Freemasonry Today - Summer Autumn 2011 by UGLE

The Official Journal of the United Grand Lodge of England

Number 15 ~ Summer / Autumn 2011

£3.50

TODAY

freeMAsOnrY TODAY

FREEMASONRY

Number 15 ~ Summer / Autumn 2011

For Lee Lawrence, driving classic rally cars and being a Freemason is the perfect combination – it’s all about belonging p20

fOrDs AnD fellOwship spOOks in The builDing

rOwing AcrOss The ATlAnTic

TAckling The crAfT in rugbY

Spies at Freemasons’ Hall, p26

Two brothers fundraise, p36

The origins of the game, p48

uNitEd gRANd LOdgE of ENgLANd

grAnD secreTArY

grAnD secreTArY’s cOluMn

elcome to the Summer/Autumn edition of Freemasonry Today. I first want to thank Michael Baigent who has retired, on behalf of all the readers, for the great job he did for us as editor of this magazine. I am delighted that he remains consultant editor and our thoughts and best wishes are with him in retirement. I would also like to thank Bill Hanbury-Bateman and Geoffrey Baber, who have retired from the Board of Grand Lodge Publications, for their enormous contribution to the magazine. I particularly wanted to highlight their tireless support during the merger of MQ magazine and Freemasonry Today. A merger that has evolved into the fantastic magazine we have today. The first of the newly designed issues has been met with acclaim. What is particularly gratifying is the feedback from several members whose wives or partners have been interested enough for the first time to read the magazine and enjoyed it. One member even told me that, having read the magazine, his wife – for the first time – supported him being a Freemason. This underpins our core philosophy that we should strive for the important support of our family and friends through open communication. It is wonderful news that our new members’ website was launched at the end of July. This covers the magazine and latest news from around the Provinces and Districts. So we now have in our communications armoury the magazine, the members’ website – which is an open site – and the UGLE main site designed to direct the non-mason for more information. We have a great cross-section of articles in this issue for you and your family’s interest. A balance has been sought between current stories and historical features to show how our past connects with our present. For example, with the Rugby World Cup returning to New Zealand, you can read about the origins

of the game to see why the principles that bond the Craft together have historically drawn rugby players from across the world to Freemasonry. Meanwhile, find out how brothers Mathew and Christian Cleghorn from Lewis Lodge managed to row across the Atlantic Ocean. Follow how they contended with lost rations, a capsized boat and a bird called Elton – in order to raise much-needed funds for Parkinson’s UK. On the subject of fund-raising, there is a fantastic profile of two classic Ford enthusiasts Marc and Lee Lawrence. Freemasonry has been the driving force behind this father-and-son rally team who embarked on an epic journey across America in order to raise money for good causes. Speaking of connecting our past with our present, we recently celebrated ten years of filming Spooks at Freemasons’ Hall. You can read about how the building, built in 1933, has been leading a double life for the last decade as both the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England and MI5’s fictional home. We are delighted that the building has become such a recognisable icon in the show. As programme producer Chris Fry recalls when he was shooting an episode: ‘I was on the phone and this couple walked past the front doors. One of them casually said, “That’s the Spooks’ headquarters.” I thought that was brilliant.’

nigel brown Grand Secretary

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VOYAGES JULES VERNE

Colombia

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cOnTenTs

the board of Grand Lodge publications ray reed, robin furber, graham rudd

publishing director nigel brown editorial panel karen haigh, John hamill, susan henderson, John Jackson, siobhan Mccarthy editor luke Turton Consultant editor Michael baigent

published by August Media ltd for The united grand lodge of england, freemasons’ hall, great Queen street, london wc2b 5AZ

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Grand SeCretary

Charity foCuS: parKinSon’S

ContentS

How Freemasonry continues to contribute to the fight against Parkinson’s

newS and viewS

authorS’ LodGe

riChard tydeman obituary

A tribute to the leading and much-missed Suffolk mason

raLLyinG for Charity

Adrian Foster reports on a father and son who drove their classic Ford across America in aid of a good cause

