…at the Fishmongers’ Hall on 13 April, we welcomed the following new liverymen:

Richard Brumby

Richard Brumby

Ian Thomas

Ian Thomas

Ian was born and educated in Liverpool, moving to London in 1967 to attend University College London to study Chemistry. He met his future wife, Alison, who was then studying at Goldsmiths College, and they have been married now for 38 years and have four grown up children.

Ian has had a 29 year career in teaching, starting in Buckinghamshire, later moving to Ashlyns School in Berkhamsted, becoming Head of Chemistry and Examinations Officer. Ian moved to Cambridge and joined Cambridge Assessment in 2001, and his wife, also a teacher, took up the post of head of the primary school at Reed in Hertfordshire. Since taking early retirement in 2009, Ian works as a consultant to Cambridge Assessment, managing projects for them all over the world.

Ian was an active sportsman, particularly hockey and cricket, until old age caught up with him but he still follows most sports avidly. His other interests are his family, gardening, membership of the National Trust and travelling as and when he can. He is a member of the Camping and Caravanning Club and on occasion can still be found under canvas.

…and Honorary Liveryman:

Captain James Morley RN

Captain James Morley Royal Navy commanded HMS LANCASTER, the Feltmaker’s affiliated ship, from 2004 to 2006.

Captain James Morley RN

James was born in Perth in 1969 and educated at Pangbourne College before joining the Royal Navy as a Warfare Officer in 1988.  Initially specialising as a Fighter Controller, he served in HM Ships NEWCASTLE and INVINCIBLE before returning to more main-stream appointments as Flag Lieutenant to Flag Officer Sea Training, and then as Executive Officer of HMS STARLING based at Hong Kong.  He commanded HMS DULVERTON in Northern Ireland from 1997 to 1999.

Qualifying as a Principal Warfare Officer in 2000, he served in HMS MARLBOROUGH as Operations Officer before attending the Advanced Command and Staff Course in 2002, graduating with a Masters degree in Defence Studies from King’s College London.  On promotion to Commander in 2003, he undertook a short appointment to the UK Maritime Battle Staff at Bahrain as Staff Officer Operations.  He returned to command HMS LANCASTER from 2004 to 2006, a period

culminating in a major deployment to the Middle East and India fully integrated into a French Carrier Strike Group.  He subsequently worked in the Ministry of Defence in London, initially in the Directorate of Navy Resources and Plans, and latterly as Naval Assistant to First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff.

Selected for promotion to Captain and further sea command in 2009, he is appointed to assume command of HMS ALBION in September 2010.

James lives in a small rural village in West Sussex.  An offshore Yachtmaster, his interests also include mountain biking, dinghy sailing and tennis.

and we welcomed new apprentice:

Ned Wontner

Ned Wontner

…at Haberdashers‘ Hall on 1st. October we welcomed the following new liverymen:

Elaine Howard

Elaine Howard

Elaine was born in Nottingham and educated at Holborn College in London and the Universities of Heidelberg and Lille.  She is a graduate in Modern Languages and Related Social Studies and holds a diploma in Business Management.  Elaine has over 25 years’ experience in the financial industry, working for Morgan Stanley International, Salomon Smith Barney and Citigroup Global Markets Asia.  As Head of Corporate Relations for Salomon Smith Barney in London and, from 2000, for Citigroup Global Markets in Hong Kong, Elaine established departments to devise and implement regional sponsorship and event marketing strategies in Europe and Asia Pacific.  Following her retirement from Citigroup in 2006 she established her own consultancy in Hong Kong, providing expertise in management coaching and learning.

Prior to her tenure in Hong Kong Elaine served as a member of the European Charities Committee, and, as a keen supporter of the arts, sat on the Special Projects Advisory Committee of the Royal Academy of Arts between 1989 and 1997.

Whilst still in Hong Kong from 2006-2007 Elaine joined the Board of the Hong Kong City Chamber Orchestra and was appointed Honorary Treasurer and Chairman of the Finance Committee of The Helena May Council.  Since her return to London in late 2007 Elaine has become a Director of her building’s Tenants’ Association.

Elaine’s interests include opera, classical music, theatre and hiking.  She is an aspiring bridge player and an inveterate traveller.

Peter Wood

Peter Wood

Peter was born in 1965 Bolton, where he grew up and went to school, after which he went to college in Hull where he met his wife, Julie. After completing his degree he spent a sabbatical year as General Secretary of the students union and then moved to London with Julie and worked in the recruitment industry, moving to life insurance and finally to a building society career, which led through promotion to relocation to Cambridge and Ipswich.

Peter now works for a community development finance institution, having responsibility for the Essex and Hertfordshire regions. Peter and Julie have an 11 year old son, Joseph.

Peter is an active freemason, is Senior Warden of the Feltmakers lodge, and looks forward to being made Master of the lodge in April 2011. Peter is an enthusiastic member of the Scouting movement, being a Group Scout Leader. He is also a coach at Ipswich Rugby Football Club, a qualified RFU referee, and a keen supporter of Ipswich Town Football Club.

…and Honorary Liverymen:

Commodore Ben Key RN

Commodore Ben key

Ben Key joined the Royal Navy in 1984, subsequently graduating in Physics from London University.  After early appointments in the Surface Flotilla, he transferred to the Fleet Air Arm as an Observer in the Lynx Helicopter; his final flying appointment was as Flight Commander HMS BATTLEAXE.  He then qualified as a Principal Warfare Officer, subsequently serving in HMS SOMERSET, most notably during the Kosovo conflict in 1999.

