Philip Marcell was born in South West London in 1936. He attended Wimbledon College before entering Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth at the age of 16. He was commissioned into the Supply & Secretariat (now Logistics) Branch in 1956. He married Lucina in 1962 and they had three daughters and a son. After various appointments at sea and ashore, he reached the rank of Commander RN in 1972. During his time in the Royal Navy he qualified as a Chartered Secretary, obtained a law degree from London University and completed a post-graduate naval fellowship at Cambridge University. His final job was in the Chiefs of Staff Secretariat in the Ministry of Defence.

He took early retirement from the Royal Navy in 1978 and, living in Haslemere, he joined Jardine Matheson Insurance Brokers in the City of London as Company Secretary. He was appointed a director in 1980, but moved in 1983 to American Reinsurance Company (UK) as Chief Executive. In one or another related business, he was active in the reinsurance field thereafter serving as Chairman of the London Insurance and Reinsurance Market Association between 1994 and 1997; and as Vice-President of The Insurance Institute of London in 1996/97. He was also admitted to the Insurers’ Company as a Liveryman. After his retirement from full-time work in 1996 he retained various non-executive appointments. He was also a keen yachtsman, golfer and squash player.

A member of the ICSA since 1970, he became a Liveryman of our Company in January 1983 and joined the Court in 1993. He became one of the first members of the Finance & General Purposes Committee in 1995; and served on its Development Sub-committee and Strategic Planning Sub-committee between October 1995 and November 1999. These sub-committees played a major role in putting the Company’s financial affairs onto a sounder footing.

He took office as Junior Warden in October 1999 and as Master in the year from October 2001. In 2006-09 he was the Company’s representative on the Financial Services Group of Livery Companies. Throughout his time in the Company, Philip maintained his links with the Royal Navy. He took delight in entertaining Logistics officers from HM ships visiting London; he arranged for a Livery Liaison Group visit to the former Royal Naval College at Greenwich with lunch in the undercroft of the Painted Hall; and it was no surprise that the principal guest at the Mansion House banquet in his year as Master was Admiral Sir Ian Garnett, Chief of Staff, Supreme Allied Headquarters in Europe (SHAPE). In the years 2005-12 Philip also served as President of the West Ham Sea Cadets.

Record must be made of Philip’s incredible generosity to the Company. He presented the Baltic Medal 1854/55, which, in its silver case, adorns our table at formal functions; he paid for a major refurbishment of the Hon. Officers’ robes; and he donated towards the costs of the Royal Charter celebration, the money being used to pay in large part for the Charter itself, now to be seen on the wall of the Company office. He was indeed one of the most significant figures in the Company’s history.