the books on the shelvesby classification to enable physical browsing.

The Library Grouphas started to acquirenew books using fundsspecifically donatedand these can be foundon shelves immediatelyto the right as youenter the library. Aftera short period they willbe placed on shelvesunder the appropriate classification.

For the present, club members are beingasked not to remove books from the Library.The intention is that the library will be primarilya browsing library but a borrowing option willeventually be available when the classificationprocess has been completed. Members areencouraged to use the library while on the clubpremises and books should be returned to thebottom shelves to the right of the libraryentrance and NOT replaced on the shelves.

The rate at which the library grows dependsentirely on our ability to raise the necessaryfunds. The progress made so far has been dueentirely to the generosity of individual members.The Library Group is compiling lists of suitabletitles and it is proposed that Johnny de Falbe ofJohn Sandoe (Books) Ltd. will take on the role of

advisor on acquisitions, a service he provides forseveral London club libraries.

The next steps will involve three priorities.The first is to secure funding for regularpurchases of new or second-hand books in goodcondition. The second is to update the list ofsuitable titles for acquisition. The third is tocommunicate regularly with members on newlyacquired titles and other changes.

Members interested in making donationsfor making book purchases should contact theSecretary. Any queries or comments can be madeto the Secretary or members of the Library Group.

The Library Group would like to expresstheir appreciation to Richard Holmes for all his hard work in cataloguing the club’s librarycollection.

Malcolm Noble

Calling all ScotsAnd the children of Scots

ScotsCare is a charity that helps Scots livingin London rebuild or improve their lives.

If you know of someone who needs help, would like to find out more, or would like to help others by volunteering your time or donating funds, call us free of charge on 0800 652 2989 or visit www.scotscare.com

22 City Road, London EC1Y 2AJ facebook.com/ScotsCare @ScotsCare

Staff newsWe welcome two key members of staff to the team, Eugenio Rolfo(Dining Room and Bar Manager) and Paul Burgess (Head Barman).

Eugenio and Paul

COMMON GOOD FUND


Andrew Ferguson remembers a man to whom theCaledonian Club owes much.

John Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl, also known as ‘Bardie’,played a key role in the history of the Caledonian Club when in 1917he led the transformation of the Club from a proprietary club to the

members’ club we have today. Bardie was born on 15 December 1871 at the family home of Blair

Castle in Perthshire. He was given the title Marquis of Tullibardine,traditionally bestowed on the eldest son, or in his case the eldest survivingson, of the Duke of Atholl. He was educated at Eton and on leaving, joinedthe Black Watch before transferring to the Royal Horse Guards at theinvitation of the Prince of Wales.

Military service

A year after his engagement in 1897 to Katharine Ramsay, the daughter ofSir James Ramsay of Bamff, Bardie was appointed by Kitchener to serve inthe Sudan as a Staff Officer to the Colonel commanding the EgyptianCavalry and took part in the Battle of Omdurman.

Bardie and Katherine were married at St. Margaret’s ChurchWestminster on 20 July 1899. When, a few months later, the Second Boerwar broke out, he volunteered for service in the 1st Royal Dragoons andwas involved in the relief of Ladysmith. He then raised a regiment ofScottish Horse comprised of Scots in South Africa. These were joined byScots enlisting in London and two regiments were eventually formed. Hewas mentioned twice in dispatches and was awarded the DSO

Ideas take flight

Back in the UK, Bardie became acquainted with John Dunne who wasworking on the design of an aeroplane and formed a company to financework on the project. In 1914, the design was handed to ArmstrongWhitworth for further development. This early interest in aviation led toBardie becoming chairman of the Royal Aero Club in 1912; he continuedas chairman for eight years and then as president until his death.

Public service

Bardie had a profound sense of public duty and in the general election of1910 was elected as the Unionist MP for West Perthshire. H spoke often onland management and military affairs and in 1912 took a sensitive stancein the dockers’ strike. He told the House of Commons of families of ‘eightand ten struggling to live on 1d. or 2d. per day.’ When the strike ended, helaunched an appeal for funds to enable the strikers to reclaim possessionsthey had been forced to pawn. He continued as an MP until 1917 when onthe death of his father he took his seat in the House of Lords.

His wife Katharine also had a parliamentary career and in1923became the first Scottish female MP. She espoused social causes and wasknown as the ‘Red Duchess.’

The Great War

Bardie was appointed Brigadier-General in command of the Scottish Horsewith seven regiments. In August 1915 three regiments embarked – withouttheir horses – for Gallipoli to reinforce the Suvla landing. Conditions at Suvlawere appalling and dysentery was rife. In December the evacuation was orderedand after some months in Egypt the three regiments were disbanded andthe men re-allocated. The remainder of the Scottish Horse would fight withdistinction in France notably at Le Cateau in the last months of the war.

Further honours

In 1917 the 7th Duke died and Bardie returned to Perthshire. He became LordLieutenant of the county and in 1918 was appointed Lord High Commissionerto the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, a position he held until1920. In 1919 he headed the committee to establish the Scottish National WarMemorial at Edinburgh Castle, which was ceremoniously opened in July 1927.

Bardie died at Blair Castle on 16th March 1942 after a short illness.His wife died in 1960.

This article is based on Working Partnership, by the Duchess of Atholl. A copyof the book has been donated to the club library by The Common Good Fund.

JOHN STEWART-MURRAY, 8TH DUKE OF ATHOLL

Marquis of Tullibardine

Bardie rescuedFor many years, this portrait of the Marquis of Tullibardine hung unnoticed

in a corner of the lift well adjacent to the bar. Unnoticed, that is, until Jan

Coughtrie spotted it when researching for the Caledonian Club Collection,

the book about the club’s artworks and artefacts.

The club’s portrait is a print of the 1904 original by Sir James Guthrie,

which hangs in Blair Castle, and was given to the Marchioness by the artist.

The print was in a dilapidated state, with parts stuck to the glass. After

some research into restorers, the Graham Bignell Studio, a paper

conservation specialist, was asked to carry out the work.

A total of 13 hours was spent on the restoration which included the

delicate removal of the print from the frame, steaming the stuck pieces of

print from the glass, adhering these back into position and then infilling

and retouching any losses that had occurred.

The original frame was too shallow, which had allowed the print to come

into contact with its protective glass. Extra depth was added to the old frame

and the print re-instated with airspace between the glass and the print.

As befitting a man so important to the

history of the club,

Bardie’s portrait now

has a prominent

position in the

ground floor

corridor opposite

the snuff mull.


MEMBERSHIP

Dr Tahir AkhtarDr Akhtar grew up in Glasgow,attending universitythere where hestudied medicine.He did post-graduate work atKing’s and Queen Mary’s inLondon and is a senior consultantin intensive care medicine, with a bias towards organ transplant.Though he still works part-time for the NHS, he has branched out into business, founding severalinternational enterprises. He livesin Essex with his Glaswegian wifeand two children.

Patrick KingPatrick enteredthe film industryin 1967, as arunner beforebecoming aproducer, writerand director ofdocumentaries. His Scottishproductions include the award-winning Instrument of War: The History of the Great HighlandBagpipe and When the Pipers Playand he is a voting member ofBAFTA and the European FilmAcademy. He served in the 51stHighland Volunteers, part of theTerritorial Army and became adrummer in the London ScottishRegimental Pipe Band, serving withthem for 26 years. He lives in a smallvillage in rural Buckinghamshirewith his long-time partner Isla St Clair, the Scottish singer andbroadcaster.

Martin LoganOriginally fromGlasgow, Martin grew up in Alloway,Ayrshire. Hestudied medicineat GlasgowUniversity and is a consultantsurgeon. He now works in HarleyStreet, London & Berkshirespecialising in knee surgery. Martinis a keen golfer, cyclist and tennisplayer. He lives in Berkshire withhis wife Helen who is also a newmember, and their three children.

Helen LoganBorn in Irvine,Ayrshire, Helengrew up inHamilton.Lanarkshirebefore attendingGlasgow University where sheobtained degrees in the arts andlaw. Helen is a Scottish and Englishqualified solicitor and lives inBerkshire with her husband Martinand their three children. Helen’sinterests include running, readingand family. She is looking forwardto enjoying many more happyevenings at the Caledonian Club.

AndrewMackenzieAndrew grew upin Banff inAberdeenshire. He studied law at the Universityof Glasgow,qualifying as a Scottish andsubsequently English solicitoradvocate, before being admitted tothe English Bar. Andrew has lived inDubai for the past 8 years and hasrecently accepted partnership at thelaw firm of Baker Mckenzie. Hobbiesinclude golf, rugby, music and history.

Laura ShawLaura was born inAberdeen, studyingPetroleum Geologyat AberdeenUniversity beforemoving toEdinburgh tostudy Reservoir Engineering. She currently works in London for

a European management andtechnology consultancy focusingon strategy consulting. Lauraenjoys visiting Scotland to enjoy theoutdoors and practice her hobbies:running, rock climbing,mountaineering and skiing.

