the caledonian spring 2014

CA

LE

DO

NIA

NTHE

Official Journal of The Caledonian Club

Belgravia, London

SPRING 2014

B U R N S S U P P E R . T H E C A L E D O N I A N C L U B C O L L E C T I O N . H O U S E C O M M I T T E EC O L I N B U C H A N A N R E M E M B E R E D . W W 1 C O M M E M O R A T I O N . S C O T S I N R U S S I A

Caprice Yacht CharterCaprice Yacht Charters catamaran

Curanta Cridhe sailing on Loch Linnhe

with Connel Bridge in the background.

For more details on Caprice Yacht

Charters, see page 2.

2 The Caledonian SPRING 2014

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

"##"

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 222 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 2 2 2 2

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !

2 2 2222222222222222222222222222222 2 2 2 2 2

2 2

THE CALEDONIANThe Official Journal of The Caledonian Club9 Halkin Street, BelgraviaLondon SW1X 7DR

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Ian Ross (Chairman)Robert Parkhill (Editor)David CoughtrieIan CampbellAlison Davis

DESIGN & PRODUCTIONHalo Design [email protected]

[email protected]: 020 7333 8712

PUBLISHERThe Caledonian Club 2014

Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy,neither The Caledonian Club nor the authors canaccept liability for errors or omissions. Viewsexpressed in this journal are not necessarilythose of The Caledonian Club. No responsibilitycan be accepted for unsolicited manuscripts,transparencies or photographs. All prices andinformation contained in advertisements arecorrect at the time of going to press. No part ofthis magazine may be reproduced withoutwritten permission from the publisher.

CLUB CONTACTSTo complete email address, add suffix: caledonianclub.com

Secretary lan Campbell ic@ 020 7333 8711

Secretarys PA Alison Davis ad@ 020 7333 8712

Accounts Karen Amira finance@ 020 7333 8716Dee Kelleher dk@ 020 7333 8715

Banquetingand Catering Abigail Duggan asd@ 020 7201 1508

Bedroom and Dining bookings Frankie ODonnell reservations@ 020 7235 5162

Chef Michael Garcia chef@ 020 7333 8727

Events Eilidh McCombe events@ 020 7333 8722

Financial Manager Steve Moore sjm@ 020 7333 8713

House Manager David Balden dcb@ 020 7333 8730

Membership Anne Rowland ar@ 020 7333 8714

PRESIDENTThe Rt Hon The Earl of Dalhousie DL

VICE PRESIDENTS(In order of appointment)

Alastair C D Stuart CBEWilliam T McMahon MBE

A Grahame B YoungGeorge M F Gillon

Peter A J Gardiner OBERanald T I Munro TD

Euan Harvie-Watt

CHAIRMANDavid T Coughtrie

VICE CHAIRMANDavid W Guild

COMMITTEEJames Fairbairn

James H F GemmellWilliam E McDermottIain L Macdonald TD

Leon G RenwickIan Ross

Dr A Ian SchoolarRodney R T Smith

Anthony S Westnedge OBEDavid L C White

www.caledonianclub.comPUBLISHED BY THE CALEDONIAN CLUB

Ars gratia artis

SPRING 2014 The Caledonian 3

CHAIRMANS LETTER

Dear Friends and Fellow Members

Some would say that art for arts sakeexpresses the idea that visual art shouldstand alone and appeal to the eye withoutany moral or informative purpose.However, the recent work researchingand producing The Caledonian ClubCollection has demonstrated the closerelationship between the works of art ondisplay, individual members over theyears and the history of the Club itself.

This issue of the magazine features thelaunch of the history of the Clubthrough its artwork and it is afascinating story. We can see the Courageand Sacrifice War Memorial and the Roll ofHonour for World War One triptych on themain staircase but do we stop to think thatthis commemorates the ultimate sacrifice byalmost a fifth of our Members between 1914and 1918? While not primarily a Services Club,there was a strong military influence at thistime with roughly half of the 1,200 membersin uniform.

Many made a significant contribution tothe war effort, such as Brigadier General SirWilliam Alexander who was in charge ofmunitions and subsequently aircraftproduction. He was also the donor of four ofour most valuable paintings: Through theDunes; Turf Loaders, Clonard; The Waif andThe Night of Trafalgar. The well-known ramshead snuff mull in the Hall was gifted to theClub by JA Milne, Chairman 1920-24 inmemory of his son, a member of the RoyalFlying Corps, shot down and declaredmissing in Flanders in 1917.

Other works illustrate the history of theClub, such as the watercolour of the previousClubhouse in St Jamess Square where, beforethe Second World War, John Logie Bairdgave a private demonstration of his newtelevision system to the Prince of Wales. TheThomson Vase, on permanent display fromthe Burns Club of London, was presented tothe publisher George Thomson in 1846 as atribute for his invaluable effort in saving 120of Burnss songs. Other works present amystery! The Waller Hugh Paton painting in

the Library, used as the cover illustration ofThe Collection, is a composite of views ofSkye rather than from a single viewpoint.

The Caledonian Club Collection wasproduced with the assistance of the ClubsCommon Good Fund and the generoussupport of Lyon & Turnbull, the ScottishAuctioneers, who worked closely with theEditor and the Clubs Art & Artefacts AdvisoryGroup in its design and production. The bookcan be obtained by making a donation to theCommon Good Fund, so contributing to theupkeep of the Clubs premises and its contents.

Over the next four years, a number ofspecial events will be held to commemorateWWI, some of which will be in conjunctionwith the Imperial War Museum. We areextremely fortunate that Professor Sir HewStrachan, who recently appeared on BBCtelevision, in both Sir Max Hastings and NiallFergusons differing perspectives on WWI, willgive the Caledonian Lecture on 14 October2014. The title will be Hamilton, Haig andHaldane: more mystery to be revealed!

Yours aye,

David Coughtrie Chairman

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

www.caledonianclub.com

4 NEW MEMBERSMembership update

5 BEHIND THE SCENESThe Clubs House Committee

6 THE CALEDONIANCLUB COLLECTIONBook Launch

8 THE CLUB AND ITS MEMBERS IN WWIThe Club Remembers

10 SOCIAL SCENE Photo gallery of recent events

12 BURNS SUPPERA memorable BurnsSupper

14 THE CALEDONIANCLUB AS A VENUEMore Burns Suppers

16 COLIN BUCHANANREMEMBEREDLunch and presentation

17 CLUB SOCIETIES Reports from the ClubsSocieties

20 WHISKY AND VODKA,BORSCH AND BROTHScots in Russia

23 COMING UPForthcoming eventsFor your diary

The book can beobtained by making adonation to the CommonGood Fund, so contributingto the upkeep of the Clubspremises and its contents.


Welcome to the Club!In 2014, 93 new Members joined, including the Members featured below

Serena BorgesSerena wasborn inAustralia butlived abroadas a childbeforeeventuallycoming to the

UK where she worked first for theSouth Korean embassy in Londonand later for a travel company. Hermain hobby is picture framing andshe also enjoys adventurous travel,exhibitions, and foreign films. Shehas two sons who live in Bristoland London.

Graeme J ClarkBorn inGlasgow andmarried withthree children,Graeme is agraduate ofPaisleyUniversity

and works in investment banking.Being an avid fan of all thingsScottish, in particular Scottish linkscourses, he looks forward tosocialising with fellow membersthrough the Clubs various groups,societies, events and bar.

Iain M Lanaghan Iain has beenfinancedirector of anumber ofgroupsincludingFirst Groupplc, Faroe

Petroleum plc and private equity-backed companies. He isco-founder and chairman of METplc, the transport group which hasgrown from a start-up to 30mturnover in three years. Hequalified as a chartered accountantwith KPMG in London, but nowlives in Aberdeen. He is marriedwith two children at university. Hishobbies include classical music,wine, travel and high handicap golf.

Tristan LeaverBorn andraised inEdinburgh,Tristan wasschooled atGeorgeWatsonsCollege and

then Essex University. He works forBBC Worldwide, having spent twentyyears in digital business roles atmedia companies, including TheGuardian and The Wall StreetJournal. Living in London buttravelling frequently, he enjoys hillwalking, running, cycling and theatre.

