Gunmakers’ Lunch
30th November 2023Proof House
Being American and growing up in the U.S. where the right to bear arms is part of our Constitution, people often think I am familiar with guns and I shoot. I am not, and only held a gun in the last 20 years. My aim is less than perfect and I have only harmed a few clays in my life. However, Courtney, William and my son-in-law, Charlie are quite adept. Read my blog from the SIRRAH Trophy to find out just how brilliant a shot Charlie is!! However, I was quite keen to expand my knowledge and Simon West, the wonderful Master Gunmaker, was gracious enough to take my huge hint and invite me to lunch. It was an extraordinary experience. Weaponry that could be viewed in a museum is in cases on the wall above work tables with guns being tested and examined before they receive their seal from London. The Proof Master, David Miles, only the 28th Proof Master of the Company, provided a detailed narrative of all the guns past and present plus the in-depth process and procedure that each gun must undertake before it is deemed safe and legal. According to their website: Under the provisions of the Gun Barrel Proof Act, all guns sold in the United Kingdom must undergo proof to test the basic soundness of barrel and action. Together with the Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House, the London Proof House provides proofing and other services to the British gun trade. The Proof Master may also be requested to investigate accidental gun and barrel failures.
Master Simon West began the tour with a fascinating historical analysis that included the question as to why the Bakers who allegedly started the Great Fire are still permitted to remain in the Square Mile, while the Gunmakers, who only blew off the roof off their Hall, were banished and remain the only City Livery Company based outside the Square Mile.
Once our tour was concluded, we adjourned to the Board Room, where very appropriately given that the Master makes cannons (no that is not a misprint), lunch began with a burst and bang from the cannon, which is conveniently located in the courtyard outside the boardroom.
Lunch was delicious and I sat next to Simon who hosted Master Fan Maker, Peter Dove, on his left. To my right was a Past Master who entertained me with some tremendous stories! The table was full of ladies and gentlemen whose affiliation with guns was both professional and personal, including the Department of Defence, the military and a recently retired gun manufacturer who had a business in the UK and also manufactured in my home State of North Carolina. There were recreational gun enthusiasts including a farmer who I believe was a former Olympic shooter and I understand would not spare any clays!
So of course it stands to reason that when the Master introduced the lunchtime speaker, it would be me: the person with the least knowledge! Being a working Master means that regrettably I miss emails and information and only read them a few days after I should have. On this occasion, I read the email on the plane the day before the lunch and comprehended that as the Guest of the Master, the after-lunch speech was my privilege. It was indeed a privilege (after the initial shock wore off). I have included it in the attachment. Everyone laughed a lot, which I was told later made it most enjoyable! Later was in fact a lot later after an afternoon in the winter sunshine with cigars from their humidor and beverages of your choice. The Gunmakers complement the Tobacco Pipe Makers very well as most of our products and theirs go up in smoke!!!