Timothy SupriseHailing from theUSA and with two Scottishgrandparents(Clan Gordon),Tim foundedArcadia BrewingCompany in 1996,a medal-winning craft brewery andpub that specialises in British-inspired and American-craftedartisanal beers. Married with twoadult children (son Gabe is a piper),Tim has been working for the pasttwo years with a number of legacyUK brewers (including CaledonianBrewery), and is in the process ofestablishing key partnerships thatwill include brewing Arcadia Alesin England for the UK andEuropean markets.

Judith WayJudith has strongfamily connectionswith Aberdeenthrough hermother whosefamily name isInnes and she likescollecting items in the Innes tartan.She is a solicitor chairing tribunalsand panels in the area of professionalregulation. She enjoys tennis andone year she was delighted to go toall four grand slams in Melbourne,Paris, Wimbledon and New York.

MEMBERSHIP UPDATESince Spring issue:

New MembersDr Tahir M AkhtarMichael J H BeckettDr Daliah P BondOlivia BroderickCharles BruceDavid R B CargillRobert B CarterJ Bruce CartwrightKate CraigheadMichelle M DawsonAnthony R de UngerCalum FergusonRussell J GreenMichael A GribbenMichael J A HealyKaren E HeatonKevin HeverinAlexander HowardDavid HuTom HunterRobert C A HunterStuart F JohnstonEleanor LaingA Nicholas LyleJames R LyonEwan F MacTaggartFaithann McIverAllan McKinnonGiorgio A Ninni RivaJohn OwensPeter PantaleoAdam RaeCourtenay J RowettLaura A ShawKatie StephensonJulia A StierliMartin TaylorGeoffrey P ThomasJohnny D ThomsonAlice UrquhartT Andrew E WamaePauline Wyman

Re-ElectionDarren JohnstonDavid J Stewart

Family Associate MembershipDianne A BruceHelen Logan

In MemoriamJohn J BlancheJames O A FraserJ L Leslie ImrieJeremy D Nicholson

Queen’s Birthday HonoursProfessor Anton Muscatelli, thePrincipal and Vice Chancellor ofthe University of Glasgow hasbeen awarded a knighthood forhis services to economics andhigher education.

NEW MembersSince the last issue, 46 new Members have joined the Club, including those featured below.

MILESTONE MembershipsThe Club recognises length of service in a number of ways and would like to acknowledge thosemembers who have achieved a milestone in their membership of the Club.

50 Years

The Rt Hon The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine KT

Alexander F McCardle JPPeter A J Gardiner OBE

40 YearsAlexander K FooteColonel John N Cormack MBE

Dr Iain C BaillieSir Ronald MillerH Renton LaidlawQ Robert Dean

E Ronald StottDonald H BrydonRichard L Holmes

25 YearsR Alan H ColquhounIsobel M BuchananElspeth M Booth

Peter M D StevensonH Drew Sloan OBE

David W HallLionel H JuddThe Rt. Hon. The LordWallace of Tankerness QC

Peter W FergusonColin Rutherford


WILLIAM MCMAHON MBE, FRICS

William Tonar McMahon, known to family and some friendsas ‘Billy’, to others as ‘Bill’, died in April 2017, aged 86. I am sure all will join in commiserating with his wife,Margaret, their daughter and son, Alison and Keith, andother family members on their loss.

Bill, if I may use the name by which I knew him, wasborn in Edinburgh in March 1931. He, his motherand father (who died when Bill was young), and

elder brother lived in Comely Bank, overlooking EdinburghAcademy sports ground, which, Bill once told me, he felthad partly led to his enthusiasm for cricket.

Bill’s first, and only, school was George Heriot’s. His timethere left lasting impressions. When Bill joined in 1936, hewould have been one of some 1500 boys. Many staff wouldhave been in or affected by the First World War. Five years of his schooling coincided with the Second World War. The school ethos reflected strongly held contemporary religiousand moral principles. It tended to be enforced by authorityand peer pressures. Educational achievement, as ever inScotland, was highly valued but possibilities for sport andother activities abounded.

In most respects Heriot’s resembled other good Scottish schools butadditional influences stemmed from its charitable origins, reflecting theschool motto, ‘impendo’, traditionally translated as ‘I distribute cheerfullie’, to signify its founder’s beneficent disposition.

On leaving Heriot’s in 1949 Bill joined an Edinburgh firm of quantitysurveyors, attending night school to gain professional qualifications. He andMargaret, both baptised by the sameminister at St Luke’s Church inEdinburgh, and who met in the YouthFellowship there, married in 1956. Inthe December that year they movedfrom Edinburgh to London, where Billworked first for the London CountyCouncil but soon moved to chartered surveyors Stanley Griffiths & Partnersin Westminster. He remained there until his retirement in 1995, becomingsenior partner and continuing as a consultant.

Deeply committed though Bill was to his family and work, his energyand sense of duty led to participation in other activities too.

One organisation Bill joined was the London Heriot Club, of which hewas President in 1969, a factor listed when he was proposed for CaledonianClub membership in 1971. He became a Committee member in 1983 andwas Chairman from 1988 to 1991, subsequently becoming a Vice President.Bill organised the Club’s Burns Suppers for many years, acting as Master ofCeremonies, and served a term as Golfing Society Captain. He and his firmwere involved in the construction of the Club’s Terrace in 1994.

But beyond these contributions it was during his chairmanship thatBill was instrumental in transformationally appointing its first clubsecretary, Paul Varney, with a background in what is now called hospitality.Previous secretaries had been retired members of the armed forces.

Bill’s involvement with the Royal Scottish Corporation, nowScotscare, the oldest Scottish charity outside Scotland, granted a royalcharter in 1665, led to his becoming a trustee.

Close professional collaboration with the architects Ware MacGregorPartnership led to involvement in major television projects, including theSouthern Television Studios in Southampton, the Thames TelevisionStudios in Euston Road in London and transmitter buildings for the BritishBroadcasting Corporation and Independent Broadcasting Authority.During this period Bill served on the British Board of Film Classification

and was on its Council of Management for some 10 years.He became Honorary Treasurer of the Royal TelevisionSociety in 1996 and was awarded an MBE in the 2007New Year Honours List for services to the Society.

Bill was a member of the Worshipful Company ofWoolmen.

A service to commemorate Bill’s life was held on 5May 2017 at Kingston United Reformed Church, of which Bill and Margaretwere long-standing members. The service was attended by the Club’spresent Chairman, David Guild, two past Chairmen, George Gillon andDavid Coughtrie, the Secretary, David Balden, and other Club members.

During the service, the minister, Lesley Charlton, characterised BillMcMahon as ‘a rock-solid citizen… not flash or demonstrative’, ‘someone alwaysready to listen and never self-indulgent’, ‘generous, wise, thoughtful, interestedin other people’ and ready to offer advice when needed. She quoted a workcolleague as saying ‘his tone was carefully measured and his wit was always dry’.

The minister also commented that: ‘[Bill] and Margaret are part of the… strict Presbyterianism which is our heritage … [Bill] lived a life whichdemonstrated rather than articulated what he believed in. Billy was orderedand a man with standards without being a fussy pedant which often goeswith such attributes. Things had to be done in a particular way, yet therewas a generosity about him’.

These comments will, I suspect, also reflect how Caledonian Clubmembers and staff who knew Bill will remember him. They capture well thequalities that prompted the affection and respect with which Bill McMahonwas so widely held.

Chairman who helpedtransform the club A personal tribute by Edmund Gordon

Margaret and Bill McMahon

“His tone was carefullymeasured and his witwas always dry.”

Much has already been written about the astonishingtriumph of One For Arthur at the Grand National in April2017: ridden by jockey Derek Fox, trained by LucindaRussell and only the second Scottish-trained horse to

win at Aintree since Rubstock in 1979 owned by John Douglas –coincidentally wearing the same number 22. The 14-1 shot, a horsewho for the first time in six years at the National started at odds below25-1, galloped steadfastly to fend off Cause of Causes by four and a halflengths, and win, thrilling the punters and making the bookies weep.

Racing success can be the result of paying the highest price at a horsesale for a genetic thoroughbred talent, but this was not the case of OneFor Arthur part-owned by Deborah Thomson along with BelindaMcClung. Their success is a story of friendship, risk, informed choices,hard graft, training and commitment. They became friends at Pony Clubaged four, and a passion for horses secured their friendship through touniversity. After separate journeys through their twenties and thirties,they were re-united through their combined and continued love of horses.

Deborah took her first step into owning a race horse afterconsulting with Johnny Jeffries the chairman of Kelso Racecourse, whoasked if she was in it for money or fun; “most definitely for fun” washer reply and so he suggested she contact Scottish trainer LucindaRussell to pursue her dream and ambition.

Serendipity was also to play a part around the same time, whenshe met Belinda again at a Racing Owners Day lunch at Arlary nearKinross. Having last seen each other in the rounds of 21st birthdayparties back in the day and several years later with partners, they eacheyed the other suspiciously across the room, before re-connecting andpicking up their friendship as if they had never been apart. Inevitably,it wasn’t long before they agreed to embark together on what becamethe successful and life-changing search for One For Arthur. With somuch time taken up in pursuit of a suitable race horse, their respectivepartners took to escaping most weekends to the golf course, and sodeveloped the Two Golf Widows partnership.

