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THE SALAMANDER | JULY 2017
Members of the Company will be sad to learn
that Past Master Beryl Jeffery passed away
in St George’s Hospital, Tooting, overnight on
16 / 17 June 2017. This was following a fairly
short illness. She had been admitted to hospital
suffering from pneumonia but unfortunately
some complications were later discovered.
Beryl loved the Worshipful Company of
Firefighters and often told her son Howard
how happy she was to be one of our Members,
especially when she became our first Lady
Master in 2013. She loved the welcome she
always got at our meetings and events. At the
time of her passing she was very professionally
serving on our Finance Committee.
Beryl came to us via her links with the
Wandsworth London Borough for which she
had previously served as Mayor. She was the
Borough’s representative on the London Fire &
Civil Defence Authority (LFCDA) for a number
of years.
Since her passing Past Master Peter Cowland
said that he had received numerous comments
from many members indicating that she was
much loved and will be sadly missed by us all.
Very few of us would have been aware that she
celebrated her 90th Birthday in April this year.
In her time as Master, Beryl enjoyed attending
many events on behalf of the Company ranging
from the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace
to the Lord Mayor’s show. She felt privileged
to be invited to form part of the Guard of Honour
welcoming the then Lord Mayor (Fiona Woolf
CBE) on her return to the Mansion House after
the procession.
She attended a number of livery dinners and
lectures, events at the Mansion House and
services at St. Paul’s Cathedral, including a
very moving service for the opening of the
Garden of Remembrance, where she planted
a cross on behalf of our Company. She was so
proud that the annual City Dinner had raised a
considerable sum to go into the new restricted/
designated charitable fund for youth education
and training, and she was always grateful for
all the volunteers involved in the affairs of the
Company, together with the Charitable Trust,
contributing to its success.
She enjoyed her Installation Banquet held
at Cutlers’ hall and especially the opportunity
to reward the education work of Operation
Florian for firefighting services in developing
countries overseas. She loved the photobook
which the PR and Marketing Group kindly
gave her recording her installation as the first
woman Master of the Worshipful Company of
Firefighters. We hope it will remind her family
now of her wonderful spirit in office.
We hope that this photo of her here will remind
you of her wonderful personality and presence
with us - may she rest in peace.
Past Master Beryl Jeffery
1927-2017
Obituary written by
Past Master Peter Cowland