"The actual title of Sergeant at Arms, however, is not met with until the days of the Crusades when Philip the August, King of France, instituted a special corps to guard his person in the Holy land in 1192. Men-at-arms, of course, were common enough in all armies of the time, but Philip's escort - being Cavaliers, or gentlemen - were styled sergents d' Armes to distinguish them from the lower orders, and whenever they appeared in public they did so encased from head to foot in armour."

The Officers of the Commons 1363-1978, Philip Marsden, HMSO.

The office of Sergeant at Arms is still a position in the UK Parliament and has two main areas of responsibilities: -

First, he/she has duties relating to the order and security of the House of Commons. He/she is responsible for maintaining order in the Chamber, Galleries, Committee Rooms and precincts of the House of Commons and the control of access to them. By tradition the post is usually given to an ex-serviceman and the Serjeant at Arms is the only person in the House of Commons allowed to carry a sword.

Second, the Sergeant at Arms Department also has housekeeping duties that include the allocation and booking of accommodation for MPs, cleaning of the House and the supply of stationery, laundry and other stores.

"The Calendar of Close Rolls for the reign of Henry V shows that in April 1415 'at a special petition of the Commons...the King granted that the said Nicholas Maudit (the first Serjeant at Arms) should during his life attend upon all his Parliaments ...as Serjeant at Arms for the Commons coming thereto..."

House of Commons Library Document No 13 p.5 "Serjeant to the Commons".

Rotary International

In the Manual of Procedure at page 3 (and page 241) it states:
"The officers of a club are the President … and a Sergeant-at-Arms (who may or may not be members of the board as the bylaws if the club shall provide)".

The Sergeant-at-Arms plays a vital role in allowing the club President to concentrate on conducting the weekly meeting.

THE WEEKLY MEETING

The functions of a Sergeant-at-Arms

The function of the Sergeant-at-Arms is to help maintain an orderly, dignified, and effective Rotary club meeting, one that will make a right kind of impression on club visitors and guests.

The Sergeant should be constantly on the alert to prevent any occurrence that might detract from the dignity and prestige associated with Rotary clubs.

Specifically, the function is to handle the physical preparations for, and the mechanical part of, a meeting and, unobtrusively, to guide its general conduct.

As Sergeant-at-Arms, you play an important role in the overall success of each weekly meeting.

Because of the duties you perform; the club president is free to concentrate on conducting the meeting.

Also, what you do determines the ease with which the operational aspects are carried out.

Frequently, you can give some special assistance that helps to make guests feel "more at home." But more important is the manner in which you carry out your duties. It can directly influence your clubs attendance record.

Your first responsibility is to request from the Club President, the Chairmen of the Attendance, Fellowship, and Program Committees what, in general, they will expect each week. In coordination with them, you will take charge of the mechanics of club meetings throughout the year.

Prior to each club meeting, you should: -

Consult with the Program committee chairperson regarding any special equipment such as a podium for a speaker, a stand for a movie projector, special lighting effects, or any other props that may be needed for the program.

You may wish to confer with the chairperson of the Fellowship Committee each week for ideas on improving the camaraderie at meetings. Be sure to speak with the club President prior to each weekly meeting in case there are some specific requirements or suggestions.

The Sergeant-at-arms must follow one cardinal rule: -

Always arrive at the meeting place at least 15 to 20 minutes ahead of time to ensure that every thing is ready.

Be at the door. Stand at the door of the meeting place five minutes before the meeting begins. Welcome visitors if no one has been assigned to do this. See that all the members are inside the room by meeting time.

Name badges.Be sure that all members are wearing their name badges. These are especially helpful to visitors and new members.

5 Minute warning. It is always important to start on time.

Seating. See that: -

Call to Order. Call meeting to order, arrange for Grace and Toast (if the Club does so) and introduce the President.

The meal. Make sure the food is served promptly.

Late arrivals.This is difficult. If you call attention, even in a humorous way, to members who come in late hoping to spur them to be on time at the next meeting it may backfire and you lose a member. Be careful. Some clubs impose fines for tardiness; others sing a humorous song of rebuke.

Songbooks. If singing is the custom be sure that the songbooks or sheets are distributed. If there is no song leader, do what you can to improve the singing.

Maintain order. In a diplomatic manner, see that the members pay attention to the president or others who are speaking, particularly the guest speaker.

Early departures. Keep an eye out for eat-and-run Rotarians and, by calling their attention to the habit in a tactful way with a view to trying to discourage the practice, which can be a discourtesy to speakers. If a member indicates he/she needs to leave early discretely inform the Guest Speaker so that he/she will not be offended.

Fines Session. Most Rotarians believe this is all the Sergeant-at-arms does. As can be seen he/she does much more than that. Of course, the fines session is the most visible. This session should always be conducted with the correct decorum.

Farewell to guests. When the meeting breaks up, encourage members to speak to the guests, especially to those who took part in the meeting, and express thanks and pleasure at having them visit the club.

In practice. there will be much more for you to do than just the performance of these routine duties.
You will need to feel the pulse of the meetings, to anticipate those things that maybe needed.
You will not only learn much about the operation of the club, you may find ways to improve it.

At the commencement of the ceremony the President asks the sergeant to present the sponsor Rotarian, the inductee and his/her partner.

While this is a non-verbal task nevertheless it can and should be carried out with dignity.

The sergeant should walk over to the inductee, who should be sitting next to the sponsor, and ask them to stand and follow him/her. Then take the inductee and partner over to where they should stand and point out unobtrusively exactly where to stand. Remember, he/she is nervous and wants to be made as comfortable as possible.

In other words do not just call them over with a wave of the hand and point to a spot at which to stand.

Throughout the ceremony stand nearby but not to the forefront. At some stage during the ceremony the President will ask all members to stand (there are a number of different inductions and each calls for the members to stand at a different time during it. Not all ceremonies request the members to stand at the commencement).

At the end of the induction the President usually calls upon the new Rotarian to say a few words. If the President has not requested the members to sit prior to the new Rotarian's speech then the sergeant should come forward and request the members to be seated.

Your success as Sergeant-at-Arms will depend not only upon how well you meet your responsibilities from week to week throughout the year but also on how well you plan your work now.

Most important and satisfying of all, this job will provide you with many real opportunities for friendly service to your club - its members, officers, and guests.

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