Alessandro P MaianoAlessandroPhilip Maiano,a youngentrepreneurand corporatesolicitor, is theco-founder ofWilbe, an

accelerator for innovative technologyventures. Born in Milan, he graduatedin Law at Kent & CanterburyUniversity and for the last twelveyears has been based in England.He is developing his business andcultural interests in Scotland andhas an enthusiasm for all thingsScottish that he wishes to enhancethrough membership of the Club.

Amanda NicholsonAmanda wasborn inScotland andtrained as asocial workerat TrinityCollegeDublin, later

reading English at Oxford. Theproprietor of a Buckinghamshirefarm, she was a magistrate for 32 yearsbefore becoming High Sheriff of thecounty. She was Branch Presidentof the British Red Cross and is nowa National Trustee. A publishednovelist, Amanda and husband John,have three adult children.

Julian RadfordJulian has livedin London for13 years andhas travelledextensively.He studiedbusiness andfinance at

Bournemouth University and worksin a privately owned propertycompany in Central London. Julianhas a passion for luxury EnglishSuiting fabrics and exports themglobally. He has a keen interest infine art and vintage cars and has aclose empathy with Scotland.

Yvonne RoweYvonne wasborn andraised inEdinburgh.After leavingschool, shestudied for anundergraduate

degree in French literature in Paris,at the University of Londons Frenchcampus. She undertook postgraduatestudy in Speech and LanguageTherapy at City University Londonand qualified in 2013. Yvonnespecialises in paediatrics, workingwith children who havedevelopmental speech, languageand communication difficulties.

David M ScottDavid Scott isStructuralDirector ofLaingORourkesEngineeringExcellenceGroup. He has

returned to London with his wifeMarion after 30 years living in bothHong Kong and New York. He was inManhattan on 9/11 and worked atGround Zero during the aftermath.His design work includes the HongKong and Shanghai Bank and HongKong International Airport andmany tall buildings throughout the

world. He became chairman of theCouncil on Tall Buildings andUrban Habitat from 2006 to 2009,and was made a Fellow of the RoyalSociety of Edinburgh in 2009.

Simon TillAlthoughborn and bredin England,Simon isScottishthrough hismothers sidewhile his

grandfather was a member of TheClub for many years. Simon lives inWimbledon and works in marketingfor a mobile network operator.Hobbies include red wine, whiskyand swimming (although notmixed together!).

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

Since Winter issue:

NEW MEMBERSJames W E AlldayFrank BanksMichael John BeveridgeGuttorm BentsenSerena BorgesGraeme J ClarkDuncan J T FarrJames O A FraserIvor Paul GerberAllan McPhail GillespieElizabeth HoughIain M LanaghanTristan LeaverDavid James LindsayAlessandro P MaianoMichelle R MullenCraig M MurphyOlivia OCarrollEdward J PollockJulian G S RadfordAlan M RindJohn H RittenhouseYvonne F RoweDavid M ScottKarl-Heinz A SeibertJohn A ShearerSir John D SpurlingCampbell MacLean SteedmanSimon TillMichel TremelOrla N WalshJames R Wilson

FAMILY ASSOCIATE MEMBERStella Earnshaw

RE-ELECTIONRichard N Macfarlane

IN MEMORIAMRichard C BilboroughPeter McGregor

NEW MEMBERS


BEHIND THE SCENES

House CommitteeThis is the second in our series of articles describing the work of the various Club committees and the departments they supervise.

The House Committeewas re-established as astanding committee in2012, with the specificobjective of examining how theClub meets membership needs anddemands. Since then, a number ofinitiatives have been introducedand practices tweaked. Two of theinitiatives are the online DiningRoom booking system andresidents surveys.

Ian Ross is the Chairman ofHouse, ably assisted by Peter Haigh,Euan Harvie-Watt, Fraser Kirkcaldy,Mitchell Leimon, Jock Meikle, HilaryReid Evans and David White. Theyare supported by the Secretary,Ian Campbell and House ManagerDavid Balden. The term Houseapplies to the whole of the Club, asdemonstrated by two very differentprojects completed within the lastfew months. The first, very evident,was the refurbishment of the SelkirkRoom (below), the other being thecomplete refurbishment of the mainPot Wash in the basement. Bothareas are vital to the Clubs operation.

The Selkirk Room, one of themost popular private dining rooms,was last completely refurbished over20 years ago and after hosting a widevariety of events over the years waswell overdue a makeover evenyears after the smoking ban wasintroduced, the effects of tobaccosmoke were still apparent. As theroom was so popular, it was felt thatwe should not transform it, but tryto preserve the colours and fabricsthat had served so well. Work gotunder way to find a replacementcarpet which would harmonise withthe design of the ceiling as well assourcing the same panel fabric not an easy task after 20 years! Witha budget of 25,000, everything wasin place for the works to be doneover the Christmas break and onour return we found a sparklingnew room ready for another 20years of Caledonian parties.

The work re-opened bang ontime to much acclaim and waslargely made possible by the supportof The Caledonian Club MembersCommon Good Fund.

The Committee also deals withthe less glamorous side of life

ensuring health and safety standardsand food safety regulations are met.An example of this was the workdone in the Pot Wash which is acritical part of the back-of-houseoperations. This was fitted with anew floor and redecorated toensure compliance with the criteriasuperintended by our health andsafety consultants, Food Alert.

Kitchen Porters, Rui Jorge DeSousa Racha and Phillipe Begotti,(pictured left) are delighted withthe outcome.

L-r: David Balden, David White, Hilary Reid Evans, Jock Meikle, Ian MacLeod, Peter Haigh and Dr Mitchell Leimon. Chairman, Ian Ross and Euan Harvie-Watt not pictured

The Clubs CollectionIN PRINT


BOOK LAUNCH

The Caledonian Club Collectionbook was launched at areception on 19 February and is a beautifully presented recordof works of art that adorn therooms of our clubhouse.

The Caledonian Club Collection includesa history of the Club from its formationin 1891, including the move to HalkinStreet in 1946 and up to the present day.

The idea to produce the book came fromour Chairman, David Coughtrie, and due tohis enthusiasm and support the project wasrealised. The secretariat is owed a big thankyou. Editor Jan Coughtrie put an immenseamount of time and effort into researchingthe works and the story behind them.

Printing was generously supported byLyon and Turnbull and, in particular, JohnMackie unstintingly gave his time andexpertise in the design and production. IanBurrell patiently managed liaison betweenthe Club and Lyon and Turnbull.

Judith Miller, of the Antiques Roadshow,gave a captivating talk on the rams head snuffmull, donated to the Club by JA Milne,Chairman from 1927-1932. She also gave us afascinating glimpse into the history ofMauchline Ware and entertained us withamusing, behind-the-scenes anecdotes aboutthe Antiques Roadshow.

Alasdair Nichol from Freemans ofPhiladelphia, Lyon & Turnbulls Americanassociates, spoke about the picture, Curling onDuddingston Loch, and Emily Johnston ofLyon and Turnbull introduced a painting ofIona by Cadell, displayed temporarily in theDrawing Room.

The book was financed by a donationfrom the Common Good Fund, whoseobjective is to preserve and enhance the Clubspremises, art and artefacts. The book can beacquired by making a donation to the Fund.Twenty pounds is the suggested amount butyou may decide to be more generous.Contributions to the Fund, by donation, gift ofan art work or a legacy are a positive way toensure that future generations can continue toenjoy the very special atmosphere of our Club.

Andrew FergusonChairman, Art and Artefacts Advisory Group

This splendid publication is a history of the

Club through its collection of art and artefacts.