Grand LodGe monaCo

John Railton witnesses the consecration of a new lodge

10 yearS of SpooKS PEFC/16-33-444 http://www.pefc.org

this magazine is printed on paper produced from sustainable managed forests accredited by the pefC (programme for the endorsement of forest Certification schemes, pefc.org)

ruGby and freemaSonry

CharitieS update LetChworth LodGe

Their essential role in the war effort

A look at some of its most impressive artefacts

HRH the duke of Kent and Pro grand Master Peter Lowndes debate Freemasonry today

two brave brothers row the Atlantic for charity and endure some hair-raising moments along the way

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The illustrious lodge celebrates its 100th year

briStoL maSoniC muSeum

atLantiC voyaGe

The continuing work of masonic charities

firSt perSon

With the Rugby World Cup underway, Patrick Kidd traces the history of the game and its links to the Craft

women freemaSonS at war

Karen Haigh talks about her role as Head of Events at Freemasons’ Hall

david Harrison looks at its foundation and members

Luke turton finds out how the united grand Lodge has been leading an on-screen double life

Senior inSiGhtS Cover image: duncan Kendall photography: bbC photo Library, George p. herringshaw /Sporting heroes, onslow auction Ltd/mary evans, duncan Kendall

Library and muSeum

An exhibition celebrating the Masonic temple in Chicago, once the tallest building in the world

LetterS

refLeCtion

Reverend Barker Cryer on the meaning behind rituals 5

news AnD views

grAnD chAriTY ‘Thinks big’ fOr A gOOD cAuse wartime icon bletchley park was the venue for the donation of £10,000 by The freemasons’ grand charity to the helena kennedy foundation.

The cheque – part of a total donation of £36,000 over three years – was presented by incoming Bucks Provincial Grand Master Gordon Robertson, to help fund THINKBIG, a project supporting children in care. It will assist 10 A-Level students, who have no family support, in achieving their academic potential. The Foundation, which is based at Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes, provides a mentor to help students complete their studies. It also offers internships, training in interview skills and business writing, as well as financial support.

Left to right: incoming provincial Grand master Gordon robertson, foundation bursary scheme manager rachel watters, foundation Ceo wes Streeting and apGm mike Stimson

john martin (far right) surveys the bronze portrait bust with the Grand master, hrh the duke of Kent

fAlling fOr fishing, hOOk, line AnD sinker youngsters got a fantastic introduction to the delights of fishing at a private event organised by the masonic trout and Salmon fishing Club (mtSfC), in the magnificent setting of Lord dashwood’s west wycombe estate. Home of the once-infamous Hellfire Club, the Buckinghamshire estate played host to budding fishermen from Penn School and the Community Team for Adults With a Learning Disability in Milton Keynes. On hand to offer expert advice was the MTSFC’s new patron, Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes. He enthusiastically encouraged everyone involved, handing out certificates and medals at presentation time. MTSFC president Gordon Bourne, former Pro Provincial Grand Master of Middlesex, was also present, along with some of the trustees and the CEO – altogether making it a memorable day.

grAnD Designs for more on the Grand Charity’s latest projects...

peter Lowndes with the catch of the day

see p.54

news AnD views

Left to right: mike read, david Sermon, mayor of winchester richard izard and ray pearce

winchester celebrates its booming ‘economy’

photography: michael dunkason

lodge of economy, no. 76, marked its 250th anniversary with a ceremony at guildhall winchester attended by almost 250 brethren.

rOYAl busT DeclAreD A brOnZe winner

down on the farm

the Grand master, hrh the duke of Kent, viewed a bronze portrait bust of himself for the first time – 10 years after it was cast – during a visit to haseley manor on the isle of wight in may.

three residents of yeovil’s ivelhurst nursing home visited the ferne animal Sanctuary in Chard thanks to Somerset masons. the guests, together with their carers, enjoyed a day with the farm’s animals, despite the bad weather. a renault master 12-seat minibus is funded by the province, and the vehicle is available to charitable organisations for day trips at no charge.

