This year's Spring Dinner started with a guided tour of the Museum of the Order of St. John, with our party of over 25 members and partners being given a very informative talk about the history of the Order and its buildings in London. The Order of St. John of Jerusalem established its English headquarters in Clerkenwell in the 1140s, with a Priory and 11 acres of land. However, with the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII, the Order was stripped of its assets and - in England - the Order ceased to exist. It continued to thrive in Europe, though - becoming the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhod

es and of Malta.

Meanwhile, fast forwarding to the 1800s, a number of wealthy Victorian gentlemen (many of whom were Masons) set up a dining club under the banner of the Order of St John and - in an age of industrial revolution with plenty of work-related accidents - combined their "Order" with philanthropy and started to teach first aid. The "Order" went on to also establish an eye hospital in Jerusalem, and of course, the ambulance service. The "Order" came to the attention of Queen Victoria who, in 1888, gave it a Royal Charter and so the modern Order of St John of England was born.

During the tour, we also learnt more about the original medieval Order. Known as the Hospitallers, the members cared for anyone, without distinction of race or faith. After the Crusaders captured Jerusalem, the Hospitallers also took on a military role and they became known as the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. Our tour guide told us about the siege of Malta, and the acts of barbarism committed by both the besiegers (the Turks) and the beseiged (the Knights and people of Malta).

Having completed the tour, which included a visit to the nearby Templar church, the group walked to a very local restaurant for pre-dinner drinks and an excellent meal in a private dining room.