Copies of the book are available at Reception, in

exchange for donations to The Caledonian Club Common Good Fund

Below left: Judith Miller from the BBCs Antiques

Roadshow chats to guests

Below: Editor Jan Coughtriesigning a copy of the book

Chairman David Coughtrie hosted a thank you dinner after the launch


KING ROBERT THE BRUCE (1274-1329) ON DRAPED CHARGERBronzed metal cast from a model by Charles Pilkington Jackson c1964

This equestrian statue is a small-scale model of the bronzesculpture erected at the site of the Battle of Bannockburn andunveiled by The Queen in 1964. It commemorates Brucespower and glory, the result of his famous victory in 1314 overthe English army led by Edward II. Pilkington Jackson originallyintended that the statues face would be covered but after carefulresearch he decided to use facial reconstructions of Bruces skull tocreate an accurate image of the man. In 1818 Bruces body hadbeen discovered in a vault at Dunfermline Abbey and thefollowing year a plaster cast of the detached skull was made bythe artist William Scoular. The weapons and armour are accuratebut the heraldic surcoat shows the floral-headed guard chain used to fix the bodyarmour, which is artistic licence as it would not have been visible. The horse trappingsare decorated with the Royal Standard of Scotland. The Bannockburn monument, thepinnacle of the sculptors career, has become the standard image of Robert the Bruce.

Jan Coughtrie, Editor, The Caledonian Club Collection

Ruth Macdonald and Malcom & Sarah Noble

Emily Johnston, Fine Paintings Consultant, from Lyon & Turnbull spoke on the painting of Iona by FCB Cadellfrom the exhibition in the Drawing Room

Judith Miller and Paul Roberts, Vice Chairman of Lyon & Turnbull

David White and Peter & Sally Haigh

Lyon & Turnbull mounted an exhibition of Scottish FineArt in the Drawing Room to coincide with the launch of The Caledonian Club Collection. The sale of these andother works will take place in Edinburgh on 22 May,entitled Scottish Paintings & Sculpture

A few words from David Coughtrie

David Coughtrie Colin Clark and Andrew Ferguson

Alasdair Nichol, Vice President of Freemans and John Mackie, Creative Director, Lyon & Turnbull

Members and guests enjoying the evening

Alison Davis and Eilidh McCombe collect donations forthe Common Good Fund in return for a copy of the book

The Club and its Members in WWIModern technology has brought more information and revelations about the conduct of the First World War and of themany who made the ultimate sacrifice during its four long bloody years.

As we approach the one hundredthanniversary of its beginning in 1914, articles in newspapers and magazines,together with programmes on television andradio have brought home the effect that this warhad on this country and the wider world.

However, we still have much to learn of howthis affected the way that our Club developedand in the role played by past Members.

Although The CaledonianClub was founded in 1891 byNeville Campbell as a proprietaryclub, it was in 1917 that the nextowner died and the approach bymembers to purchase the Clubwas spearheaded by John Stewart-Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine(left), who served as Chairmanfrom 1908 to 1919. He had servedin the Royal Horse Guards andtook part in Kitchenersexpedition to the Sudan, fighting

at the battle of Khartoum. He was electedMember of Parliament for West Perthshire inthe 1910 General Election and served as an MPuntil 1917 when on the death of his father hetook his seat in the House of Lords as the 8thDuke of Atholl.

Although the club was not strictly a ServicesClub there was a strong military influence, sadlyreflected by the number lost in the Great War. Atthe outset of the War the Club had just overtwelve hundred members with roughly halfserving in the Forces. Tragically the names oftwo hundred and ten serving officers are listedas killed in action on the Club War Memorialmounted on the wall of the main staircase.

RememberedA Club Member who made an outstandingcontribution to the conduct of the First World Warwas Brigadier General Sir William Alexander KBECB CMG DSO TD (below), who joined in 1935. Hewas also an outstanding benefactor to the Cluband donated four paintings. The two in the StuartRoom, Through the Dunes and Turf Leaders,Clonard, are the most valuable in the Clubs

collection. The otherpaintings are TheWaif and The Nightof Trafalgar.

Sir William,born in Glasgow,was educated atKelvinside Academy,Glasgow Universityand in Germany,where he specialisedin chemistry andchemical

engineering. From 1899 until WW1 he served asa Captain in the 6th battalion of the BlackWatch, Territorial Force. At the outbreak of warhe volunteered age 40 and served in Francefrom 1915 with the Black Watch as part of the51st (Highland) Division. He was involved insevere fighting and was promoted to Major inthe field, awarded a DSO and the LegiondHonneur for distinguished service.

Because of his specialist knowledge ofchemicals Alexander was recalled from France in1916 to become Director of Administration atthe National Explosive Factories. He brought themto a state of efficient production in a remarkablyshort space of time. Now a Lt Col, he was

transferred in1917 to the Aircraft Supply andProduction Department, Ministry of Munitionsas Controller and raised output of aeroplanesfrom two hundred to a peak of four thousand permonth, complete with all requirements in aeroengines, accessories and spares. Alexander wasawarded the CMG in 1918 and the CB in 1919.He was promoted to Brigadier General and wasappointed to the Air Council also in 1919.

The Clubs snuffmull (below) wasdonated by JA Milne(left), Chairmanfrom 1920-24 andagain from 1927-32,

in memory of his son, Captain Johnnie Milne ofthe Royal Flying Corps, who was shot down anddeclared missing in action in Flanders in May 1917.As Chairman, Milne said in his speech to fellowClub members in 1923 at the unveiling of the ClubMemorial most of us have lost valued friends, someof us, beloved relatives. In his case the latter wascertainly true and this mull bears testament tohis strength of feeling.

David Coughtrie

COMMEMORATIVE EVENTSA small advisory group of Andrew Ferguson,Iain Macdonald, John MacAskill, Mark Bradley,David Coughtrie and Ian Campbell has beenset up to plan appropriate events over thenext four years. These will focus on the varioustheatres of war, significant land and seabattles across Europe and the Middle East inorder to relate the timing of events to theunfolding of the war.

The CaledonianLecture on the Scotsinvolvement in WWI willbe given on 14 October2014 by Professor Sir Hew Strachan (right),the Chichele Professorof the History of War and a Fellow of All SoulsCollege at Oxford University. He is the authorof several highly regarded books on militaryhistory, including The First World War basedon the television series of the same name. SirHew recently appeared in two BBC televisionprogrammes about the First World War, The Necessary War with Sir Max Hastings andThe Pity of War with Professor Niall Ferguson.

Such a record is most eloquent testimonyto the spontaneous devotion with whichthe gentlemen of Scotland, as representedin this Club, did their duty in the War.

Field-Marshall Earl Haig

Left: The names of themen who died during theGreat War of 1914-18,together with theirregiments are inscribedon the triptych on thewall of the mainstaircase. It wasilluminated by MissJessie Bayes and has atthe base the adage,Scotland for Ever

Right: The Memorial bySir Edgar Bertram

McKennal KCVO RA, nowstanding on the main

staircase in HalkinStreet, was unveiled by

Field Marshal Earl Haig,a Vice President of the

Caledonian Club, in theClubs previous home in

St Jamess Square on 26 July 1923

IN FOCUS: The Clubs Military Members during WWI


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SOCIAL SCENE

WINE TASTING The Club Sits in Judgement

Winter and spring saw Members and theirguests enjoy a wide variety of highly entertainingsocial events at the Club

Hilary Reid Evans looks on as Ed Salazar join the Secretary in a spot of tasting L-r: Yvonne Rowe, Hector Falconer, Ruth Macdonald, Alun Evans and Tom Adamson

Number 9 Lunches

Above: The Secretary of State addresses the Society in February this year

Left (l-r): Ian Campbell, The Rt Hon AlastairCarmichael MP and Anthony Westnedge

Above (l-r): John Flynn, Donald Lamont, Anthony Westnedge,John Everard and Stuart Thom at the March lunch

Left: Brazilian Ambassador HE Roberto Jaguaribe andMember Juan Urdaneta at the December lunch

L-r: Gillian Waddell, Janet Graham, Irene Hinshelwood, Morag McWhirter and Mina Oundjian

Professor Alan Rodger and David Salter

25Year Lunch


On Tuesday 25 February over 40 members and guests sat in judgement on a matter of grave concern which wines are best, those of the Old World(in this case France) or the New (the USA)? With Club Secretary Ian Campbell adjudicating and Club members Ed Salazar and Hilary Reid Evans defendingthe reputations of the USA and France respectively, those attending were treated to a tasting of twelve wines, with each wine selected for its particularcharacteristics. The wines were served in six pairs, each pair featuring the same grape variety or blend. Each wine was scored out of 10 points, and , atthe end of the evening and provoking much debate, attendees were asked to summarise their scores and to vote on their preferred country whichwas, by a narrow margin France. So, in Club wine terms at least, the Auld Alliance lives on. All of the French wines served are currently available onthe Club Wine list and a selection of the Californians have been added. A further wine tasting is planned for the autumn. Hilary Reid Evans

Golfing Society

while Alex Knox tries to sink one at the first hole

Halfway house for a glass of Kummel at the Social Evening

YOUNGER MEMBERS 2013 CHRISTMAS LUNCH


2013 Members' Christmas Lunch

Above: Members enjoy a festive feast

Right (l-r): Jock Meikle, Norman Jackson and Stuart Lait address the haggis in English, French and 'gobbledygook', in anticipation of a new EU directive on addressing a haggis!

