At the Banquet

Thursday, November 9th., Royal Thames Yacht Club.

I went to the Lord Mayor's Banquet with Regge of Frinton.

I asked the usher if I had to be received. He said I could please myself; so I wasn't, and joined Pett Ridge and another acquaintance whose name I couldn't recall behind a barrier at the entrance. Fisher got loudest cheers. Funny to see Asquith followed by his wife and daughter. Reception, in library, took at least an hour. Names called from usher to usher, and ushers walked continually up and down the length of the library with guests. In Great Hall about 1500 guests. Beef carvers at foot of big sculptures, with rags and knives in sheaths, stood on high platforms carving barons of beef. At the end a policeman lifted one old carver down!

Procession inwards of nobs. Maids of Honour with pink bouquets for the Lady Mayoress. Trumpeters. Inauguration march by solicitor - awful tosh. Soup tepid. Fish cold. Pheasant good. Cold meat good. No veg. Sweets excellent. Fruit good. Wines good. Box of two cigars and two cigarettes to each male guest, but no smoking in Hall. Awful dowdiness of women, including nobs.

After dinner, Maids of Honour appeared in a row in balcony in front of Lord Mayor, and arranged their pink streamers to hang over the balcony. Reporters had seats near nobs. Took about 5 minute turns, and handed a watch to each other. Trumpeting before L.M.'s Chaplain's grace (short and inaudible) before and after meal. Trumpeting (two pairs of trumpets, one echoing the other, very good; trumpeters covered with gold braid and with black velvet jockey caps) before each toast. Comic toastmaster who had a huge rosette and scarf and looked up to skies in announcing toast.

.... Loving cup never reached us .... general effect, old stonework, carving, sculptures, 2 galleries (top: musicians), to left of L.M. wooden beams, gilded roof. Dependent flags. Stone inscriptions round roof. Old flags at one side. City costumes, gilded. Black velvet and lace costumes. Levee costumes. Military ditto. Foreign ditto. Vast epaulettes of Ministers. Lord Mayor leaning back with false ease in his great gilded chair. Many City officials behind him. Look of tradition, City-ness, grooviness, in ugly and yet often decent faces of men.

Councillors had to wear their mazarine (?) costumes, trimmed with fitch fur, at reception, but some took them off for dinner (£12 each). Electric chandeliers. Flowers on tables. Rows of heads ...... Blackened windows. Policemen at every door. Draught on my head. Ben Davies sang 'God save the King' very well. The name of Venizelos aroused easily the most cheering. Herbert Samuel spoke without conviction. Balfour was resentful, defensive, and then over-confident (as to ability to prevent future Channel raiders from getting back). He said: "The service which I for the moment represent". French Ambassador quite inaudible after first few sentences. Lord French perky and sure - kept looking down at MS. Asquith was the best. Diction uneven, but phrasing absolutely perfect throughout. He was grim but not boastful.

After Asquith I left. It was an experience! I doubt I will repeat it.