The viewing was arranged by John Martin, a member of Needles Lodge, No. 2838, in Freshwater. The lodge celebrated its centenary back in May 2001 and, to commemorate the occasion, commissioned local artist and sculptor Michael McDonald to sculpt a bronze bust of the Grand Master, and present it to the lodge. The bust is permanently displayed in the Lodge Room at the Freshwater Masonic Hall. Martin said, ‘Freemasons on the island, particularly those who are members of Needles Lodge, are delighted to know that HRH the Duke of Kent has now seen the bronze bust.’

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for further details, contact: somerset.masonic. bus@gmail.com

The ceremony began with the dedication of a new lodge banner, followed by a talk tracing the Economy’s history. Former mayor David Sermon, a Past Master of the lodge, presented a copy of his book about the lodge, Men, Not Walls, Make the City, to the current mayor of Winchester. Peter Small, the only member who also attended the 200th anniversary meeting, was given an engraved firing-glass to mark 50 years in masonry. Also present were Provincial Grand Master Michael Wilks, his Chaplain, the Reverend Bill Whitfield, and Director of Ceremonies Ian Preece.

pGm richard Goddard and the Lord mayor of birmingham, Councillor anita ward, with youngsters at the fair

fair owner honoured as event reaches milestone worcestershire provincial grand Master richard goddard joined the lord Mayor of birmingham and other dignitaries at the 10th fun for kids Day fair in May, presenting robert wilkinson, the fair’s owner, with a certificate of Merit.

Wilkinson offers use of the fair, plus ice creams, candyfloss and other delights, free of charge to some 500 disadvantaged local children, slowing the rides to allow the least able to enjoy an experience not normally available to them. Started by the Kings Heath branch of the Worcestershire Associated Masonic Lodges in 2002, the fair has become highly valued by local special schools. Masons act as stewards, and raise funds for drinks and a St John’s ambulance.

photography: international red Cross

news AnD views

grAnD chAriTY helps regiOn sTricken bY DrOughT

nATive AMericAns perfOrM TrADiTiOnAl MAsOnic riTuAl A special event organised by hemlock stone lodge saw a demonstration by the Oklahoma Masonic indian Degree Team of the making of a Master Mason.

In the presence of the Provincial Grand Master of Nottinghamshire, Robin Wilson, and the Grand Master of Oklahoma, the ritual was a portrayal of the US ceremony based on the Scottish Rites. Conducted in two parts, the first in working dress, and the second in Native American dress, prayers were offered in the form of a chant in Choctaw, a language common to the tribes of Oklahoma.

a severe drought is threatening the lives of more than 10 million people in the horn of africa, according to the united nations humanitarian agency (oCha). poor rainfall in Somalia, Kenya, djibouti, ethiopia and uganda, has led to the driest period in 60 years for some areas. The devastating conditions have resulted in food insecurity and water scarcity, which is exacerbating already high malnutrition rates. According to OCHA, an estimated 250,000 children under five have moderate acute malnutrition and 40,000 have a severe acute version. And with no rain in sight, there are fears that the situation will worsen. In response, the Grand Charity has approved an emergency grant of ÂŁ20,000 to the British Red Cross, to provide emergency relief across the area.

presTOniAn lecTure Tony harvey has been appointed as prestonian lecturer for 2012. The title of his talk will be scouting and freemasonry: Two parallel Organisations?

Arrangements for the delivery of the lecture to selected lodges will be considered by the Board of General Purposes in November. Applications should be made to the Grand Secretary, through Metropolitan, Provincial or District Grand Secretaries. Only lodges prepared to afford facilities for all local masons and members should apply.

news AnD views

paphos harbour, where the concert was held

MAgnificenT bAckDrOp fOr MiliTArY bAnD cOncerT a popular event in the district Grand Lodge of Cyprus calendar is the annual Grand Charity military band Concert. this year it was given by the Central band of the royal air force. the day was organised by agapinor Lodge, no. 8905 eC and dionysos Lodge, no. 9716 eC, and held in front of the byzantine castle at paphos harbour. around 1,150 people attended and the district welcomed figures from the western Sovereign base area. this is the region’s biggest annual charity event and €10,000 was raised, with €5,000 apiece donated to the Cyprus anti-Cancer Society and the alzheimer’s association of paphos.

matt pilgrim at the end of his gruelling desert encounter

emily accepts a cheque on behalf of Canine partners from merdon Lodge master, Chris esplin-jones, as owner andy fields looks on

emily the wonder dog

emily, a four-year-old labrador, unties shoelaces, removes shoes and picks up produce from supermarket shelves. her latest trick is collecting cheques from dignitaries.