Christmas Pantomime 2013: the children pose with Santa after receiving their gifts

Alba Lunch Society visited the Royal School of Needlework, Hampton Court Palace

James Baillieu, Laura Kellyand Jonathan McGovern

at the March Musical Evening

SOCIAL SCENE

Burns Supper 2014

L-r: Sandra Smith, David Coughtrie, Jenny Lee, Sheila Stewart, James Fairbairn, Jennifer Orr, Charlie Stewart, Rachel Hanretty, Tom McNab, Bethany Yeaman and Pipe Major Ian King

Rachel Hanretty replied on behalf of the Lassies

Tom McNab proposed the Toast to the Lassies

Our main speaker at the Clubs 2014 Burnsnight on 24 January was Dr Jennifer Orr,originally from Northern Ireland, whereBurns is held in high regard. Jennifer helped usexplore the feminine in Burns with particularreference to his ability to write from a womanspoint of view. This quality was well illustrated byrecitations by actress Jenny Lee, perhaps bestknown for her role in the TV series Monarch ofthe Glen, who gave us the coquettish Last May abraw wooer cam doon the lang glen and thetender John Anderson; and songs from BethanyYeaman, Ye banks and braes, O Whistle and Iwill come to you my lad and the bawdy versionof John Anderson found in the Merry Muses ofCaledonia which was suppressed for the bestpart of 170 years after Burns died in 1796.

Tom McNab, a former Scottish triple jumpchampion and technical director of the athleticscenes in Chariots of Fire, gave us a highlyoriginal take on the toast to the lassies by tracingthe development of womens participation inthe Olympics from zero in 1896 to 47% in 2012.It was left to Club member Rachel Hanretty toround off the evening with a superb riposte toTom. Pipe Major Ian King had opened theevening with a medley of relevant tunes to someof which the audience was soon singing along,warming up for later rousing renditions of TheStar and Auld Lang Syne, for which Sandra Smithprovided her usual firm piano accompaniment.

For his first time in culinary charge of theBurns Supper,Head ChefMichael Garciacreated a newstarter

Timbale of White & Brown Crab, Lobster &Cured Scottish Salmon. Haggis was the maincourse for the first time for several years andtwo beasts were hilariously addressed byCharlie Stewart in the Members Dining Roomand Andrew Fox in the Stuart Room. DavidCoughtrie the Club Chairman presided overdinner in the MDR with Bill McDermott andJonathan Sayers chairing, respectively, theStuart and Selkirk Rooms.

Burns continues to provide a focal pointfor high quality dining and entertainment atthe Club and plans are well afoot for 2015.These elements attract over 200 members andguests each year which stretches resources tothe limit. We will be looking at how to providegreater comfort, especially during the Ongauns, which may mean we have to workwith a lower number.

James FairbairnChairman,

Burns Committee

Jenny Leeperforming a recitation



Joe Hendry addressed the haggis in the Stuart Room

David Coughtrie and Rachel Hanretty

James Fairbairn, MC for the evening

Stephen & Lindsay Arthurell and Ann & Nigel Wright

Tim & Maggie Paterson-Brown

Bethany Yeaman

Willie Ford and Fay Callum

Gillian Steer and Jonathan Sayers

Liz & Andrew Ferguson and Valerie & Dr Ian Galbraith

Charlie Stewart addresses the haggis in the Members'Dining Room, while Pipe Major Ian King looks on

Left: Head Chef, Michael Garcia and SousChef, Mick Sullivan

Janet Graham and Jeffrey Maccabe

Maitland Ford and Jax & Peter Cary-Elwes

Jennifer Orrproposed theImmortalMemory

THE CLUB AS A VENUE

Kitchin in the kitchenSay Speyside Glenlivetto most people andthey would immediatelythink of single maltwhisky. However, there isalso a mineral water ofthe same name whoseproprietors laid on alighter Burns Supperwhen Michelin Star chef,Tom Kitchin (below right)

prepared a meal for The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts. The food wassuperb and Members will be interested in Toms take on haggis which was

coated in breadcrumbs and servedwith pickled neeps. The Clubs HeadChef Michael Garcia (below left)supported Toms team andthoroughly enjoyed the experience.

During the season whichruns from the second weekin January through to theend of February, we host over 30Burns Suppers.

The format of a Burns Suppervaries tremendously, from those thatincorporate a ceilidh to those thatadhere to the more traditional formatas observed by the Club: there appearto be no rights or wrongs. Howeverthe Club was fascinated by the BurnsSupper arranged by the marketingagency Steely Fox for MonkeyShoulder whisky which followed aSimpsons theme from the popularcartoon series. Guests were invitedby Smithers, assistant to Mr Burnswho, rather than being a poet, is theowner of the Springfield NuclearPlant in the Simpsons home town.

We werent privy to the actualproceedings, but the photos shouldgive a flavour of the event.

The Club is justly known for putting on the best Burns Supper in town. However, our own Supper isnt the only one.What is amazing is the number and variety of organisations that use the Club to celebrate the Bards memory.

A natural home for the Bard

The Caledonian SocietysEarly Burns NightIn its 177th year theSociety held amemorable sell outEarly Burns Night atthe Club on 16thJanuary. 148 membersand guests enjoyed asuperbly entertainingImmortal Memory byProfessor David Purdie(below), surely themost prominent Burnsspeaker in the land.

The Toast to the Lassies and response, along withother excellent recitations including a specially

composed ode to a dram in the Doric, were given byother Society Members.

Club Member Jock Meikle is President ofthe Society for the 2013/14 session.

The Society holds six Dinners per annumwith eminent speakers at the top of their

profession. To find out more about theSociety please contact Richard Robinson,

Hon Secretary, Caledonian Society of London: Tel: 07976 630385 or email: [email protected]

Monkey Shoulder whiskycelebrate theirBurns Supper atthe Club with aless traditionalSimpsons theme

L-r: Cran White, David White, Stuart Licudi, Jock Meikle,Hector Davidson, Mhairi Purdie, James Fairbairn,Hilary Reid Evans and David Coughtrie


SPEYSIDE GLENLIVET


The sun always shines on the righteous

Club Membershipon the increase

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

In the last edition of The Caledonian,we described the work of theMembership Committee in recruitingnew members. Here, we expand onthat earlier article.

In 2010, as part of the 5 year business plan, itwas agreed that the Club should aim to reach amembership of 1400 in 2015 currently 1240.This target was always going to be challenging,bearing in mind that we were going through aneconomic recession, but we have made goodprogress, recruiting an average of 100 new memberseach year. This of course has to be set against theloss of members through natural wastage.

The effect of the increases can be seen already.There is an increase in the buzz around the Club:all our major events are sell outs, new Societieshave been formed in Arts, Wine and Books.

In addition, there is an effect on subscriptions,with the annual increases during past 4 yearsbeing held at around half that of the RPI rate ofinflation. There has also been a significantincrease in our Younger Members Group, whichall adds to the lively ambience of the Club.