At the Brightwell’s Cheltenham sale in December 2014, the magichappened. Belinda arrived first, and on exiting the viewing told Debswho had just arrived with bloodstock agent Tom Malone, that therewas only one horse for her; half an hour later Debs agreed, and OneFor Arthur was bought for £60,000.

The journey to Aintree was strategic, tough and meticulouslyexecuted by trainer Lucinda Russell, assisted by partner retired jockeyPeter Scudamore at their yard in Arlary. One For Arthur ran every weekand always placed. But his handicap was still not high enough for Aintree2017. As time passed there was more success and then a big win in theClassic Chase at Warwick Racecourse on 4 January 2017, had Aintreein sight. Assigned a weight of 151 pounds and with starting odds of14/1 in a field of 20 chasers, he took the lead at the second to last fenceand drew away to win by six lengths from Goodtoknow. This movedhis handicap from 136 to 146. At the annual Weights Lunch Deborahdiscovered he was not in the top 40, but was in with a very realisticchance of starting. Due to re-shuffles, he eventually got a place.

An unexpected accident four weeks before the race was a major blowto their plans and jeopardised the partnership of jockey Derek Fox and OneFor Arthur. Derek broke his wrist and collarbone in a bad fall and it seemedunlikely that he would ride. But the skill of staff at Jack Berry House, a stateof the art rehabilitation and fitness centre, working on his physical strengthand conditioning got him back to fitness just days ahead of the race.

With so many obstacles along their journey behind them itseemed nothing else could go wrong. But (rarely for Liverpool) the sunshone. Deborah recalls, on race day the weather conditions were veryhot, and the ground unusually dry, not favourable terrain for One ForArthur. For the team, family and friends, therefore all bets were off, theday was to be relaxed, fun and the gin and tonics flowed. But at thewater jump, with a round to go the realisation dawned. Watching therace from a screen, Deborah witnessed One for Arthur, the goodjumper and stayer, described by Fox in overtaking the competition“like passing cars” win the Grand National, and fulfil her dreams.

The media frenzy which followed One For Arthur’s success waschallenging and a learning curve for Deborah, but a relationship shehas become more comfortable in managing as her confidence hasgrown. But her ability to overcome this media hurdle is not surprising,because to achieve the success she has in the male dominant world ofhorse racing takes intelligence, bravery, talent, hard work and humour,qualities she exudes. Deborah has recently invested in another horse,Two Rivers, and carrying on in her theme of subtle anonymity, isowned by her ‘Two Black Labs’, Dom and Louis; no doubt securingcontinued success for this thoroughly modern Scottish woman.

MELLING LANE DIVIDES AINTREE RACE COURSE, VENUE FOR THE GRAND NATIONAL

THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS STEEPLECHASE, AND IT IS WHERE MY MOTHER WAS BORN

AND GREW UP. SO, WHEN THE CALL TO WRITE A FEATURE ON DEBORAH THOMSON,

CALEDONIAN CLUB AND RACING SOCIETY MEMBER WAS SUGGESTED AT THE MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL PLANNING MEETING, I WAS UP FOR THE JOB.Louise Newton reports

DEBORAH THOMSON:A thoroughbredracing horse owner

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT


MEMBER SPOTLIGHT


“The success she has achieved in themale dominantedworld of horse racingtakes intelligence,bravery, talent, hard work andhumour, qualitiesshe exudes.”

At the post-race press conference: Belinda McClung, Deborah Thomson and Derek Fox

One for Arthur going over the finishing line

Deborah, family and friends Two Rivers in the colours of Two Black Labs. Deborah’s labradors are named Dom(Perignon) and Louis (Roederer) after her favourite refreshment. Let’s hope there will bemany occasions with Two Rivers when champagne will be called for!

CLUB EVENTS UPDATE


Lachlan Goudie at the ClubThe well-known Scottish artist andtelevision presenter, Lachlan Goudie,hosted an evening for Arts Groupmembers at the Club on 25 October.

Lachlan’s theme was the life and work of hisfather, Alexander (Sandy) Goudie, whoseportrait of Her Majesty the Queen (below)hangs at the head of the club’s main staircase.The portrait was commissioned by the club tocelebrate the centenary of our founding in 1891.

During his affectionate and moving talk,Lachlan told us that his father maintainedthat this was the most important portrait

commission of his career and gave thosepresent an insight into the artist’s creativeprocess. For example, Holyrood Palace, thebackground to the portrait, was includedfollowing a conversation with the Queenduring which, in response to the question‘What do you think of when you think ofScotland?’ she replied, without hesitation“Holyrood”. In the foreground, the rose lyingat her feet is a direct reference to the portraitby Pettie of Bonnie Prince Charlie in whichhis path is scattered with flower petals, apainting which hangs in the Morrison Room.

A friend of club member Colin Clark,Sandy stayed frequently in the club, walking toBuckingham Palace for his allotted time withHer Majesty and then dining with Colin. Colintells us he still has in his possession a drawing bySandy of diners attended by pipers and carryingthe inscription ‘After a most enjoyable dinner’.

Hilary Reid Evans

REELINGEVENINGS:10 YEARS ONOUR TOESThe club’s Reeling Evenings, which have beenheld twice a year since 26 October 2007, havebecome fixtures in the London Scottishcountry dancing calendar.

Somehow, we combine a happy mix of younger andolder reelers, Scottish country and ceilidh dancersalongside complete novices and all have fun.

It was David Coughtrie and AnthonyWestnedge who felt there ought to be moredancing in the club, and with a bit of help(author’s note – more than a bit!) from JamesFairbairn the Reeling Evenings were born.

76 attended the first one and now, such is theirpopularity, we have to limit the numbers to alloweveryone room to dance.

The fine food and wine and special ambienceof the club contribute to the conviviality, joyeven, of the evenings, while the Johnnie Walkerroom and the ballroomare perfect for diningand chatting withouthaving to shout overmusic, and fordancing withabandon on oursprung floor tosome of the bestdance bands, includingfrom Scotland.

Although not here on the night, SamanthaFairbairn delighted us with a 10th birthday cake.A delicious addition to a very enjoyable eveningand a great start to our next 10 years!

Hilary Reid Evans

CIGAR DINNER30 members gathered on the Terrace on 20 July for the annual Cigar Dinner hosted once again by Jimmy McGhee from Huntersand Frankau.

Once again, the weather was at its best enablingthe eating, smoking, drinking diners to enjoythree fine cigars al fresco with club malt andTaylors Vintage 1985.

Lachlan Goudie and Colin Clark

Smoking allowed… on the Terrace

SOCIAL SCENE

SummerSizzleTHE SUN SHONE, THESAUSAGES SIZZLED ANDMEMBERS ARRIVED INTHEIR SUMMER SARTORIALBEST FOR THE ANNUAL CLUB BBQThe early birds secured their tables in thecolourful, newly refurbished terrace, whilstthe late comers made a dash for the remainingseats inside and near the food; everyone wasa winner. New additions to add to the fun andatmosphere were music by the Croydon SteelBand and jars of childhood favourite sweetsincluding Flying Saucers, Dolly Mixtures andJelly Beans, with traditional candy-striped‘sweetie’ bags to pick and mix and take home.Another year and another “Best BBQ ever”.

By Louise NewtonPhotographs by Monica Wells


CLUB CENTENARY

Centenary Dinner


On the evening of Friday 22 September 2017, 126 Members sat down at a dinner to celebratethe 100th anniversary of The Caledonian Club becoming a members’ club.

It was a members only occasion and amongthe diners were our longest-living member,Dr George Rettie, aged 101 and our longest-

serving member, Eoin Mekie who joined in 1955.It was also an evening designed to be

short on ceremony and long on sustenance.Thus, the speakers had been briefed to speak

for only a few minutes each, while the dinersworked their way through four courses, threewines and the post-dinner port and club malt.

Our President, the Earl of Dalhousie was,as always, affable and able in conducting theproceedings.

In his speech, Chairman David Guildrevealed that the club’s original founder,Neville Campbell had been a wine merchantand was born in Perthshire – something onlyrecently discovered. However, we were

celebrating this evening, the foundation of theclub as constituted today through the effortsof another native of Perthshire, the Marquisof Tullibardine. (‘Bardie.’)

Senior Vice President George Gillonrecalled attending another centenary dinner –in 1991 – celebrating the centenary of theclub’s actual founding by Neville Campbell,with 9 courses and a different wine with each.He also reminisced about the characters hehad met in the club, and still meets. As hesaid, they make the club what it is – friendly,distinctive, and Scottish to the core.

Vice President David Coughtrie enlargedon the role of the Marquis of Tullibardine, whoassumed the title of the Duke of Atholl in 1917.Known throughout his life as Bardie, it was hisenergy and drive as Chairman that led to the

funds being raised for members to purchase theclub. He also gave an account of the restorationof Bardie’s portrait which had been hanging inan obscure corner of the Club and was displayedat the dinner. (See page 7.)

It was truly fitting that the raffle, a threelitre bottle of cognac should be won by IainMurray, a descendant of the Dukes of Atholl.It was not a put up job.

