Author: Fran Martin

Fran Martin became a member of The Bootmakers of Toronto in 1987 and The Stormy Petrels of B.C. in 1988. She has attended several Sherlockian conferences including: In 1992 "Aspects of Holmes" in Bradford, England (hosted by The Northern Musgraves); In 2006 "ACD at 35" in Toronto (hosted by The Bootmakers of Toronto); 2013 "Sherlock Holmes Through Time & and Place" in Minneapolis (hosted by The Norwegian Explorers); 2014 "Gillette to Brett IV" in Bloomington (hosted by Wessex Press); 2015 SherlockCon in Seattle; 2015 "A Scintillation of Scions VIII" in Baltimore (hosted by Watson's Tin Box); 2016 "The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes" (hosted by The Norwegian Explorers); in 2018 in Dayton, Ohio for the "Holmes, Doyle & Friends" conference (hosted by the Agra Treasurers). Fran has held several positions with The Stormy Petrels of B.C. including secretary, vice-president, special events coordinator and is currently president and editor of the "Petrel Flyer". She was honoured with being awarded the title of "Master Bootmaker" in 2014. She was very pleased to present a paper to a meeting of Sir Hugo's Companions in Chicago in 2017. Fran has contributed articles to Canadian Holmes magazine, the Watsonian and Chris Redmond's "About Sixty" and "Sherlock Holmes is Like...". In May, 2018 she attended the 78th annual Speckled Band of Boston dinner. She was very honoured to have been one of the first women invited.

The Sherlock Holmes Pub Visit 2015

On my recent excursion to visit the Sherlock Holmes Exhibition in London, I also had the opportunity to meet up with two of my favourite Sherlockians, Roger Johnson and Jean Upton.

We met for a delicious lunch at The Sherlock Holmes Pub on Northumberland Street. After a tradition “toad in the hole” and a pint of ale, We retreated to the re-constructed sitting room of 221b. Roger is the keeper of the key and caretaker of the room and he and Jean update it when necessary.

Many items on display in the dining room are from the Sherlock Holmes Exhibit which took place in London in 1951.

Catching up with Roger and Jean is always a treat.

I was able to walk through “221b” on Northumberland Street and examine many of the items in the room first-hand. I could have spent hours there. Sitting in Holmes’s comfortable chair beside the fireplace, pulling a book off the shelf and summoning Mrs. Hudson for a cup of tea.

Many thanks to Roger and Jean for a lovely and memorable afternoon in London!

February 27, 2015 0

The “Masters’ Dinner” 2015

The Stormy Petrels of BC will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of How They Met – the formation of one of the greatest partnerships of all time – on Saturday, March 14th 2015. Once again, due to popular demand, the celebration will take place at the lovely Art Dec0-style Bessborough Armory (Arbutus/11th Ave) This building, a Recognized Federal Heritage Building, was officially opened in 1934 by Vere Brabazon Ponsby, the 9th Earl of Bessborough and 14th Governor General of Canada. The beautiful Officers’ Mess is a perfect venue, allowing us to dine in elegance then relax fire-side while being entertained by ‘The Petrel Players’ who traditionally perform “How They Met”, “How Watson Learned the Trick” and more….. Please join us at 6:00 for drinks, 7:00 for dinner. (Victorian/Edwardian dress is encouraged) Please let Elsa know ASAP if you are planning on attending. (if you are unable to contact Elsa, please contact Fran here)

February 4, 2015 0

February Meeting 2015

“I hear of Sherlock everywhere since you became his chronicler.” Words spoken by Sherlock Holmes’s older brother.

We, along with Dr. Watson, meet Mycroft Holmes for the first time in “The Greek Interpreter” which is the story for discussion for the meeting on February 3rd. This story first appeared in the Strand Magazine in September 1893.

We, along with Dr. Watson, also learn that the grandmother of Sherlock Holmes was the sister of the French artist Vernet.

Holmes states: “Art in the blood is liable to take the strangest form.”

Shall we see you on Tuesday, February 3 for our next regular meeting?

Hampton Place, 7:00pm.

If you would like more information, please contact Fran at the Stormy Petrels’ gmail address.

Please note that our treasurer, Elsa, will be collecting annual dues, if you have not yet paid.
Elsa would also like to know, ASAP, if you are attending the “Masters’ Dinner” in March. She also needs to collect your dinner fee as well.
Please let Fran know ASAP if you are planning on offering a toast at the dinner.

Thank you

January 25, 2015 0

Seattle Sherlock Con

I, along with Krista Lee, editor of our ‘Flyer’ had the opportunity to attend a very interesting gathering of Sherlockians in Seattle on January 9th to 11th.

Not the usual type of conference that I am used to, it was definitely an eye-opener. It made me more aware of what this ‘fandom’ is all about.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that many of these younger folk (who are more into the BBC “Sherlock” and/or the “Elementary” TV series) are Jeremy Brett fans. Also, many of these fans are actually reading the original ‘canon’.

There were many panel discussions to chose from. I tended to veer towards the panels on which guests of honour, Peggy Perdue and Tim Johnson, sat.

Both librarians and custodians of special collections. Peggy from Toronto and Tim from Minneapolis. Also on some of these panels was John Longenbough, the author of the excellent play “Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol” (among other works)

From the ‘alternate universe’, the cosplay, fan art, and demonstrations of Victorian martial arts, there truly was something for everyone.

The two guests of honour are presented with gifts.

Peggy Perdue, Curator of the Toronto Public Library’s Arthur Conan Doyle Collection and Tim Johnson, Curator of Special Collections & Rare Books and the E.W. McDiarmid Curator of the University of Minnesota Libraries.