We like to catch em young. We are enteringinto a dialogue with Scottish schools anduniversities and are building a programme ofregular visits to 6th forms to tell them about ourClub. We are hoping to involve members who arealumni of these schools to help with this project.There are visits to Loretto, Glenalmond and Fettesdue in the coming months, with others to follow.

At the beginning of March, we held our firstOpen Evening of the year and I am pleased tosay that 21 members brought 27 potentialcandidates to meet committee members and tobe shown around the Club.

It is very gratifying to see our membership

responding in this way, and thanks to you all including those who propose new membersoutside of the Open Evenings.

On average, 65% of our new Members areproposed by existing Members, 25% arrive via ourwebsite with the balance from other sources.Clearly our own members are our greatest asset,and our best insurance that new members continueto meet your standards for membership.

We are now at a point, with resignation levelslooking like being the lowest for some years, wherea very good year this year would put us in aposition to reach our target in 2015. Alternatively,if only one in ten of our membership recruited onenew member during this year, we should be in aposition to reach our target. So this is our challengeas a club, and to paraphrase a recruitment posterfrom 100 years ago, Your Club Needs You.

WE McDermott, Chairman, Membership Committee

SPOTLIGHT ON: Waverley Lunch

30 YEARS

Robert ScoinesRobert is the longest-serving member of staff,having joined aged 18. Robert is regularly seenaround the Club in his role as House Porter movinglarge quantities of bed linen and water bottlesbetween the basement and the bedrooms.

When he is not keeping the Club spickand span, Robert likes to visit the cinemaregularly, Bond films being a particular

favourite. His other passion is musicand he likes to listen to many bands,

including Pink Floyd. In fact he couldname any band line-up from the 70s.A little known fact and not too oftenobserved, we hope, is his wonderfulimpressions of Members and staff!However, he is best known fordiligently keeping the brasses clean

on the front door.

20 YEARS

Michael SullivanBefore joining the Club, Mick (below left) held positionsin a number of leading kitchens in Australia and inLondon, including The Farmers and Carlton. Mick isnow Head Banqueting Chef, a tremendous steadyhand in the kitchen supporting Michael Garcia.They make a great team with wide knowledge ofthe Club and its Members.

When he is not toiling in the kitchen Mick canbe found cheering on his beloved Arsenal, being aseason ticket holder for 22 years. He also enjoyscycling although from recent appearances he seemsto be of the fair weather variety but this may bebecause he recently moved further from the Club.

Matthew McCluskey Most days Matthew can be found stationed outsidethe Club where he is on hand to greet the manyvisitors. In fact, you may even spot the odd touristwishing to have a photograph taken with him, lookingresplendent in his kilt! Having travelled from his homein Easterhouse, Glasgow he first joined the banquetingstaff before becoming Wine Steward in 2000. After aspell as Assistant Banqueting Manager, Matthewrealised his forte was giving our Members and guestsa warm Scottish welcome upon arrival so he took onthe role of Head Hall Porter where he has become afamiliar face to those who walk through the doorsof No 9. We receive many letters and emails praisingMatthews helpful manner and he has a wonderfulrapport with the Members.

In his spare time Matthew likes to spend time

exploring London with his fiance Alison and webelieve this is primarily in search of fine ale houses!As many Members will know, he is a long time Rangersfan, remaining loyal despite recent difficulties andmuch ribbing.

Michele BortolinoMichele has been a key member of the waiting teamin the Members Dining Room since 1994. He wasborn in Naples in Italy before coming to the UK in1972 and working as a waiter in the Lake District. Hethen moved to London with his wife Heather wherehe continued his waiting career at many of the citystop restaurants before joining the Club.

Michele and Heather, who have been married for40 years, live in Stoke Newington and have two grownup children, Marcello, who owns a graphic designbusiness and Marco who works for a law firm. Michelesinterests include reading, gardening and followingNapoli, who at this rate will never meet Rangers!

L-r: Alan Berry-Robinson, James Fairbairn, Colin Wilson and Isobel Buchanan

Alastair Buchanan and Colin Wilson Judy Entress, Anthony Westnedge and Isobel Buchanan

Colin Buchanan rememberedAfter a successful appeal to Members for funds to mark the late Colin Buchanans service to the Club, a scale model of the paddle steamer Waverley, one of his passionate interests, was unveiled at a splendid commemorative lunch on 15th January, attended by his wife Isobel, son Alastair and daughter Judy.

Long service This year we say congratulations and thankyou to four loyal members of the staff whohave completed 90 years service betweenthem. Their hard work and dedication hasundoubtedly contributed to the success of theClub over the years and this will be recognisedat a staff event to be held in the Summer.

Colin was Vice Chairman, Chairman, Vice President of the Club and latterlyChairman of the Number 9 Society. The Lunch was a poignant occasion given that thedriving force behind the appeal was the late AlexWilson, also a Vice President of the Club and adear friend of Colin. However, Alex had knownthat the target figure had been met and thatconstruction of the model was well under way.Although Alex had not been able to see the finishedarticle the family connection was maintained ashis son Colin was present at the lunch.

Isobel Buchanan acknowledged themagnificent support of Members to the appealand traced Colins love for the Waverley back toits launch in 1947, which Colin had witnessed onthe banks of the Clyde. The previous Waverleyhad been sunk at Dunkirk and by coincidence itsreplacement was launched in the same year thatthe Club moved into Halkin Street.

The finely-executed, scale model sat proudlyin front of the top table and was eventuallyplaced in dry dock in the display cabinet on theground floor, appropriately below a select

grouping of the Mauchlineware, donated by AlexWilson. It was particularly pleasing to have themodel maker, Alan Berry-Robinson, present andin later conversation he revealed that the modelof the Waverley is built of sycamore, the woodalso used in the manufacture of Mauchlineware.

The PS Waverley is a familiar sight along theRiver Clyde during the summer months, once moretaking day trippers doon the watter to resortssuch as Dunoon, Rothesay, Largs and Brodick.

David Coughtrie and Isobel Buchanan


L-r: Matthew McCluskey, Robert Scoines and Michele Bortolino


Coming upA recent innovation to our programmes has beenour collaboration with the Classical Opera Companyfounded in 1977 by conductor Ian Page. The COChas attracted considerable critical and public acclaim,not only for the high quality of its performances butalso for its ability to discover outstanding youngsingers. An associate artist scheme was launched in2006 to nurture and showcase exceptional youngsingers. So far, two Company singers have performedfor us: Laura Kelly (mezzo-soprano), has appearedtwice and Jonathan McGovern (baritone) on 19March 2014. The Society is grateful for theassociation with Classical Opera and a Gala concertis scheduled for 24th March 2015.

Before Jonathan sang in March, EugeniaStartseva, piano, started our year with consummateinterpretations of Beethoven, Chopin and Prokofiev.

Our 90th concert on 29 April will bea Gala (black tie and champagnereception) when we will be entertainedby the Fujita Sisters playingMendelssohns piano trios Op49 and 66.

After the summer break, IvanaGavric (right) makes a welcome returnon 23 September, with Greig pianoworks from her recent recording,Everything Glows with Affection.

Jane Ng (violin) returns on 2ndOctober 2014 playing Schubert,Sibelius, Ravel and a composition ofher own.

Albert Cowie, Chairman, Music Society

MUSIC SOCIETY

Racing aheadThe Racing Society approaches the 2014 FlatRacing Season in a healthy and optimistic state. A successful season on the track in 2013 saw theSocietys horse, Sharp And Smart, win twice fromnine starts. She took Members to races at the toptracks including Ascot (twice), Epsom andGoodwood and included a gallant 4th place in avaluable race at the Curragh.

Once again our events and race days atWindsor, Newbury and Goodwood were wellattended with a record turnout of 64 attendingthe Annual Dinner in November. Membershipnow stands at 76. The Racing Society is open toall Members of the Club and we are always eagerto hear from people wishing to join.

The events planned for 2014 are still to befinalised. However they will include for the first timea private box at Ascot on 10 May for the VictoriaCup Day. In addition we will have the usual racedays at Newbury, Windsor and Goodwood.