Members were asked to sign their individualmenu cards for the others on their table and alsoa ‘book of the night’ to be held in the library.

On leaving, all were presented with acommemorative crystal tumbler and a miniatureof the club malt.

The evening was organised by the eventscommittee under the chairmanship of HilaryReid Evans.

CLUB CENTENARY


THE CALEDONIAN LECTURE

Professor Anthony Cross, HE Dr Alexander Yakovenko, Hilary Reid Evans & Vice President David Coughtrie

Donald & Lynda LamontRuth Anderson, Paul Miller & Sasha PainterA full house awaits

Professor Anthony Cross FBA in deliveringthe 2017 Caledonian Lecture recountedthe broad sweep of involvement andinfluence of Scots who had been drawnduring Catherine’s reign to St Petersburg,the home of the Tsar’s court for 50 years.

David Coughtrie reports

Many Scottish names spilled forth for theirachievements. However, the Lecturefocused on three Scots who made their

mark during the reign of Catherine the Great:Dr John Rogerson, Catherine’s personal physicianwith the rank of State Counsellor; AdmiralSamuel Greig, responsible for the rebuilding ofthe Russian Navy and architect CharlesCameron, summoned to Russia by Catherine.

Dr John RogersonArriving in Russia in 1766, Rogerson had a meteoriccareer becoming the court physician within threeyears and Catherine’s personal physician in 1976.He enjoyed a reputation, not only as a doctor butalso as a man of wide learning, becoming thefirst Briton to be elected to the Russian Academy ofSciences. Wherever the Empress went, he went.He was well rewarded for his dedication includingan estate near Minsk with 1,500 serfs that broughta handsome income. While he visited Scotlandonly three times during his sojourn away, hereturned after 50 years’ service, buying andrebuilding Dumcrieff House in Dumfriesshire.

Admiral Samuel GreigProfessor Cross described Samuel Greig as a truehero. Born in Inverkeithing, he achieved muchin Russian service, was a friend of Rogerson andhighly esteemed by the Empress.

Catherine was intent on reviving the fortunesof her navy, which she described as a ‘herring fleet’and it was to Britain that she turned to recruithigh quality officers, including Greig as a captainof the first rank. He served under Count Orlovin the great Russian victory over the Turks at theBattle of Chesme Bay and was hailed as a hero forhis leadership and naval skills. Already a knightof St George and St Anna, he was promoted tovice-admiral and Commandant of Kronstadt.

On his return to St Petersburg he wasappointed a full Admiral and initiated majorimprovements to the Russian Baltic Fleet. Hemodernised the naval dockyard at Kronstadt, andproduced a masterplan for its redevelopment. It was as supreme commander of the Russian navalfleet that Greig entered the war against Sweden thatbegan in 1988 but was short lived. Soon after Greigdied, not in battle but from fever. Catherine sentRogerson to tend to him but it was too late. Suchwas her regard for Greig that she had a gold medalstruck and a marble mausoleum erected in theLutheran cathedral of Revel, now known as Tallinn.

Charles Cameron, ArchitectProfessor Cross referred to his third exemplar, as‘of a rather different character and temperamentfrom Greig’. Described as an elegant draughtsmanand a fervent disciple of Palladianism, he wassummoned to Russia by Catherine in 1779. He was to inspire near-rapturous admiration ofhis talents in the Empress, who was soon writingthat he was not only a “great designer” but also aJacobite, brought up in the household of thePretender in Rome and a direct descendant ofCameron of Lochiel. Cameron was in fact aLondon Scot, son of a speculative builder. He probably never visited Scotland but was hailed,debatably, as ‘Russia’s most famous Scot’. It wasthe design of a single building that earned him

that accolade, the Cameron Gallery added to theCatherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, and so nameddecades after his death. When it was finished, itis said that the Empress, holding Cameron bythe arm, as they finished a tour of inspection,quipped: “it is indeed very handsome, mais çacoûte (but it’s not cheap)”.

In ConclusionIn many ways it is Cameron’s name that has livedon through the Gallery at Tsarkoye Selo. Rogerson’sname has slipped from history, despite hisprominent position and long service in Russia.Admiral Greig is still revered by students ofRussian military history. It is remarkable thatduring this period there was another Scotsman,John Paul Jones born in Kirkcudbright, andsometimes referred to as the ‘Father of theAmerican Navy’, who also served in the ImperialRussian Navy, obtaining the rank of rear admiral.Perhaps the subject of another Lecture!

The LecturerMany authors have written about this period inRussian history and the contribution Scots madeto the country’s development, but ProfessorCross is acknowledged as the foremost expert inthis field. Formerly Professor of Slavonic Studiesat the University of Cambridge, he now lecturesinternationally.

Guest of HonourHis Excellency, Dr Alexander Yakovenko, theAmbassador of the Russian Federation to theUK gave the Vote of Thanks, noting the famousRussian poet, Mikhail Lermontov, who has Scottishorigins, a direct descendant of a George Learmonth.His Excellency presented a copy of Lermontov’sfamous book Demon, a masterpiece of Europeanliterature, translated into 13 languages, to the club.


Dr John Rogerson

Admiral Samuel Greig

Charles Cameron, Architect

Scots inCatherine theGreat’s RussiaA DOCTOR . AN ADMIRAL . AN ARCHITECT

SOCIAL SCENE


St Andrew’sDay DinnerLORD STRATHCLYDE: A SCOTSMAN ON SCOTLAND

With our President, Lord Dalhousie presiding,the grace was said by the Reverend Dr GeorgeWhyte, Principal Clerk of the GeneralAssembly of the Church of Scotland.

Lord Dalhousie introduced our guestspeaker, The Rt Hon The Lord Strathclyde CHPC who, though chairman of the Carlton Club,is a frequent visitor to the Caledonian, evenholding a ‘significant’ birthday party here.

The Toast was to Scotland and LordStrathclyde, born in Glasgow and living inMauchline was certainly well qualified topropose it.

Lord Strathclyde entered the House ofLords in 1986 and served in various ministerialposts from 2010, before resigning in 2013to pursue a career in business.

In toasting Scotland, he spoke of ourindestructible spirit; of how, in over 400years in the UK, we had kept our identity.He spoke also of St Andrew, whosephilosophy could be summed up as “Take what you have and share it.”

As a company, we certainly shared agreat evening, with over 120 members andguests enjoying haggis and the chef ’s roastfillet of beef and bread and butter pudding.Until 2010, the St Andrew’s Day Dinnerwas men only and it was encouraging to seeso many ladies present.

Chairman of the Caledonian Club,David Guild proposed the Vote of Thanksto Lord Strathclyde and all those membersand staff who had worked to make the eveningsuch a success.

Photographs by Monica Wells

JOLOMO EXHIBITION

Halkin Street debut for JolomoDr John Lowrie Morrison CBE (Jolomo) isone of Scotland’s most highly regardedpainters. Traditionally, he has held his annualLondon exhibition in Mayfair. This year he broke with tradition and in additionhe came to the Caledonian Club as well.

Jolomo didn’t just hang his pictures in theclub. Together with his son Simon asproject manager and a crew of craftsmen,

he transformed the Johnnie Walker room into averitable (not virtual) gallery with white wallsand professional lighting.

Never was the Johnnie Walker room sodistant from our vision, but not nearly as distantas Argyll and the Isles, a taste of which Jolomoserved up in his famous rich and vibrant style.

The exhibition opened with a private viewfor club members on Thursday 24 August andwas then open to the public through the BankHoliday weekend.

Glengoyne Distillers are collaborating withJolomo and the Glasgow School of Art in a projectto support the GSA’s Mackintosh RestorationAppeal and they provided a fine example of thedistiller’s art to accompany the art on the walls.A percentage of the profits from the exhibition isto be donated by the artist to the Appeal.

Was the change of venue a success? Ourmembers attending seemed to think so andseveral paintings found buyers.

Double exposure. Some of the photographs of theevent shown here also appeared in the October issueof Scottish Field.


Morninglight on the Ardionra Hayfield, Iona

The Johnnie Walker room, but not as we know it

Lily and Louise Newton Alan Horn, Director of Development at GSA, David Guild and Jolomo David Grant

I remember it well…

We have had opera in the club and wehave had lunches in the club, but we havenever had opera with lunch on a Sundayafternoon. One of the 120-strong audience,Bill McDermott, was all ears.

The occasion was a charity event arranged andorganised by our Club Chairman, David Guildon behalf of the Titans Community Foundationof Rotherham (www.rotherhamrugby.co.uk) andthe national music charity Lost-Chord. Lost-Chordis dedicated to improving the qhality of life forthose living with dementia, using interactivemusical stimulii to increase general well-beingand awareness.( www.lost-chord.org.uk)

The progamme was hosted by LesleyGarrett, renowned soprano who introducedthree singers from the Royal Conservatoire ofScotland, Charlotte Kenny (soprano), LaurenYoung (mezzo) and Jerome Knox (baritone).

There was a special guest appearance bytenor Jung Soo Yung, currently appearing inGianni Schicchi in Gothenburg. Rosie Morrisaccompanied on the piano.