After a brief period in command of the minehunter HMS SANDOWN, from 2000-2002 Ben Key commanded the frigates HMS IRON DUKE and HMS LANCASTER, deploying to West Africa, the Pacific and the Gulf.  From 2003 to 2005 he served in the MOD’s Directorate of Naval Resources and Plans, involved in the Carrier Strike and rotary wing programmes. In 2006, he spent a fascinating 6 months in Baghdad as Advisor to Director Joint Staff within the Iraqi Joint Headquarters, a period for which he was  awarded the United States Bronze Star.  He was then posted to the Permanent Joint Headquarters in London, involved in the operational management of the Afghanistan, Iraq and Balkans campaigns.

From February 2009 to February 2010 he commanded the aircraft carrier HMS ILLUSTRIOUS, operating a wide variety of fixed and rotary wing aircraft around north-west Europe and the UK.  He is currently serving as Commodore Joint Air Maritime Organisation.

Ben and his wife Elly have 3 children, all still very much at school.  Ben enjoys most sports, has an ambition to form a jazz quartet with his children, and is now trying to gain some formal yachting qualifications.  Closely interested in developing the talents and potential of young people, he is a governor of Stover School in Devon, a school his grandmother founded 80 years ago.

Commander Rory Bryan RN

Commander Rory Bryan

Rory Bryan was born in Helensburgh, Scotland in 1969.  He was brought up in the Portsmouth area and educated at Lancing College.  He joined the Royal Navy in September 1987 and after his Fleet Training at Britannia Royal Naval College and at sea, he was selected for a BA Degree in Maritime Defence Management and Technology, run at the Royal Naval Engineering College, Manadon.  His early warfare appointments included HMS Ledbury and York.  In addition he spent a fascinating 3 years with the Federal German Navy as an Officer of the Watch and Navigator of the ships Köln and Lübeck.
Selected for Principal Warfare Officer’s (PWO) course in 1999, Rory Bryan qualified as a PWO(Underwater) in 2000.  His subsequent appointment was as the PWO(U) and Ops Officer of  HMS Iron Duke, an assignment that included a deployment to West Africa during the civil war in Sierra Leone.  He then worked for the Flag Officer Sea Training, based in Devonport, where he was one of the Under Water Warfare Seariders providing training to RN and several other nations’ Warships.  In addition he headed up the Towed Array Reaction Team, a small group of specialists charged with maintaining the passive ASW skills in the surface Fleet.  A short tour in the Permanent Joint Headquarters followed, where he was the desk officer responsible for the Joint Operating base in Gibraltar.
In 2003 Rory Bryan was selected to be the first commanding officer of HMS MERSEY, a River Class Patrol Vessel mainly engaged in fishery protection tasking.  He then moved to work for the Director of Naval Career Management as the ‘appointer’ for PWO(U)s and PWO(C)s.  Selected for promotion in May 2007, he completed a short tour in the Ministry of Defence, in the Directorate General Media and Communications press office.  He took command of HMS Lancaster in May 2008, and spent 2 fascinating years which included 2 deployments to the Northern Arabian Gulf and on counter-piracy operations. He now works on the Directing Staff at the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Shrivenham
Rory Bryan is married, has 2 small children and lives in Hampshire.  Outside the demands of a young family, he takes a keen interest in all sports, especially cricket, rugby and triathlon, in which he has represented Great Britain in his Age Group.

Commander Richard Buckland RN

Commander Richard Buckland

Richard Buckland was born in 1959, brought up in Surrey and educated at Epsom College.  He joined Britannia Royal Naval College in 1978 and qualified as an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) helicopter Observer in 1979. He subsequently joined 819 Naval Air Squadron flying the Sea King helicopter on ASW and Search and Rescue duties.  Following conversion to the Wasp helicopter in 1981, he joined HMS ENDURANCE Flight and took part in two fascinating deployments to the Antarctic in addition to active involvement in the 1982 Falklands campaign.

Conversion to the Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Sea King in 1983 preceded a period of watchkeeping duties in HM Ships ARGONAUT and PENELOPE prior to a ten year association with AEW at sea and ashore as operator, instructor and staff officer, including a  tour of duty with the USN in San Diego, California, instructing on the E2-C Hawkeye, carrier-borne AEW aircraft.

Return to sea in 1994 as Executive Officer (XO) of HMS NEWCASTLE and latterly HMS MONMOUTH was followed by two years as the Staff XO to the Flag Officer Surface Flotilla.  On promotion to Commander in Dec 1999 he took command of HMS LANCASTER for 18 busy months culminating in an operational deployment to the Arabian Gulf in support of Maritime Interdiction Operations.

Back on terra firma, he attended Staff Course at the United States Naval War College, Newport in July 2001, prior to spending a further two years at the College, attached to the Joint Military Operations faculty.  Returning to the UK in 2004, he spent 18 months as the Naval Desk Officer in the Ministry of Defence Press Office with responsibility to provide specialist advice to the Director News, and national and international media organisations.

In Mar 2006 he deployed to Baghdad for six months as Maritime Advisor to the Head of the Iraqi Navy and on return took command of the RN Presentation Team.  He joined the Maritime Warfare Centre in Oct 2007 and assumed the duties of Maritime Doctrine and Lessons staff officer prior to taking on his current role as Chief Of Staff in Dec 2009.

Richard and his family reside in Hampshire.  He is a regular hockey player, keen cyclist and watersports enthusiast, and any spare time is increasingly devoted to preparation for a second career in Apr 12.

…and we also welcomed new apprentice:

Archie Wood

Archie Wood