The AGM and Dinner for Society Memberswas held on Thursday, 10 April.

Syndicate 15 runs until the end of September2014. As Sharp And Smart has now been retired tostud, the Trustees are in the process of acquiring ahorse to race for the 2014 season under Syndicate15. Once again we will be looking for a provenperformer that we think can progress to a higherlevel. An announcement will be made soon.

The process for Syndicate 16 will begin later inthe year and further details of the share subscriptionwill be sent out to Members prior to October 2014.

Alec Moir, Chairman, Racing Society

ARTS GROUP

The next Arts GroupEvening will be onThursday 8 May2014, when thespeaker will be IanGow (right), ChiefCurator Emeritus ofthe National Trust for Scotland.

During the evening Ian will look back athis curatorial work for the Trust on theinteriors of Trust properties. The eventwill follow the usual format of a reception, followedby an illustrated talk, with the opportunity toquestion the speaker afterwards. For those whowish to stay on, supper will be provided. Moreinformation will be publicised within the Club and

circulated to Club Members over the coming weeks.The Arts Group is organising a Club

Members Art Exhibition, to be held in July2014. If you engage in art in any way (eg,drawing, painting, photography) and would beinterested in taking part in the exhibitionplease contact [email protected],[email protected] or the ClubSecretariat for further information.

Other Arts Group events and outingscontinue to be planned and discussed by theArts Group Committee. The cultural scenes inLondon and Scotland clearly offer extensiveopportunities for exploration. The broad aim ofthe Committee is to seek ways of enhancingopportunities Club members already have toenjoy and appreciate the arts.

Edmund Gordon, Chairman, Arts Group

RACING SOCIETY

First Evening of the year

Paul Brocklehurst with Sharp and Smart

at the Curragh

On 14 January, having read KirstyGunns novel The Big Music, members ofthe Book Club enjoyed a fascinating talkby the Clubs own Pipe Major Ian Kingon the subject of the piobaireachd.

The format of The Big Music is based onthe structure and themes of thistraditional form of pipe music, whichhas been likened to a sonata. For those who areinterested, our own Club Library contains somefascinating original piobaireachd music.

Talking of the Library: fired by theirenthusiasm for Scottish literature, in earlyFebruary members of the Book Club spranginto action, ensuring the books were locatedcorrectly, removing duplicates and generallygiving the Library a spring clean. It is plannedthat this activity will become a regular event.

William McIlvanneys The Kiln which onereader described as a Scottish Catcher in the

Rye was theClubs chosenbook in Februaryand provided asusual muchentertainingdebate amongst Book Club members. The author,who also wrote the Laidlaw novels, has alsobeen credited as being the father of the tartannoir genre of crime fiction.

We have been lucky enough to attract anumber of authors to our meetings and on 10June we will have another such special evening,when Dundee-born Costa-award winningwriter AL Kennedy (above) will talk about hernew book of short stories, scheduled for releasein March.

With commemorations of the outbreak ofWorld War I very much in everyones minds, fromMarch this year, the Club is discussing varioustypes of literature relating to the war, rangingfrom histories to biographies, novels and poetry.

If you would like details of any Book Clubactivities. please contact [email protected]

Hilary Reid Evans, Organiser

BOOK CLUB

A Big read

CLUB SOCIETIES

CLUB SOCIETIES


YOUNGER MEMBERS SOCIETY

In December we entertained AmbassadorRoberto Jaguaribe, Brazils Ambassador to theUnited Kingdom. The Ambassador set out Brazilsrole as a global player and economic powerhouse, but emphasised Scotlands contribution to her development. In the past Scotland throughAdmiral Cochrane had helped secure Brazilsindependence, and Scot Charles Miller hadintroduced football to Brazil! Now Scottishcompanies were prominent in deep sea explorationin the Brazilian oil and gas industry.

In February we were privileged to entertain theRt Hon Alastair Carmichael MP, Secretary of State

for Scotland and the Lib Dem member for Orkneyand Shetland. He set out clearly the issues of theindependence question such as Scotland havingshared sovereignty if it kept the pound, the factthat the union over the last three hundred yearshad been very successful, that there were verystrong ties between the two countries and therewas no need to break the two nations apart. Heargued that the economic arguments for theunion were increasingly strong, but it will be asimportant to win the emotional ones as well.

Our third speaker was again from the diplomaticfield in John Everard, former UK Ambassador toNorth Korea. Mr Everard gave a fascinating account

of life in Pyongyang,accompanied bysome intriguingslides. Although hewas followedeverywhere, he saidcontrary to popularbelief, the NorthKoreans werecivilised and courteous.

At the time of writing we are looking forwardto our April meeting which will be addressed bySir Andrew Green KCMG (above), Founder Chairmanof Migration Watch UK, whose talk will be entitledShould there be a limit on immigration?

Anthony Westnedge, Chairman, Stuart Thom, Vice Chairman and

Bill Proudfoot, Committee Member

SHOOTING SOCIETY

Another busy game shooting seasonjust ended and the Society was pleasedto welcome members and guests aliketo our seven days. Shooting from theHome Counties to Aberdeenshire andparts in-between, our events werewell attended and well shot.

Our regular guns were joined by anincreased number of new members.The highlight of our events was our twodays at Newlands in Dumfriesshire where newdrives challenged even our most expert shots.

We are presently arranging our shootcalendar for the forthcoming season, details ofwhich will be obtainable from David Balden inthe Club and we most cordially invite anymember to join our society and shoot with us,You will be made most welcome.

It was with great sadness that we heard ofthe sudden death of Dick Bilborough in January.Dick was a stalwart Member of the Club and afounder of the Shooting & Fishing Society and,for some time, the Societys Chairman.

Generous, companionable, clubbable,unfailingly courteous however strong his viewson the subject matter, Dick was a truegentleman, sportsman and friend. We shall misshim greatly.

Alan Wallace, Chairman, Game Shooting andAlastair Irvine, Chairman, Clay Shooting

NUMBER 9 SOCIETY

A busy season and a sad end

Three superb lunch talks

Dick Bilborough, who sadly passedaway in January this year

Teaming up with thehot shotsCome April the YMS is hosting our first ever beertasting in association with Black Isle Brewery andanother exciting new collaboration includes anupcoming event with the Shooting & Fishing Society.

Also, for the very first time, we will be bothhosting a reciprocal club and visiting a reciprocalclub within the same year. The Princeton Club ofNY are returning for a second year in a row toenjoy our Club's hospitality before going to thePhyllis Court Club to soak in the penultimate dayof the Henley Royal Regatta. Moreover, later in theyear we are planning to visit the De IndustrieeleGroote Club in Amsterdam which should prove tobe equally as enjoyable as previous excursions toour reciprocals abroad.

Andrew Fraser, Chairman

Caledonian and Princeton Club younger members enjoying the Henley Royal Regatta last year

NEW CHAIRMAN


ALBA LUNCH SOCIETY

The BBC-TW trophy is played for as a winter leaguecompetition between the golfing societies ofBoodles, Brooks, Caledonian, Turf and Whites. Fourmatches for each club, four players a side in each

match played in foursomes format, and 2 pointson offer in each match.

The league was founded by Caledonian ClubGolfing Society president Ross Gibbons and hiscounterparts from the other four clubs. The firstwinners were the Turf Club in 2006, followed byBoodles in 2007, with the Caledonian Clubemerging victorious in 2008 by 1/8th of a point.

Boodles won again in 2011 and 2012 and theTurf claimed the trophy for the second time in 2009.The Caledonian Club managed to regain the trophyin 2010 and snatched another narrow victory in2013 when 2 points in the final match againstthe Turf gave us the trophy by a point margin.

Traditionally the winning club hosts thepresentation dinner the following year but Brooksand Whites were invited to do so in 2010 and

2011 as itappearedunlikely thatthey weregoing toemerge as winners; nevertheless, they proved tobe excellent hosts.

The 2014 dinner was held in the CaledonianClub on 25 March with around 40 players from allfive clubs represented. Unfortunately, narrowdefeats by both Boodles and the Turf meant thatwe were unable to repeat our 2013 victory andRoss had to hand over hopefully on atemporary basis the BBC-TW trophy to the 2014champions from Boodles.

