Each year, on or about January 6th, members of the Society gather to commemorate the birthday of the Master, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. The great detective retired from active investigations in 1904, and now lives in retirement on the Sussex Downs in England where he writes monographs and cultivates bees. Born in 1854, he celebrated his 150th year in 2004, and we celebrate with him, as we do every year!

Our gathering takes place at a Montreal restaurant with the right period atmosphere. Following the meal, we usually have a guest speaker who is invited to choose a Sherlockian topic and share his or her thoughts with us. Guests have included Dr. Joe Schwarcz of McGill University's Office of Chemistry and Society; Pauline Rathbone, the niece of Basil Rathbone; and Dr. Graeme Decarie of Concordia University.

Patrick Campbell and David Dowse
welcome the celebrants

Toasting the Master's Health
January 1998

The evening includes appropriate toasts to "the Master", "Dr. Watson", "The Woman", "Mrs. Hudson" (without whom no celebration would be possible), and "the Society".

Members also provide part of the evening's entertainment: dramatic readings, Victorian songs, Sherlockian puzzles, and other such pieces are all popular with our members.

The late Colin Semel
Victorian Music Hall Songster