Owner Andy Fields received £500 from Hursleybased Merdon Lodge, No. 5135, on behalf of Canine Partners – a charity that helps disabled people enjoy greater independence by providing trained dogs. Fields, a former professional rugby player, partially lost the use of his limbs following a motorcycle accident and relies on Emily for assistance. The overall cost of each animal from puppy to retirement is in the region of £20,000.

Left to right: hereford hospital senior technician Gail robinson, local bhf fund-raising manager Gail Cassidy, deputy provincial Grand master, the reverend david bowen, and hereford hospital senior technician Gill james

siX DAYs AcrOss The sAhArA For Freemason Matt Pilgrim, raising money to help deprived children came the hard way. A member of Slough-based Orion Lodge, No. 8756, Pilgrim took part in a punishing 151-mile, six-day endurance race across the Sahara desert in Morocco, amassing £13,138 for the Hope For Children charity. freemasonrytoday.com

Hope For Children helps disabled, orphaned, poor and exploited children, in particular those living in developing countries. ‘This is achieved through providing, promoting and advancing children’s rights to basic necessities,’ explained Pilgrim. ‘This includes education and health care, to sustain their long-term development.’

state-of-the-art boost for hereford hereford hospital received a £98,000 ultrasound 4D echocardiogram machine, following a three-year appeal supported by local freemasons.

Claire Cassidy, the British Heart Foundation fund-raising manager for Hereford and Worcester, said that the machine ‘places Hereford at the forefront of cardiac screening’. The region has a higher-than-average incidence of heart disease, and the demand for cardiac screenings is on the rise. At the Heartbeat Appeal presentation, Herefordshire Deputy Provincial Grand Master, the Reverend David Bowen, expressed his pleasure at local masons’ input.

news AnD views right: a red jaguar e-type on the masonic Classic vehicle Club stand at the bristol Classic Car Show. below: Classic cars alongside the Club stand at the bromley pageant of motoring

grandfather stops thief and saves the day Dennis ramsey, 76, has been praised by surrey police after stopping a thief.

The grandfather of 15, and a well-known Freemason, was shopping in Horley when he witnessed a man running from a supermarket, chased by staff. Ramsey stood in the man’s path, causing him to fall, enabling police to arrest and later charge him. Surrey Chief Constable Mark Rowley’s commendation stated that, ‘Mr Ramsey has gone beyond the call of duty to try and apprehend a thief.’

A vinTAge YeAr fOr clAssic-cAr enThusiAsTs As the iconic Jaguar E-Type reaches its 50th birthday, the Masonic Classic Vehicle Club has been staging stunning displays of rare cars at events across the country. with the jaguar e-type, arguably the most iconic motor-car of the 20th century, turning 50, all eyes are on classic cars this year – providing lots of opportunities for the masonic Classic vehicle Club to parade some rare gems. at the 32nd annual bristol Classic Car Show, phil english (eldon Lodge, no. 1755) displayed his stunning red 1965 e-type roadster alongside the original jaguar, a 1932 austin 7 Swallow Sports, as well as a beautiful

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jaguar d-type in british racing Green, which had just been completed by phil Cottrell (aviation Lodge, no. 7210) of newbury in berkshire. over in Kent, the Club put on a display of rare cars at the bromley pageant of motoring, the largest one-day open-air show in europe. with 45,000 visitors, the pageant is a huge advertisement for freemasonry. for membership information, contact John cole: 01934 811 424, or jcole1701@sky.com

nell bank centre manager bruce fowler (left) with the Lord mayor of bradford, Councillor peter hill, who is a member of the province of yorkshire and a trustee of nell bank, and provincial Grand master john Clayton

guarding the future of the great outdoors A centre offering outdoor education for all ages and abilities has received a £20,000 grant from the lodge of the Three graces, no. 408, province of Yorkshire, west riding.