David J Smith, Secretary

Following a delicious early lunch ofsea bass and chocolate dessert at theClub on 19 March, the Alba grouptravelled by luxury coach to HamptonCourt Palace.

On a beautiful spring day the gardenslooked absolutely stunning. But the realtreat was inside the Palace where theRoyal School of Needlework has its apartments.

A short slide presentation gave us someinsight into the Schools activities: it runs manycourses from beginner to degree level; restoresand repairs embroidered articles such as churchvestments, and houses ever-changing exhibitions.Technical terms like couching, crewelwork, silk

shading, black work and Berlin patternsrecalled the long tradition of hand sewing inthis country. We saw at close quarters manyamazing things: for example, samplers workedby young girls from bygone centuries whichshowed such a wealth of stitches of exquisitedelicacy that we could only marvel. Just to thinkof the accumulation of hours ofhandwork was staggering. Thepassion that had gone intopatching a sailor suit, orcompleting thread work ordesigning new tapestries wasinspirational. Even theabundance of embroiderythreads arranged by colour onthe wall was gorgeous.

The students were on their break, but wepeeked at the sumptuous creations that weretaking shape on frames round the room. Someof the original designs and colour combinationswere breath-taking.

The icing on the cake was the shop anAladdins cave of delights.

It was such a wonderful tripand there was so much to takein, Ill have to go back.

The next lunch will be heldon Wednesday 18 June with atalk by Robert Ogden fromRichard Ogden Jewellers,Burlington Arcade in Piccadilly.

Pam Paterson

Alba Members sewup a great day

The BBC-TW Winter League

BRIDGE SOCIETY

Alba Lunch Societymembers stroll throughHampton Court Gardens

Good progressAt the time of writing Scottish hold a creditable5th position in a very competitive League.

The tussle for the play offs (top four) forthe Premier League is compelling and we hopeto be in the mix with good luck and a fairwind behind us.

Very satisfactory wins over recently relegatedLondon Welsh and Leeds were the highlights ofmid-season giving the confidence that we cancompete against teams with bigger budgets.

The Academy, supported by Friends ofScottish Rugby continues to flourish and twoAcademy boys played for the Scotland Under20, one, Tommy Spinks as Captain.

As ever a warm welcome awaits ClubMembers at the Richmond Ground.

C mon Scottish! Jock Meikle

GOLFING SOCIETY

President Ross Gibbons and 2014captain Bill McDermott with the BBC-TW trophy

L-r: Charlie Stewart, David Smith, Alan Orr and DavidStewart prepare to take on the Turf Club at Woking

LONDON SCOTTISH FC

The Bridge Society meets in the Club on mostMondays at 6.30pm. Our standard is good butnot intimidating and we are highly sociable.

Interested? Please contact : Philip Craig or the Secretarys office E [email protected]


SCOTS ABROAD

Oligarchs and mail-orderbrides were not the onlythings to emerge fromthe wild west days ofRussia in the 1990s. After almostseven decades of Sovietcommunism and isolation,Russians began to expressindividual freedoms in bold newways that not only appealed to theirRussian roots, but also allowedthem to embrace cultures withwhich they felt a certain kinship including Scotland! Scots andRussians have more in commonthan meets the eye: both were

shaped by harsh climates that madethe kinship of clans essential tosurvival. Both endured protractedstruggles for nationhood thatbred an indomitable pride andfighting spirit. Both were born ofa deeply rooted spirituality thatembraced St. Andrew as the patronof both nations. It should comeas no surprise that the works ofBurns, Scott and Stevenson havealways been especially revered bygenerations of Russians, some ofwhom are convinced theseparticular authors must haveRussian roots.

Certainly, history tells us thatfor more than 800 years Scotssettled in Russia in large numbersand had significant and lastingimpacts on Russias stature as aEuropean giant. Russians havelong admired such historic Scots asPatrick Gordon and Peter Menzies,Peter the Greats top general andtutor, respectively; Prince MikhailBarclay de Tolly, the commander-in-chief of the Napoleonic Wars;poet Mikhail Lermontov, secondonly to Alexander Pushkin asRussias most revered bard; scoresof industrialists, dozens of generalsand admirals in the service of theImperial Army and Navy,numerous doctors serving asphysicians to the Tsars, andhundreds of other Scots who alsoleft their mark. The retelling oftheir stories and reinterpretation ofothers, especially since the collapseof communism, has turned manyreal-life historic Scots into legendsand has created new myths abouthistoric links between the twonations that are now celebratedby a new, self-styled Russian-

Scottish diaspora.Despite the lack of indisputable

historical fact, some Russians willtell you with absolute certainty thatthe Scottish and Russian nationswere born from the same steppesof southern Russia, where theircommon veneration of St Andrewbegan, and where Celtic monkshad long-established ties to ancientRussia. Others, relying on at leastsome historical fact, will tell youthat the Romanov dynasty, thelongest ruling dynasty of Russia,was founded by a Scotsman,Andrew Campbell, a 14th centuryancestor of the Romanovs. You willlearn that a descendant of Robertthe Bruce was a mayor of Moscowin the 18th century and that manyother prominent Scots rose tosimilar ranks throughout Russia.

But perhaps the bestdemonstration today of thenewfound prominence of all thingsScottish is the affection Russiansshow for Scotland and for theirown imagined Scottish roots.Scottish-themed societies and theannual celebrations they sponsor,all born in the 1990s, have becomevery prominent on the Moscowsocial scene. The Caledonia Club,for example, founded in 1994,organizes the annual MoscowHighland Games as well as anumber of Scottish folk andcultural festivals throughout theyear. The St Andrews Society,founded in 1993, organizes theannual St Andrews Ball and BurnsSupper, as well as other eventsbenefitting Russian charities. Everpresent at all of these celebrationsare the Clans of Russia theClarks, Moffats, Leslies, Collies,

Stewarts, Melvilles, and morethan 400 other surnamesthroughout Russia that can betraced back to Scotland.

The 1990s also gave birth to awave of Celtic music that tookRussia by storm. Celtic bands andtheir fans created massKeltomania in the late 1990s,leaving in their wake some of thebest known and most popularmusical groups ever seen in Russia.Among the stars emerging fromthis wave were ginger-bearded,kilted bagpiper Vladimir Lazersonand singer-guitarist MaximBonyushkin, both members of thehit band Si Mhor (Hill Dwellers),neither of whom have Celticroots of any kind. Lazerson, agenius with wind instruments, isconsidered the best piper in all ofRussia. Bonyushkin, who is oftenmistaken for a red-headed Gael,is a gifted linguist who speaksWelsh and Irish Gaelic as well asDublin-accented English. He lendshis soulful voice to Si Mhorsrepertoire that includes hundredsof Irish, Scottish, and Bretonstandards as well as many originalcontemporary compositions.Both have had successful tours inScotland and Ireland.

Visiting Moscow? TheMoscow Caledonia Club may notyet be a reciprocal of ours, butgiven the opportunity, they willsurely welcome our Club Memberswith open arms.

Whisky and Vodka, Borschtand Broth: the Scots in Russia Within the pages of The Caledonian, we have touched on the activities of Scots in many parts of the world. In this article, Ed Salazar who spent some years in Russia, recalls the influence of Scots in that country.

Russias mostaccomplishedpiper, VladimirLazerson

St Aloysius College

Company Ltd by Guarantee No. SC405951Registered Charity No. SCO42545

Join the Aloysian Network TodayLog-on to:www.staloysius.org/old_aloysians

45 Hill Street, Glasgow, G3 6RJT: 0141 332 3190 F: 0141 353 0426


After almost 15 years of schooling in Glasgow, spentas part of a strong community with a robust supportnetwork, it is only natural that Old Aloysians willlook to replicate that once they have flown the nest.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thats why the Caledonian Club, a little partof Scotland in the heart of the capital, isthe perfect place for our Glasgowcontingent to recapture their society values andkeep their Scottish roots in the present.