After a drinks reception and a 3-course lunch,cooked and served to the club’s usual highstandards, what better way to be entertained, thanto relax and be serenaded by melodic arias, familiarand unfamiliar, from some of the world’s mostpopular operas. The music was performed to anexceptionally high standard and as the audienceleft, you could still hear snatches of favouritetunes being sung or hummed sotto voce.


THE CLUB AS A VENUE

London ScottishThank you lunch On 29th September, London Scottish held aRod Lynch ‘Thank You’ lunch for 70 people tothank him for his 16 years of Presidency atLondon Scottish.

Although most of the attendees wereLondon Scottish members, those thereincluded eight Richmond FC dignitaries, aformer President of Rosslyn Park, the Presidentof Ealing Trailfinders and Ed Crozier, ImmediatePast President of the Scottish Rugby Union.

One of my interests is the World Whisky Day andin May of this year, we held a whisky tasting in theCaledonian Club. This was my first experienceof using the club for an event and I have to sayhow impressed I was. I came along to this eventwith high expectations.

Formed less than two years ago, the SBN is an independent international membershiporganisation with a diverse, ambitious membershipthat connects some of the nation’s brighteststart-ups with seasoned entrepreneurs andsenior figures from established corporations.

The SBN holds nine events in London eachyear, bringing members and guests together tohear entrepreneurs deliver ten-minutepresentations, book-ended with convivialnetworking over snacks and drinks. Run by RussellDalgleish and Christine Esson, the organisationhas also held events across the UK and in the US,and is developing a software platform to createthe world’s largest business network of Scots.

A warm bond has already been forgedbetween the Caledonian Club and the SBN –

some members, such as Louise Newton andNorman Jackson, take an active role in both.After the night’s experience, I’m told that theclub will become a regular venue for SBN events.

Later, Christine Esson listed some of thereasons. “The gathering attracted our biggestaudience yet,” she said. “and the feedback for thewelcome, the atmosphere and the food providedby the club was universally positive. It was anexceptional example of hosting and I know thatat least one of our members has booked the clubfor an event because they were so impressed.

“I’d also like to say thank you in particularto club secretary David Balden who was a superhost and who, together with his team, could nothave done enough to ensure that the eveningwas a success.”

On the night, the audience heardpresentations from Ray Bugg about his technologynews platform DIGIT, Emma Little on eventorganisation business ExecSpace and JohnMaltman on his e-commerce analytics start-up E Fundamentals. Caledonian Club Chairman

David Guild engaged the audience with a warmintroduction to the club and its many qualities.

A number of SBN members also gathered atthe club earlier to participate in a leadershipdevelopment exercise run by James England ofPerthshire-based Blue Sky Experiences. Attendeeswere psychologically profiled to discover wherethey stood on the spectrum between Analysts(cool blue) Leaders (fiery red), Nurturers (earthgreen) and Inspirers (sunny yellow). The sunnyyellows – well known for socialising – could beheard enthusiastically enjoying the arrival of thedrinks and canapes that followed. If I can bepardoned the pun, it was a colourful start to avery lively event.

Fraser Allen, CEOWhitelight Media

www.worldwhiskyday.com www.justadrop.org

All work and play forScots entrepreneurs

Opera on a Sundayafternoon

In September, the club played host to a meeting of the Scottish BusinessNetwork. One of the guests was Fraser Allen who had already held anevent in the club.

Fraser Allen, Blair Bowman, Russell Dalgleish, Helen Livingstone, Christine Esson and Gavin Neate

Floral tributes on a wonderful afternoon

Rod with his partner Karen Lugg


STAFF PROFILE

Lee Francis worked at the Club in 1991 as aJunior Sous Chef and we are delighted hehas returned some 25 years later to take

on the role of Head Chef. In his early career, Lee was instrumental in

achieving a Michelin star for Rowhill Grange inKent before working his way up invarious restaurants and livery hallsincluding the Hilton Park Lane andDraper’s Hall. He also spent sixyears with previous Head ChefRoger Evans at The Institute ofDirectors. Outside of the kitchenLee is a keen cyclist and hascompleted the London to Paris ridetwice. He also enjoys photographyand playing the guitar.

Lee is ably assistedby Senior Sous ChefMike Sullivan andSous Chef ChristianCevallos Brito. Mikehas worked at the

Club for23 yearsand when not working he can beseen at Arsenal. Christian has nowbeen at the club for 10 years and his free time is spent with his wifeAmanda and five year old sonDylan, not forgetting that he waspart of the winning team at theannual ALC bowling competitionin May.

Breakfast Chef Ian Allis (left and unavailablefor the group photo) has been cooking up ourfamous Scottish breakfast for nearly 20 years.New to the kitchen is trainee manager Austin Neilwho joins a young, talented team producing newand exciting dishes. The Club has close links withWestminster Kingsway College and welcomes anumber of students for work experience, the mostrecent being James Nguyen.

The club has many unseen heroes and none more so than the kitchen brigade.

The kitchenbrigade

Back l-r: Harry Donnelly (Commis Chef), George Clayton (Chef de Partie), Lewis Winzar(Chef de Partie), David Williams (Chef de Partie), Mike Sullivan (Senior Sous Chef),Austin Neil (Trainee Manager), Felipe Bigotti (Kitchen Porter). Front l-r: James Nguyen(student), Isis Caldwell (Commis Chef), Denver Mason (Commis Chef), Lee Francis (HeadChef) and Christian Cevallos Brito (Sous Chef)

Borderline cases:helping homeless Scots in LondonThere is a crisis happening on thevery doorsteps of the club – theplight of the homeless in London.

In 2016, more than 8,000 were seen sleepingrough and of these, 12% were Scottish - nearly1,000 Scots living on the streets.

Charities such as Borderline, Crisis atChristmas, Shelter, and St Mungo’s provide aidto the homeless, but only one, Borderline, isspecifically dedicated to helping homeless Scotsin the capital.

Borderline has a strategic partnership withScotsCare, sharing premises, costs and staff.

The charity was founded in 1990 from therestructuring of the Church of Scotland LondonAdvisory Service which had been sponsored bythe two Churches of Scotland in London.

Homeless people do not just lacksomewhere to stay; they are in want of a wholepanoply of support services that most citizenstake for granted.

Thus, as well as help with accommodation,Borderline provides information and advice;advocacy; duplicate birth certificates; access tomental health support; training and educationto improve employability; life skills such ascooking and budgeting…all aimed at helpingindividuals regain their independence.

Borderline offers clothing and smallhousehold starter grants for new tenants whohave previously been homeless and may nothave the basic necessities to set up home. Thisgrant can include small household items such askettles, microwaves, toasters, bedding and smalltelevision sets.

As part of its housing service, Borderlinehas priority access to rooms at a YMCA hostel inWalthamstow.

The majority of Borderline’s clients are inWestminster (the Caledonian Club’s own Londonborough) and many of its referrals come fromthe Connections day centre at St Martins-in-the-Fields. Referrals also come from other charitiesand day centres. When alerted, a Borderlineoutreach worker makes contact with the potentialclient, either at the day centre itself or where theperson is staying/sleeping. An assessment ismade of their needs, including services andaccommodation and suitable arrangements aremade. Follow-up meetings are ongoing for aslong as the person needs help or moves away.

Borderline’s services are continuousthroughout the year, so they are certainly notlimited by time. But they are certainly limited byfunds and any donations, however small, arealways welcome.

Please visit www.borderline-uk.org

Shona Fleming, Joint CEO Borderline and Scotscare

SOCIETY REPORTS

YOUNGER MEMBERS’ SOCIETY

Mixing it up The first half of the year saw somegreat events for the Younger Members’Society and for this we thank all whohelped with the organisation and tomake things run so smoothly.

In August the weather was morethan kind to us for our annual BBQ on the Terrace and it was great to seesome new members amongst thecrowd.

We welcomed AmberClaybourne as Events Executive earlierthis year as she took over from ClareIrvine who has now returned toScotland. Amber did a wonderful jobof organising our wine and cheeseevening and as somewhat of anexpert herself, managed to secureDan Belmont of Bedales whom wehope to have back for future events.

Early November saw our whiskytasting and mixing class, always apopular evening and no exception onthis occasion sponsored by Chivas Bros.

Later in November we welcomedour fellow members from other Londonclubs to join us for the Inter-Club Ceilidh,

invariably asell outand thisyear was noexceptionwith a fullhouse andreelingcontinuinginto the weehours.

At thetime of writing

we were lookingforward to our annual Christmas Lunchwith the Renwick Quaiche awarded for‘the most enthusiastic Member’ andcelebrations going late into the evening.

Wishing you all the best forChristmas and the New Year and weanticipate a busy 2018. Pleaseremember to join us on the lastThursday of each month in themembers’ bar for drinks.

Angus Burrell, Chairman

King of Scotlandstarts and goesThe Racing Societyheld several socialevents throughoutthe year. As usual,the Ascot Box onVictoria Cup Day on13 May provedhighly popular with40 members andguests in attendance.

