Our history explains that the Brotherhood is made up of all men of good repute who ‘had made a damn stupid mistake, been badly done by, or lived lives of crass buffoonery’.
Some of the ways in which Brothers obtained their membership of the Order will be of interest and are here described.
A Purchaser was travelling in a train in Ireland with a friend. The latter, charmed with the scenery through which they were passing, said, ‘I’d give £5 to stop a few minutes to look at this’, ‘You shall’, said his Purchaser pal and pulled the communication cord.
A certain gentleman of good repute, during the September 1939 crisis, overcome with loyalty and possibly light refreshment, spent a thoroughly patriotic afternoon by joining the Army, the Royal Navy and the RAF. The offence is really punishable by death (vide Kings Regulations) but all he got was his Purchaser colours.
Also welcomed to the Brotherhood was the only County Captain who succeeded in dismissing the entire 1948 Australian XI in a single day. Yes, he did – they made 721 runs.
Recent examples demonstrate that Brothers have not lost their aptitude for acts of crass buffoonery.
A Purchaser, preoccupied with his anxiety to get to Deal, arrived at Waterloo Station from Richmond. Having hitherto always travelled from Charing Cross to Deal he set off at the double for that Station and arrived in an exhausted condition but in time to catch the 5 o’clock train. To his surprise the train duly pulled up as usual three minutes later at Waterloo, a regular scheduled stop between Charing Cross and Deal.
Two Purchasers and a friend were travelling along the Mall by taxi one evening after a hard day of celebration in Fleet Street. A large official car in front was suddenly halted by another car from which a man jumped brandishing a pistol at someone inside the official car. Sensing something amiss, the Purchasers urged their friend to remonstrate with the bandit. This he did by approaching the gunman and coaxing him ‘to be a good fellow and give me the gun’. The bandit thereupon fired the gun into our friend’s stomach, but fortunately was apprehended before he could escape. When the Purchaser’s friend was discharged from hospital sometime later he was invited to join the Brotherhood and accepted. At his first H.Q. dinner he also succeeded in winning the belt by a mile.
(Editor’s note: The ‘official’ car was occupied by a Royal personage and our New Brother was later awarded the Q.G.M.)
The foregoing gives an insight into the object of the Purchasers, but it is very strongly stressed that the Brotherhood is a Society of friends banded together for cheerful company, the charities, as stated before, being in the light of thanksgiving.
April 1st and November 5th are considered ‘Fate’ days and it is customary that a dinner or party of some sort should be held as near to these dates as possible by Brethren wherever they may be.
‘All Harson’s Day’ is the Saturday in any Test Match held at Lord’s. It is obligatory on Members of the Order to wear their ties, wherever they may be, on ‘All Harson’s Day’ and on the two ‘Fate’ days, 1st April and 5th November (Feast of Sir Guy). Failure to do so, when challenged, demands the purchase of alcoholic refreshment for those Purchasers present at the time who are correctly dressed for the occasion. The only correct dress is the tie worn round the neck (the wearing of a polo neck sweater is no excuse for the lack of a tie). K.P. ties, ties in pockets, and/or cuff links are NOT CORRECT.
The crest of the Order is, as will be seen, St. George and the Flagon, and the motto ‘Dic Quando’.
The colours are grass green, sky blue and white, commonly known as Verdant Green, slashed with Gin and Tonic, but really significant of the earth below and heavens above.