For those unfamiliar with the term, an OldAloysian (OA) is a former pupil of St AloysiusCollege, Glasgows leading Catholic independentschool. The College shares in a worldwidetradition of academic excellence dating backmore than 500 years and, as such, exists to helpparents raise and educate their children with thesupport of a set of clear moral and spiritual values.

Pupils are part of a strong community and aretaught to use their free will in a responsible manner,with an emphasis on improvement in living and

learning to thegreater gloryof God andthe common good (St Ignatius Loyola, 1491-1556).As part of the Aloysian community, the Collegedraws inspiration from the words of JeromeNadal, an early companion of St Ignatius, whichprovides the core values of a Jesuit approach; Inthe spirit, from the heart, practically.

The College has a prestigious academicreputation with the majority of students movingon to university and entering the professions.Located at the heart of Glasgows cultural quarter,the College is fortunate in having excellentfacilities ranging from award-winning buildingsto historical listed ones. The Garnethill campus is

set near to the Royal Conservatoire and next tothe Glasgow School of Art, which provides theperfect backdrop to learning for pupils who seekto develop in the creative industries.

There is a growing OA presence at theCaledonian Club. Already the College has eightformer pupil members and the annual meeting ofthe London Aloysian Group takes place there.The College hopes to continue its excellentrelationship with The Caledonian Club with aview to strengthening the network and allowingits former pupils somewhere they can rememberthat home isn't too far away

Bringing a little Aloysian to the capital

Scotland showing plenty ofspirit for its newest artisan gin.

It was once described as mothersruin, but gin is back and turning intoScotlands most sophisticated spirit.And underlining this renaissanceis the success of the countrysnewest artisan brand NB Gin.

NB Gin is handmade in NorthBerwick, East Lothian, by husband-

and-wife teamSteve and VivMuir (belowleft). Bothlawyers by day,

they have swapped the boardroomfor their very own micro-distillery.

Demand for the new spirit hasbeen overwhelming. It has alreadysecured listings in more than 50outlets covering the length andbreadth of the country, fromInverness to London. And thecompany has been approached byan agent who is interested indistributing the new spirit overseas.

NB Gin is made from pureBritish grain spirit and acombination of eight botanicals, allof which have been meticulouslyselected to produce a deep andbalanced flavour. Its stilled, blended,bottled and labelled by hand invery small batches, to ensure thatevery bottle is of the highest quality.

And this attention to detail is

paying off. NB Gin is performingwell in gin tastings, coming aheadof all the major brands in feedbackfrom customers.

Viv Muir says: Gin is making acomeback, but its very different thistime round. Stockists are seekingout interesting hand-crafted ginsbecause their customers are seekingvariety, quality and something

which has a different story to themainstream brands. Were thrilledthat NB Gin can provide that.

NB Gin is available in theClub bar.

For more information, contact: NB Gin, The Distillery, North Berwick T 0845 4674547E [email protected] www.nbgin.com


ADVERTISEMENT

Members will recall that KinlochAnderson designed a Club tartanwhich was launched at the end of2012. The colour story was based onthe Club crest and the saltire andalso included purple from the Clubsbranding. Campbell and Morrisontartan was also included in the mixresulting in a very strikingCaledonian Club tartan which isnow officially registered inScotlands National Register withinthe National Archives of Scotland.

We have a number of itemsavailable in both tartan weave andsilk. Several members havecommissioned their own garmentssuch as kilts, trews, waistcoats, skirtsand dresses.

TARTAN WEAVE

Edinburgh Day Bag ............................110.00

Leather & Fabric Luggage Tag ....................................................10.00

iPad Case................................................................40.00

Neck Tie....................................................................25.00

Bow Tie (tied) ..................................................20.00

Sash ..............................................................................50.00

Cummerbund (plain or pleated)........................................50.00

SILK

Neck Tie....................................................................25.00

Bow Tie (tied) ..................................................20.00

Bow Tie (self tie) ..........................................20.00

Sash (hemmed & fringed) ............30.00

Cummerbund (pleated) ..................40.00

Handkerchief (overlocked) ..............6.50

Silk & Black Velvet Serape..............85.00

For details on all Club merchandise,please contact Alison Davis: E [email protected]

A unique identity

NB Gin in a glass of its own

6 Tue Number 9 Society Lunch

6 Tue New Members Dinner By invitation

8 Thu Arts Group Evening Illustrated Talk by Ian Gow, Chief CuratorEmeritus of the NTS

13 Tue Book Club The Chief: Douglas Haig and the British Army Gary Sheffield

14 Wed Club AGM

2 Mon Open Evening


6 Fri Summer Ball

10 Tue Book Club A.L. (Alison) Kennedy, the Costa Book Awardwinning author will talk about her new book of short stories

18 Wed Alba Lunch Talk by Robert Ogden of Richard Ogden, Jewellers,Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly

30-1 Aug Members Art Exhibition

3 Thu Members Art Exhibition Private View

8 Tue Number 9 Society Dr Richard Holloway

8 Tue Book Club All Quiet on the Western Front Erich Maria Remarque

17 Thu Summer Barbecue

24 Thu Cigar Evening

25 Fri Younger Members Society Wine Tasting


8 Mon New Members Dinner By invitation

23 Tue Musical Evening Ivana Gavric (Piano)

24 Wed Younger Members Society AGM

26 Fri Jazz Evening

3 Fri Reeling Evening

6 Mon Open Evening


14 Tue The Caledonian Lecture Sir Hew Strachan

20 Mon Crannog Draw & Dinner By invitation

21 Tue Musical Evening Jane Ng (Violin)

3 Mon New Members Dinner By invitation


5 Wed Golfing Society AGM & Dinner

13 Thu Racing Society Annual Dinner

25 Tue Musical Evening Scottish International Piano Competition Winner

27 Thu St Andrews Day Dinner


5 Fri Younger Members Society Christmas Lunch

8 Mon Proposers & Seconders Dinner By invitation

15 Mon Christmas Panto & Carols tbc

17 Wed Members Christmas Lunch

MAY

JUNE

JULY

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

For Your Diary

For further information on Club events, call 020 7333 8722

A mini pipe band from GordonsSchool will welcome you for theevening, followed by: Reception Four-course dinner Summer Ball Prize Draw Ian Muirs Scottish Dance

Band in the Ball Room Mood Music and Disco

Dancing in the Drawing Room Fun Casino with prize Shooting Gallery with prize Mixologist in the Members

Bar courtesy of Diageo Breakfast Buffet 1am

Club Member & Partner 95Guests 105

Friday 6th JuneTo book, contact Eilidh McCombe:T 020 7333 8722E [email protected]


COMING UP

Glen Grant Scottish Toastmaster

Weddings, Dinners, Ceilidhs & Burns Suppers, including the

address to the haggis.Glen can wear traditional Toastmasters red coat or

Highland dress.Email: [email protected]

Tel: 020 8337 9018www.glen-grant.co.uk

No other single maltcaptures the essence of Islayquite like BowmoreDating back to 1779, Bowmore was the first recorded distillery onthe remote island of Islay off the west coast of Scotland. So itsparticularly appropriate, over two centuries later, that of all thewhiskies produced on Scotlands famous whisky island, it should beBowmore thats widely considered to best represent the taste of Islay.

Apt, but when you think about it, not surprising. Because whisky, likewine, is a product of its natural environment. For Islay, thats amixture of both maritime and inland influences salt from the seaspray and smoke from the rich, dark peat that the Ileachs, as thelocals are known, still use as a fuel.

Sited at the islands geographical heart but also on the shores ofLoch Indaal, a giant sea loch that opens out into the Atlantic,Bowmore benefits from the best of both worlds, making it the mostperfectly balanced of all Islay malts.

Neither too peaty and intense nor too light, Bowmore Small Batch,12 Years Old and 15 Years Old Darkest have just the right amountof smoke, salt, citrus and vanilla to conjure up the unmistakabletaste of Islay. Pour yourself a dram and prepare to be transported.

Summer Ball in association with Johnnie Walker

bowmore.com

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the caledonian spring 2014

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