The Goodwood race day on 26 August was equally well attended withboth our boxes in the March Stand sold out. A new event in our socialcalendar this year was a trip to Newmarket on 3 October where

society members and guests visited the National Stud where they saw sometop stallions and broodmares under the informed and entertaining tourguide Nigel Wright. This was followed by a guided tour of the RacingHeritage Museum where a large number of major and valuable art worksrelating to horse racing are on display, in addition to priceless historic racingmemorabilia and artefacts. Members then ended the day at the Book OneTattersalls Sales where they were able to see first hand some of the world'smost expensive yearlings being sold through the ring. In 2018, the societyhopes to organise a repeat trip to Newmarket in July that will include amorning on the historic gallops and a day's racing on the July course.

The society’s horse King of Scotland got off to a promising start for theseason when he won at Leicester on 22 May. That proved to be the apex ofhis career and he was unplaced in three subsequent runs. On 1 November hewas sold at the Tattersalls Horses In Training Sales, bringing Syndicate 17 toan end. His single victory means that the Racing Society has amassed 28 winssince its inception in 1996 and achieved a 12% strike rate of wins to runs.

The society is now in the process of raising funds for the next racingsyndicate and full details are available from the club Events Executive or bycontacting the Racing Society direct. The trustees will appoint an agent tosource a precociously bred two year old at the Breeze Up Sales in spring 2018.

The end of season annual dinner was held on 9 November. The guestspeakers were Pam Hollingworth and Kevin Atkinson from the charityNew Beginnings Horses, who gave a very informative presentation andtalk on their charity which centres on the re-training and re-homing ofretired race horses. This is an area of horse racing that few owners and members of the public are exposed to but is an extremely importantelement of the ownership and racing process. Our grateful thanks to New

BeginningsHorses and allother relatedorganisationsand charitiesinvolved ingiving racehorses a newand useful lifeonce theirracing daysare over.

Graham Doyle,Chairman

RACING SOCIETY

BRIDGE SOCIETY

Come, layyour cards onthe table, onmostMondaysfrom 6.30pmto around9.30pm. All welcome.

Please contact Philip Craig([email protected]) or Amber in theSecretariat if you would like to join us.

Younger Members with a variety of whiskies

Phil Huckle from Chivas

In the paddock at Lingfield withJockey Charlie Bennett, 1 July 2017

Graham Doyle, Pam Hollingworth, KevinAtkinson and Hazel Lawrence


ALBA LUNCH SOCIETY

Luncherson parade In June and on the hottest day of theyear, a small group from the Albalunch society met to have a tour ofthe Household Cavalry Museum inWhitehall. We had a tour of thebuilding and a talk on the history of the site, then watched as theguardsmen completed their duties inthe intense heat. I think we were allglad to get back to the cool and calmof the club afterwards.

In complete contrast, in Octoberwe had a fascinating talk on the St Margaret’s Chapel Guild, given by theirconvenor, Miss Katherine FairweatherCBE. We heard how Queen Margaretcame from Hungary to Scotland tomarry King Malcolm, and becameknown for her piety and goodness.Around 1150 her youngest son, KingDavid founded the tiny chapel, whichwas to bear her name, at the highestpoint of Edinburgh Castle. Over thecenturies it had various secular uses,but in 1942, the St Margaret’s ChapelGuild was founded, and anyone with thename Margaret can join the Guild, andarrange flowers to decorate the Chapel.

Coincidentally, the Ambassador forHungary was in the club that day, andcame to meet Miss Fairweather.

Our next lunch will be in March2018, and we hope to see many ofour members there.

Glen McNeill

Ambassador Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky,Katherine Fairweather, Glen McNeill andSheila McTaggart

SOCIETY REPORTS

GOLFING SOCIETY

Northward boundARTS GROUP

A Russianseason In the run up to this year’sCaledonian Lecture, theBook Club focused on allthings Russian. Ourreading list comprised adiverse grouping, rangingfrom Simon Sebag Montefiore’sThe Romanovs to Nobel Prize winnerSvetlana Alexievich’s SecondhandTime, The Last of the Soviets, whichfocuses on the time of Perestroika. Wealso read and hugely debated theonly novel written by that well-known ‘Scottish’ author, MikhailLermontov. Lermontov’s roots lie inScotland, courtesy of his Scottishancestor, the adventurer GeorgeLearmont, who settled in Russia inthe 17th century. Widely considered

to be one ofRussia’s finest

poets, fittinglyit was a book

of Lermontov’spoems that the

RussianAmbassador

presented to theclub after this year’s

Caledonian Lecture.This book is now on

display in the library. Our reading list

for early 2018 is still under discussion,but a top contender is works linked tothe bicentenary celebration of the Brontes.

Hilary Reid Evans

If you are interested in joining thelively and growing group of ClubMembers who make up the BookClub, please contact Hilary ReidEvans on [email protected]

Exciting timesfor the golfersThe Society enjoyed some exciting matches over the secondhalf of the year with the highlight being the Bath Cup, whereour team of David Stirling, Colin McCosh, Bob Pringle (captain)and Paul Boyle beat 16 other London clubs. Our first winsince 2003.

The captain’ssummertour this

year took us toAyrshire, where weplayed three greatcourses, Prestwick,West Kilbride andWestern Gailes,mostly in glorioussunshine. EwanCameron wasawarded the Victor Ludorum narrowly beating Kenny Fraser and ColinMcCosh. Good food and fine wine are an integral part of the summertour and we certainly enjoyed both over the three days, with perhaps thehighlight being dinner at Western Gailes, where we were joined by theirCaptain, Jack Perry.

We halved our matches against Loch Lomond and RNUC, Aberdeen butwon our match against the New Club playing at New Zealand and Denham.

The autumn meeting was well attended at West Surrey, with AndrewBeaton winning the Patterson Cup and John Moffat winning the Division2 section (again!)

Although we had only a small group contesting the Donald BlackFoursomes at Denham in October, it was a very convivial day and after theusual delicious Denham lunch, David Lister and Paul Boyle managed toplay straight and true to win the day.

The Boase Quaich saw some close matches over the summer with AlexKnox beating Bruce Leith in the final. Sandy McIver won the Boase Plate.

Our AGM was held on 2 November when I was elected captain and atthe dinner afterwards, members and guests were entertained by former rugbystars Roger Baird and Gavin Hastings.

Peter Haigh, Captain

A select band of intrepid members of the Arts Groupventured north and paid a visit to Edinburgh in September.

Despite the somewhat dreich weather, the group enjoyed a tour of theart and artefacts of the New Club, conducted by New Club SecretaryCol Andrew Campbell and a private visit to the Jacobite Exhibition atthe Museum of Scotland, as well as dinner at the New Club. It ishoped to visit some of the London clubs to view their art andartefacts over the next few months.

The Arts Society also hosted the evening at the club with LachlanGoudie. In addition, a programme of opera and theatre visits continuewith a visit to Cav & Pag at the Royal Opera House on 9 January. At £180.00 per head, this looks expensive, but it actually representsremarkable value for money - the list price of the stalls seats alone is£180.00, which means that the 2-course pre-dinner meal with wine atLa Ballerina restaurant comes free.

Hilary Reid Evans

To join the Arts Group, contact: [email protected]

BOOK CLUB


Colonel Andrew Campbell, Alun Evans, MiriamCoutts, Phillip Coutts and Jonathan Coutts

Summer Tour participants enjoying a drink andthe evening sunshine at Western Gailes

L-r: David Stirling, Colin McCosh, Captain of WokingGolf Club Tony Rowse, Bob Pringle, Paul Boyle

SOCIETY REPORTS


Piano finalistsbookedThe final of the Scottish International Piano competition tookplace at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 10 September 2017and the three finalists have been booked to appear at the club.

Each of the finalists had to play a concerto with the Royal ScottishNational Orchestra conducted by Thomas Sondergard. The winner wasCan Çakmur born in 1997 in Ankara. He has been booked to play for

our 115th Gala Concert on 25 September 2018. The principal work in hisprogramme is the late and well known sonata of Schubert in B Flat MajorD960. In second place was Romanian born British pianist Florian Mitreawho is scheduled for our 120th Gala Concert on 9 April 2019; his choice ofprincipal work is the Liszt sonata in B Minor. In third place was Luka Okrosborn in 1991 in Tbilisi, Georgia. I placed his performance of Rachmaninov’ssecond piano concerto very highly, every note gave me great pleasure. He hasbeen booked for our 118th concert on 19 February 2019.

On 20 February 2018 Clare Hammond (piano) opens our new seasonwith Beethoven’s Sonata No. 30 in E Major op. 109 followed by the first offour well known impromptus by Schubert Op. 90 and finishing with sonataNo. 2 (fantasia) by Scriabin.

On 20 March 2018 we have the first appearance of Alessandro Fisher (tenor)whose mother was Italian. The concert is the 7th in a series of partnershipswith Classical Opera and each concert has been an outstanding success.

On 24 April 2018 we havea very welcome return of awizard pianist, a past winnerof the Scottish InternationalPiano Competition, OxanaShevchenko (right) playingthe second of four well knownimpromptus by Schubert Op.142 concluding with amasterwork by Schumann,his Carnaval Op. 9.

On 30 October 2018 we will have an ‘enigma’concert with pianist Elspeth Wyllie (left) playing theEnigma variations as written for solo piano byEdwardElgar andsandwichedbetweentwo sonataswith ClareOverburyon flute.