Nell Bank, in Ilkley, is akin to a small village, providing outdoor day and residential education to many local schools and community groups. Some 20,000 children benefit annually from the facilities, but there is an urgent need to replace the present adventure playground with an area that better accommodates children with special needs, as well as wet weather. The £20,000 grant donated by the lodge will assist with the cost of providing a new play area.

news AnD views

ChanneL iSLandS air SearCh reCeiveS fundinG booSt guernsey and Alderney masons have donated £21,600 to channel islands Air search (ciAs), part of which will help refurbish a vital infrared rescue camera. provincial grand Master David hodgetts explained he remembered when the Air search organisation was set up and is delighted to be making a contribution towards the team’s high operating costs. ciAs chief officer colin ferbrache said the money would help towards the overall running costs, ‘which are now in the region of £85,000 a year’.

festival chairman peter Lightburn (far left) and provincial Grand master norman thompson with two of the contenders

cArlisle hOsTs knOckOuT evenT Cumberland and westmorland masons were in fighting form when they raised £8,000 to aid the royal masonic benevolent institution (rmbi). The Province’s first organised charity event in support of its 2016 Festival saw The Shepherds Inn in Carlisle transformed to accommodate a central boxing ring, complete with ringside tables. The evening included a fabulous Cumberland roast-beef dinner, followed by 14 bouts of amateur boxing, while Provincial stewards ran a tote, an auction and a very successful raffle for the RMBI.

helping hAnD fOr lichfielD cATheDrAl restoration work at Lichfield Cathedral has benefited from a £5,000 donation from the freemasons’ Grand Charity and £1,000 from the province of Staffordshire, as well as money raised by individual local lodges.

photography: peter jordon/alamy, Guernsey press

Repairs to the windows at the eastern end of the cathedral, known as the Lady Chapel, are costing more than £4 million. The medieval stained glass has been taken away for restoration, the stone work repaired and an outer layer of isothermal glass has been installed, but the costs still have to be covered. On the cathedral’s south side is a statue of Godfroi de Bouillon, erected by masons in 1890 for £35. The Freemasons’ Grand Charity has also donated £5,000 each to Exeter and Salisbury cathedrals. Left: Staffordshire provincial Grand master thomas Lloyd with the cathedral dean, the very reverend adrian dorber, along with provincial officers in the Lady Chapel. right: the stunning medieval stained glass and stone work, which requires further funding for restoration

rOwing fOr gOlD two brothers conquer the atlantic for charity...

see p.36

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news AnD views

DiscOvering YOur MAsOnic rOOTs The library and Museum of freemasonry in london is organising a free study day to encourage the use of masonic records as a research tool.

Due to be held on 12 October 2011 at the Masonic Hall, Bridge Street, Manchester, the day will include speakers from the masonic and nonmasonic worlds. They will discuss the potential for studying Freemasonry and its relationship with wider society. The day will be of interest to not just the masonic research community but also to local, regional and family historians and those studying history at degree level and beyond. for more information, please contact len reilly (see below, right for contact details)

GoinG aLL out to Keep reCordS Safe the Library and museum of freemasonry has a grant scheme open to lodges and chapters to improve record storage. Last year, 18 provinces made 35 applications.

One of the successful applications came from Mount Sinai Chapter, No. 19 – to repair an overfilled minute book from 1902 to 1936. This year, lodges or chapters can apply for up to £250 for the preservation of records.

Applications need to be received before the end of October 2011. forms have been sent to all provincial secretaries and are also available directly from len reilly, historical records survey, project Manager, library and Museum of freemasonry, freemasons’ hall, 60 great Queen street, london wc2b 5AZ. Tel: 020 7395 9256, email: lreilly@freemasonry.london.museum

sTuDenTs Are enlighTeneD AT bATh’s MAsOnic hAll A group of bath spa students, enrolled on the enlightenment module, have attended a special tour of bath Masonic hall and Museum.

