Fifty Years of Progress 1880-1930

A.A.A. JUBILEE SOUVENIR we recall the scenes in Court in later years-a great Judge surrounded with everything associated with the dignity and solemnity of the law– it is indeed a contrast to read, for instance, the description of an L.A.C. Quarter-Mile Challenge Cup Race: " M. Shearman went off at a great pace, and, taking a good lead, was never headed, winning in 5 l sec." Sir Montague was elected President of the L.A.C. on the death, in 1905, of the famous Stock Exchange athlete, W. M. Chinnery, and held the office until 1908. He constantly officiated as a referee or judge at its meetings until recent years. It might interest our affiliated clubs to know that when the Club, in l 886, was incorporated as a limited liability company, with permission from the Board of Trade to omit the word "Limited," "Montague Shearman, Barrister-at-Law," was one of the seven signatories to the memorandum of association, for which we may assume he had been largely responsible. Sir Montague welcomed the formation of the Achilles Club in l 920, acting as Chairman of the Committee from the commencement, with another famous sportsman, Lord Desborough, as President. He was a member of the United University Club, and sometimes presided at its meetings. Sir Montague Shearman's career at the Bar and on the Bench revealed his personal characteristics in a remarkable degree. His industry, patience, good humour and keen perception all helped him in his steady progress towards the high position he eventually attained. We might, perhaps, quote a few sentences from The Times: "In 1881, he was called to the Bar, and straightway obtained a practice. For 22 years he was content to remain in the back row. On circuit he did particularly well, and he had plenty of briefs in London. When he took silk in 1903 he did even better as a leader than he had done as junior. Fluency of speech, sound common sense, and an agreeable manner were his stock-in-trade; juries were attracted by him, and he never fell out with Judges, witnesses or opposing counsel." And perhaps still more illuminating to those who did not know him is a sentence from the Daily Telegraph : "At the Bar, he was famous for his persuasive manner with juries. He had an instinct for getting them on his side, by talking to them in an intimate, friendly, persuasive way, and inviting them just to look at the facts of the case before them as men of practical common sense. He never attempted to be eloquent to jury– men, still less to browbeat them. He led them along by the hand, as it were, and it was a hand of which they liked the touch." He was appointed a Judge of the High Court, in the King's Bench Division, in r9r4, and it was said of him as a Judge: "Never, under any circumstances, did he treat anyone before him bluntly or with intent to hurt. His normal attitude was quite parental, encouraging to the nervous witness-especially if in a lowly sphere in life-and tolerant of any mistake innocently made." Sir Montague Shearman resigned his position as a Judge in October, 24