2017 has been a modestlysuccessful year for the MusicSociety and the wish is for an evenbetter 2018. Members and guestsare very welcome. We start theevening with a champagne receptionat 6.45pm. The concert is from7.15pm-8.15pm and we giveexceptional value for money with adinner or buffet after the concertfrom 8.15pm-10.30pm.

Albert Cowie, Chairman

MUSIC SOCIETY NUMBER 9 SOCIETY

Topicaltopics tabledThe Number 9 Society got off in finestyle with a talk by Celia Sinclair on therestoration of the legendary CharlesRennie Mackintosh’s Willow Tea Roomsin Glasgow. Celia was behind the £10mappeal that has now successfully got theproject under way. In October Sir MoirLockead the distinguished Scottishbusinessman gave a well-crafted talkround the themes of “Conservation and

Conversions” as he was both Chairmanof the National Trust for Scotland andPresident of the Scottish Rugby Union.

In November we welcomed thehighly topical subject of the centenaryof the Russian Revolution with Sir TonyBrenton, former British Ambassador toRussia, who offered some verystimulating thoughts on whether theRussian Revolution was inevitable,and the relevance of its result to thepolitical relationships of the West andRussia today. In December we arescheduled to entertain Sam Bowman,Chief Executive of the Adam SmithInstitute. All members of the Club arewarmly welcome at the Talks whethermembers of the Number 9 or not.

Stuart Thom, Chairman

SHOOTING & FISHING SOCIETY

Triumph inFranceHaving acquitted itself well at a veryenjoyable and victorious Coupe desNations against our French friends, we lost(more accurately your correspondent lost)the shoot-out to break an unbelievabletie in the Balvenie Trophy against theNew Club. Next year, team, next year!

We moved the club competitionfrom a week day in April to a Saturdayin September, again at Holland &Holland which pleasingly led to 17guns participating in a well- foughtmatch in grilling heat. Jeff Soal wonthe Menzies Memorial Trophy for top

score on the High Tower while the‘Richardson Flask’ for the overall topscore was won by Alastair Irvine.

Members of the society and thebroader club will soon be receiving a briefquestionnaire so we can more accuratelygauge the appetite for shooting, whattype, where, when and on what budget.The society has enjoyed more than 20years of sport, competition andcompanionship; with your support wecan ensure it thrives for another 20 years.We look forward to your responses.

Alastair Irvine, Chairman

Following an impressive win against topflight Yorkshire Carnegie the first fifteenhave had a losing run in the League albeitgaining valuable losing bonus points.

Staying within our means with less reliance oninvestors led us to revert to a part full time/part timesquad. Long-term injuries to players in crucial frontrow positions does not help.

A winning start was made in the British and Irish Cup. A mouth-watering fixture against oldfriends and rivals Richmond on Sunday 3 Decemberwas the lead into a busy and hopefully successfulwinter campaign.

On the amateur side, our senior Highlanders,Thistles and Kilts have had a great run of wins againststiff competition. The junior age groups are alsodoing well as are the thriving mini sections.

So now is the time to rally round your team...thegreat and famous London Scottish.

Jock Meikle

Opening day fixture against Yorkshire Carnegie at the RichmondAthletic Ground. London Scottish won the game 28-12

Anthony Westnedge, David Coughtrie, Sir Moir Lockhead, Donald Lamont andBill Proudfoot

LONDON SCOTTISH

A shaky start

Members participate in the annual clubshooting competition at Holland & Holland

CLUB CONNNECTIONS


For well over a century, many aspiring Scots arriving in Londonin search of a career and fortune, could make a point of joiningtwo London establishments: the Caledonian Club and LondonScottish Football Club. The Caledonian Club provided society,

extended family connections, accommodation and business networkopportunities; London Scottish an opportunity to play rugby, make socialconnections leading to lifelong friendships, enjoy pies, beers and meet alassie or two. For those young Scots, the importance of theclubs and their connections was profound.

Over the generations both clubs have workedtirelessly to retain and build their memberships. It istestament to the strength of the relationship between cluband member that both clubs have such strong, passionateand loyal support for their respective future challenges. TheCaledonian Club, whilst having recently achieved close toits largest membership to date in 2017, faces a new financialburden with the introduction of the Business Rate tax, andthe Club’s board are currently working on initiatives toaddress the problem.

London Scottish became a professional club in 1996 andsecured a place in the RFU Championship League in 2011-12.However, financing the club to operate and perform in theChampionship each season is a huge financial challenge. After

years of uncertainty, and following a review of recent past seasons,significant changes have been made with the intention of generatingpositive, sustainable growth and success. Malcolm Offord has taken over aschairman from Sir David Reid, and with the new management team hasimplemented a plan for a semi-professional future with a mix of full time,part-time and dual-registered players as well as young hopefuls from the

Scottish Rugby Union. Their ‘One Club Vision ofContinuity, Championship and Community’outlines their objectives which will also see theclub emphasise its role as a social and culturalhub for Scots in south west London.

Demonstrating its commitment todeveloping the club’s branding and appeal,London Scottish are sponsoring the 29thLondon Reels Ball on 2nd February 2018 inassociation with the National Trust forScotland; proceeds from the evening will bein aid of funding of an NTS CountrysideRanger apprentice. The venue is thePorchester Hall, Bayswater, London andpromises to be a lively and exuberantevening with kilts swinging, ladies swirlingand maybe the odd collision or two.

ALL IN THE FAMILY: Linksbetween two London-basedScottish institutionsLOUISE NEWTON EXAMINES THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN LONDON SCOTTISH FC AND

THE CALEDONIAN CLUB AND THE CHALLENGES, CAPTAINS AND CHAMPIONS THEY SHARE.

Major Edward McCosh Lieutenant William Spens Soldiers of the London Scottish Battalion in 1914

The ultimate sacrifice…

CLUB CONNECTIONS


Both the Caledonian Club andLondon Scottish have produced a recordnumber of rugby champions and captains.London Scottish produced: Paul Burnell,52 caps for Scotland, 1 Lions and 3 WorldCups – 1991, 1995, 1999 – he is now thenew President of London Scottish; GavinHastings 61 caps for Scotland, 6 Lions,and 3 World Cups – 1987, 1991, 1995,Kenny Logan, 70 caps for Scotland and 3World Cups 1995, 1999 and 2003, andDamian Cronin, 45 caps for Scotland 2World Cups 1991 and 1995. Members ofthe Caledonian Club who won caps butwho didn’t come through London Scottish, included: Finlay Calder, 34 caps,3 Lions and was the British and Lions captain in 1989 and David Sole, 44 caps for Scotland, 3 Lions, played in the 1992 World Cup and GrandSlam-winning captain in 1990.

The most poignant of connections between the two clubs however,are the men who were members of both and lost their lives in the GreatWar of 1914. These included Major Edward McCosh of the 1st and 9th(Glasgow Highlanders) Highland Light Infantry who died in France on 26 September 1918, aged 27; Captain Charles Edward Anderson Captain

of the 92nd Gordon Highlanders killedin action in France on 20 July 1916, aged25; Lieutenant William Spens also of the1st and 9th (Glasgow Highlanders)Highland Light Infantry killed in actionin France on 17 May 1915, aged 40 andLieutenant Alan William Mather of theBlack Watch Royal Highlanders who died 29 October 1918, and is buried inGrantham. Overall, the Great Warclaimed the lives of 230 members of theCaledonian Club and 103 members fromLondon Scottish.

The photograph below is of aLondon Scottish special team who played against the United Services inthe pre-war season of 1913/14. Of the 15 pictured, 13 were commissionedon or before August 1914 and another was commissioned from privatelater. The remaining private, Jimmy Ross had captained London Scottish.Between them 11 had played for Scotland; tragically 5 were killed, 9 morewounded and two became prisoners of war. There are several poems writtenby Scots about the Great War, but ‘London Scottish (1914)’ by Mick Imlah(1956-2009), best describes the fate and scale of loss of the players of LondonScottish and the Caledonian Club.

London Scottish (1914)April, the last full fixture of the spring:‘Feet, Scottish feet!’ – they rucked the fear of God

Into Blackheath. Their club was everything:And of the four sides playing that afternoon,The stars, but also those from the back pitches,

All sixty volunteered for the touring squad,And swapped their Richmond turf for Belgian ditches.

October: mad for a fight, they broke too soonOn the Ypres Salient, rushing the ridge between

‘Witshit’ and Messines. Three quarters died.Of that ill-balanced and fatigued fifteenThe ass selectors favoured to survive,Just one, Brodie the prop, resumed his post.

The others sometimes drank to ‘The Forty Five’:Neither a humorous nor an idle toast.

Mick ImlahFrom The Lost Leader (Faber and Faber, 2008)Reproduced by permission of the publisher.

Gavin Hastings David Sole

London Scottish FC 1913-14

Ten London-basedScottish organisationsare cooperating on acommemorative book.Editor-in-chief Hugh Pym

givesCaledonianClubmembers a preview.

