James Thompson 78th Regiment

This article follows on from the article in February. Excerpts have been taken from AQC Volume 65 P.19 The Lodge is the 78th Regiment by Bro. A. Milborne.

In 1757, the 78th was raised by Col. The Hon. Simon Fraser, Master of Lovat (son of 12th Baron Lovat) who would become the Provincial Grand Master in 1760 in Quebec. He would also charter the lodge working in the 78th Regiment. 15 of the 82 officers were Frasers so it was very much a highland regiment, One of the sergeants was James Thompson from Tain in the north of Scotland. He was apparently made a mason in 1750s having been born in 1732, but Lodge St. Duthus No. 82 in Tain was only chartered in 1761. However, the ’first’ minute book of No. 82 has mention of the ‘old book’ suggesting the lodge existed before being chartered.

In 1758 Thompson participated with his regiment in the siege of Louisbourg, I le Royale (Cape Breton Island), during which he learned how to make fascines. He took part in the capture of Quebec in 1759, and in the surrender of Montreal the following year. Returning to Quebec for the winter, he was temporarily assigned to the military engineering service and was in charge of 200 soldiers building fascines near the Rivie re Saint-Charles.

In the course of his short but adventurous military career, Thompson met Bro. General James Wolfe, who addressed him as ‘Brother Soldier,’ at the siege of Louisbourg, carried a wounded French soldier to an aid station after the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, and kept the sword of the commander of the American assault on Quebec City as a souvenir.

He was in charge of the French wounded and wrote: ‘there was no place about the town in which to put the wounded’ but he ensured they were treated by the British surgeons saving many. Perhaps his masonic lessons were to the fore?

When the war ended in 1763, the 78th Foot was disbanded. Thompson remained at Quebec, as a clerk of works with the engineering corps. He was under the orders of CaptainJohn Marr until 1772, but he does not seem to have had steady employment. This had little effect on the lodge which continued to work as a civilian lodge named St. Andrew’s Lodge. On 4th August, 1764, the lodge opened at 8pm, had a lecture then ‘repast’ before closing at 9.30pm. Feasts of St. John became annual events in December. The lodge resolved at a meeting that brethren take it in turns to deliver the summons as they “are apt to forget the meeting night.” Some things don’t change! The GL of Quebec possesses a ‘minute book’ (it could also be a notes’ book from Bro. Thompson as no one has signed any minutes) which contain a record of the lodge in the 78th. The 1776 record mentions the death of the senior warden while defending the city.

Bro. Thomson was the most active member, being elected to the chair 14 times and 8 years as Secretary as well as Provincial Grand Secretary for at least 11 years.

Bro. Thompson constructed his house in 1793 and was the last surviving member of the battalion which fought the famous Battle of the Plains of Abraham between Generals Wolfe and Montcalm. Some 16 years later, he was instrumental in defending the city when it was attacked in 1775 by Generals Benedict Arnold and Richard Montgomery. He died at the age of 98 here in Que bec City. Bro. Thompson supervised the fortification of Que bec for a period of sixty eight years (17611829).

The house remained home to Thompson's descendants until it was sold in 1957 and is now a B&B.