I had the pleasure of meeting John in the 1970’s, some years before I joined the UK Club. I worked for another P & I at that time and such was the comraderie that existed in the City then we would meet in various pubs or City clubs for fun and laughter and to share a pint or…..er……er…two.

Leaving all that aside, in 1981, some six years before I joined the UK Club, I happened to be in New York on business accompanied by my first wife. On this particular day, I went off to various meetings and then continue over lunch. Meanwhile, my wife had gone off shopping and lunch with an American lawyer’s secretary that we had previously socialised with.

That afternoon, at about 3 o’clock, I returned to The Park Hotel, Central Park South, where we were staying. When I got to our room I found the ladies had arrived, a few minutes ahead of me and were unpacking various purchases. A short time later the lawyer’s secretary, who was a very attractive girl, said she must leave. Trying to act in a gentlemanly manner, I offered to show her out of the hotel. She said “Oh no, supposing somebody sees us? They’ll get the wrong idea.” I laughed and said “Well, nobody’s likely to see us” and proceeded to the elevator. Now when we got out at the ground floor it was still necessary to descend into the spacious foyer by way of a rather magnificent sweeping staircase.

I took the girl’s hand and, as we were halfway down the stairs, who should enter the hotel, in somewhat noisy and boisterous fashion, after what must’ve been a very good lunch, but John Jillings and his outrageously lively colleague Robin Travis! To say the Mickey was taken would be an understatement, and, for a number of years mention was made of this in London and New York. My protestations of innocence were always viewed with scepticism!