BOOK PREVIEW


It is a stirring tale pullingtogether often untold storiesfrom one hundred years ago. It is

sprinkled with famous namesincluding Field Marshal Sir DouglasHaig, John Buchan and Lord Kinnaird(known widely as football’s firstsuperstar, and a long-standing FAPresident). There are also movingaccounts of heroism and sacrifice on thebattlefield and dedication on the home front.Scottish organisations in the capital are comingtogether to mark the centenary next year of theend of World War One with a book Scots inGreat War London. There will also be a series ofcommemorative events.

In case you were wondering, Haig andBuchan were elders of St Columba’s, Church ofScotland in Pont Street. The Field Marshal wasalso Vice President of the Caledonian Club.Kinnaird attended Crown Court (Church ofScotland) in Covent Garden and his son Arthur,an elder, was killed in action in 1917.

The two London churches and the CaledonianClub have joined forces with the London ScottishRegiment, London Scottish FC, the Scots Guards,the Royal Caledonian Education Trust, ScotsCareand the Caledonian and Burns Societies of London.In one way or another, they made significantcontributions to supporting the troops, chaplainsand the war effort. The idea to commemoratethese efforts came from a meeting between RevdAngus MacLeod, Minister at St Columba's andDavid Coughtrie of the Caledonian Club.

Some of the groups had members in common.Captain Douglas Lyall-Grant, for example, playedrugby for London Scottish, was a member of theCaledonian Club – where his portrait still hangs –and served with the London Scottish Regiment.

The Regiment hadclose links with St Columba’s Church,

Pont Street and the congregation looked afteraround 50,000 soldiers from Scottish battalionsduring the war years on their way back from thebattlefields of Europe or returning from leave.Volunteers would wait at Victoria Station fortrains and direct Scottish troops towards thechurch. They were fed, given time to rest andsometimes put up for the night before beingpiped back to stations to continue on their way.

It was a huge undertaking and the book willcelebrate the role of women in the church inorganising the work which was praised by themilitary authorities.

The church magazine from the timecontains many moving stories and letters fromsoldiers and their families, some thanking thechurch volunteers for their welcome in a strangecity. It published a regular column titled Soldierson Furlough and was soon able to boast that‘there was no Scottish battalion in France whereSt Columba’s was unknown’.

One letter received in January 1916,included a description by a delighted mother ofher son’s arrival in London from the front.

He had told her: “What a reception we got inLondon when we came off the train.”

“Someone came up to me and asked, ‘are youfrom Scotland?’

‘Yes, I said’. ‘Then come this way’ and there wasa crowd of happy Scotties all looking a bit mystified.

“When all for Scotland had been collected,they were driven off to find a sumptuous repastwaiting and the opportunity to make themselvesclean and tidy for the home folks.

“An entertainment of song and musicfollowed then by a drive back to the station intime for the train.

“It was like a fairy tale.”

St Columba’s and Crown Court Church bothentertained visiting Canadian soldiers. One suchwas Private Samuel Small, an Englishman whoemigrated to Canada in 1906 and returned in 1915as a Canadian soldier. He fell at the Somme a yearlater. His bible was found in a safe at Crown Courtand in 2010 his eldest daughter, then aged 99,was tracked down and the bible returned to her.

With thanks to Cameron Brooks, Senior MediaRelations Officer, Church of Scotland

Info wanted

The book, Scots in Great War London, will bepublished by Helion in July 2018. The book’s authorswould be delighted to hear from anyone with diaries,letters or other material relating to the role of thechurches or the other Scottish organisations inLondon during the Great War. They are asked toget in touch with Hugh Pym c/o St Columba'sChurch of Scotland, Pont Street, London SW1X OBD

or email via [email protected]. Information on where to purchase the book will beprovided in due course.

Members of the congregation and guests at

St Columba’s, Pont Street

Scots in Great WarLondon

The Caledonian Society of London is anassociation of Scotsmen that has as itsobjects the advancement of Scottish

national philanthropic interests and the promotionof good fellowship among Scotsmen in London.To achieve this the Society holds six dinnersevery year and other meetings as necessary withcharitable activity included. For the last twentyyears most of these gatherings have been held inthe Caledonian Club and while the Club and theSociety are separate organisations, they havemany members in common.

The Society was a child of the Victorian erahaving been established in 1839 with activitiesleading to that eventuality possibly having startedtwo years before during the year in which theyoung queen acceded to the throne. At that timethere were two well-established Scottish societiesin London, the Highland Society and the Societyof True Highlanders, but both were overtlyhighland in their nature and the founders of thenewcomer felt that there was a need for a societythat would be more attractive to all the growingnumber of professional Scots in the metropolisregardless of the part of Scotland from which theycame. This judgement proved to be astute andafter a few challenges the Caledonian Societybecame a well-established part of the Londonsocial scene. A record of the first fifty years waspublished as the Chronicles of the CaledonianSociety of London in 1890 and copies werepresented to the various London Scottish clubsand associations. This was a year before theCaledonian Club was itself founded and so it didnot feature in the list of recipients and the firstcontact between the Society and the CaledonianClub seems to have been in 1898 when, we aretold by an inscription on the fly leaf, a copy ofthe Chronicles was belatedly presented.

We then have to jump more than seventyyears for the next mention of the Club in Societyrecords. Throughout much of its history theSociety was peripatetic usually using publicbanqueting facilities in Covent Garden or further.

Other venues followed with the Hotel Russell,Russell Square from 1967 to until 1997. Businessmeetings were usually held at the dinner addressbut occasional use was made of the premises of

Scottish institutionsand we find the Clubfeaturing in this wayfor the first time in1970. This continuedoccasionally for acouple of decades, buttimes and tastes werechanging and therewere murmurings thata change of ambiencewould not go amiss.The first occasion of aSociety dinner at theClub was in March1990 when one hundredand eight membersand guests heard theAmbassador of theUnited States speak on ‘The Spirit of Enterprise:America’s Scottish Legacy’. Later, the Societyfound it more difficult to maintain historic levels

of dinnerattendancesandadvantage

was taken of the Club’s ambience and its abilityto deal with fluctuating numbers, initially once ayear but from 1997 for most dinners.

Today we have ‘Little Dinners’ in Octoberand November then January to April, all beingin lounge suits except in January when we adoptblack tie and honour Robert Burns. The term‘Little Dinners’ reflects their origin as informalsuppers that once contrasted with the formalannual Festival Dinner that was discontinued someyears ago. Little Dinners follow an establishedformat. After grace, dinner finishes with the loyaltoasts. The second half of the evening comprisesa keynote speech or ‘Sentiment’ usually deliveredby a guest, the toast to the guests, and any Societymatters accompanied by piping and other musicalentertainment, finishing with Auld Lang Syneand the National Anthem.

One Society custom is that all toasts arefollowed by ‘Caledonian Honours’ more easilyexperienced than described, though some havelikened them to high speed karate chops.

Originally, Highland Honours were used, asdepicted in the illustration, with one foot on thechair and the other on the table – not alwayseasy or wise for more senior members towardsthe end of a long and convivial evening. FullHighland Honours would hardly have beenacceptable after ladies first joined the gentlemenat table in the mid nineteenth century but mayhave continued on all-male occasions as late as1904. However, I am able to assure the ClubSecretary that we no longer put the furniture atrisk in this way!

Philanthropic support has always covered arange of beneficiaries but since the 1840s hasincluded two main charities, the old CaledonianAsylum, now operating as the Royal CaledonianEducation Trust, and the Royal ScottishCorporation known today as ScotsCare. Thesupport is provided by using surplus Society fundsand also by encouraging members to contributepersonally or to take part in charity governance.

One of the advantages of having a settledhome in the Caledonian Club is that Societyproperty is more easily safeguarded. The Society’sgrant of arms hangs in the entrance lodge, theLondon Ayrshire Cup may be seen in themembers’ bar and some interesting artefacts aredisplayed in the corridor between the old andnew wings.

Wi’a hundredScotsmen an’a’an’a’Hugh Cowan, until recently historian of The Caledonian Societyof London, recounts the history of an institution established inVictorian times, membership of which is limited to 100 ordinarymembers. Hugh is also a member of the Caledonian Club.


THE CALEDONIAN SOCIETY OF LONDON

‘The Old Toast’ by Scottish-based artist Tim Cockburn was commissioned by The CaledonianSociety of London in 2009. Sharp-eyed members of the Caledonian Club might noticethe resemblance of the background to the Members’ Dining Room. Indeed. After a visit to the Club, the artist could think of no better setting, historical veracity or no.The original has been lent to the Club on an indefinite basis by David Guild

“Like high speedkarate chops.”

Foremost Experts in Tartan and Highland Dress Since 1868

Kinloch Anderson Ltd Commercial Street/Dock Street, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6EYTel: 0131 555 1390 E-mail: [email protected]

www.kinlochanderson.com

Highland Dress Service available at the Club

This service is on two consecutive days every month,

and

For ladies tartan clothingand accessories made in the tartan

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Documents

Century as Club · Hilary J Reid Evans Peter I H Haigh ... 9 BILL MCMAHON REMEMBERED Edmund Gordon 14 CENTENARY DINNER ... By the time you receive the