A FORMER taxi driver who became the first civilian chauffeur of a Lieutenant-Governor has retired after nine and a half years of service.
Martin Shirley has driven three of the monarch’s representatives around the Island, starting with General Sir John McColl, then Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton and most recently Vice-Admiral Jerry Kyd.
One of 82 people who applied for the prestigious role almost a decade ago, Mr Shirley, now 66, was the first successful applicant not to have a military background.
Alongside the Lieutenant-Governor and his household, Mr Shirley has shared his cab with royalty, including the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
He has driven cars including a Daimler Limousine, a Chrysler Voyager and an electric London taxi.
‘We obviously go to a huge amount of events and it’s great, being a part of life in Jersey,’ Mr Shirley said. ‘At a lot of the events we go to, people are thrilled to see the Governor.’
Some of the most poignant parts of the job, he added, were attending Islanders’ 100th birthday celebrations.
‘Some of these people had been through two world wars and to get a card from the late Queen and the King, which the Governor opens, causes many of them to choke up,’ he said.
Mr Shirley said that part of his job was to ensure that the monarch’s card had arrived in advance.
Reflecting on some of the changes he had seen during his time in office, he added that it had been ‘quite sad’ when the J4 registration plate was sold.
In 2020, J4 went for £380,000 at auction, eclipsing the previous record of £91,000, which was paid for J68. Sir Stephen donated J4 to fund the purchase of a new electric car to replace one of Government House’s existing diesel-powered cars.
Mr Shirley said Sir Stephen ‘thought it would be a good idea to go electric’.
He added: ‘We’ve now got a London electric taxi – a nice royal blue and it’s got the flag on the front. We’ve quite taken to it, actually.’
But one problem which no Islander – even the governor – can escape is traffic, which causes particular challenges when heading west.
‘You’ve got to plan it and you’ve also got to have a plan B and C,’ Mr Shirley said.
‘On many an occasion, we’ve had to turn the Daimler around in the middle of the road because we’ve been stuck in traffic.’
It is a challenge that Mr Shirley is sure the new chauffeur, Steven Malzard – also a former taxi driver and chauffeur – will be capable of facing.
‘He’ll be a good fit for the job,’ Mr Shirley said.
As a retirement gift, Mr Shirley received an engraved silver box, which all the staff contributed towards. Saying that working at Government House was like ‘being part of a family’, he added: ‘It’s a job that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and it’s quite an honour and a privilege to be the Lieutenant-Governor’s chauffeur.’
But there is no rest for the wicked, with Mr Shirley offering his services as a relief chauffeur when needed. In the meantime, though, he is looking forward to a change of climate, with a trip to Australia on this horizon.
Punctuality is the most important part of the job, Mr Shirley said, and in ten years in the role, he said there had only been one occasion where he had arrived a few minutes late to collect a Lieutenant-Governor.
After driving Sir John and his wife to The Royal Yacht Hotel, he went home.
He said: ‘I just happened to be home cooking, I had my rota by the side of me. I just happened to glance down at it.
‘By this time, I’m out of my uniform, in a pair of shorts and flip-flops as it was a lovely summer’s night.
‘I happened to glance down and I thought: “Oh my God, I was supposed to pick them up 15 minutes ago.”
‘I was in full uniform and back sitting outside The Royal Yacht some eight or nine minutes later.
‘And when I arrived there, they certainly weren’t standing outside.’
It was only 25 minutes later, when Sir John called Mr Shirley, that the chauffeur found out that his employers had taken advantage of it being a beautiful summer night and had walked home.
‘The next day, I was profusely apologising,’ Mr Shirley said. ‘Sir John McColl gave me his wry smile, which he used to do now and again, and said: “Martin, don’t let that happen again.”
‘It didn’t.’
Listen to Mr Shirley on the Bailiwick Podcasts at https://bailiwickexpress.transistor.fm/episodes/the-interview-martin-shirley-chauffeur-to-the-lieutenant-governor