This soon-to-be annual event was organised by Professor William Hughes, Lodge of Concord, No. 632 – a senior lecturer at the School of Humanities and Cultural Industries at Bath Spa University. The building had previously been the Bath Theatre Royal and a Catholic Church, but has been home to Bath Freemasonry for 140 years. Students were ‘enlightened’ by Trevor Quartermaine, Royal Cumberland Lodge, No. 41. In the past year, 1,400 tourists have visited, promoting Freemasonry in the city.

Left and above: the rich history within bath masonic hall and museum has proved a big hit with students

fAMilY fOcus masonic children struggle in economic recession...

fOreign grAnD lODges recOgniseD Three foreign grand lodges have gained recognition following the June meeting of the Quarterly communication of grand lodge: cameroon, san Marino and ukraine. • the Grand Lodge of Cameroon was formed on 15 September 2001 from four lodges which comprised the district Grand Lodge of Cameroon under the national Grand Lodge of france. • the Grand Lodge of the most Serene republic of San marino was consecrated on 3 april 2003 by the Grand orient of italy from three lodges. (although the Grand orient of italy is no longer recognised by uGLe, Grand Lodge accepts that its lodges are working regularly.) • the Grand Lodge of ukraine was formed from five lodges on 24 September 2005, by the Grand Lodge of austria and the national Grand Lodge of france. see p.56

news AnD views

Left: intrepid mason Kevin johnson will venture to the South pole. below: johnson with the square-andcompasses flag Left to right: metropolitan Grand master russell race, Grand Secretary and president of the friends of the rmbi, nigel brown, assistant Grand master david williamson and rmbi president willie Shackell, together with Sue Shackell, margaret williamson and maria brown

rAce fOr pOsTeriTY TO The sOuTh pOle this november witnesses the Scott-amundsen Centenary race to the South pole. two teams, each with three serving members of hm forces, will retrace the legendary steps of Captain robert falcon Scott and roald amundsen.

photography: t-pool/Getty images, dan brown, herbert G. ponting/Corbis

Master Mason Kevin Johnson of Cantilupe Lodge, No. 4083, will follow Scott’s route from Cape Evans in Antarctica. Scott, Amundsen and Ernest Shackleton were all Freemasons. A square-and-compasses flag will be placed at the South Pole on the

expedition’s completion. To date, Herefordshire lodges, Cantilupe and Arrow, together with Pegasus Forces Lodge, Province of Hampshire and Isle of Wight, have donated £2,000 towards the race. The teams are supporting the Royal British Legion on its 90th anniversary. Each member will haul 140kg of supplies/equipment in a sled – against a wind chill of minus 50ºC. The race is estimated to take 60 to 65 days with an average weight loss of two stone. Follow Johnson’s journey at http://scottamundsenrace.org where you can also make donations.

good friends and neighbours The friends of the rMbi charity ball raised £35,000 for the royal Masonic benevolent institution’s The good neighbour fund.

With the ball held in June at the Grange Hotel in London, a cheque was presented to the president of the RMBI, Brigadier Willie Shackell, by Grand Secretary and President of the Friends of the RMBI, Nigel Brown. The Friends of the RMBI was formed in 1973 with an annual charity ball to provide extra funds for The Good Neighbour Fund. Over the years it has raised more than £550,000.

Left to right: janice dell (specialist cancer nurse sponsored by freemasons), reverend david bowen, pam healy and frankie devereux

hereford finds a charitable haven

A new english-speaking lodge of emulation, The black sea Anchor lodge, no. 57, has been consecrated in sofia, bulgaria.

pam healy, the recently appointed national chief executive of breast cancer haven, was welcomed to The hereford haven by manager frankie Devereux. guests included reverend David bowen, Deputy provincial grand Master for herefordshire.

Durham mason Michael Willis, who has lived in Bulgaria for six years, said, ‘I have visited numerous lodges in Bulgaria. However, while on a visit to a lodge in Romania with two Bulgarian brethren over two years ago, we discussed English Freemasonry and the idea of a new lodge was born. The list of founders rose steadily and early in 2010 we received permission.’ The new Grand Master of Bulgaria, Ivan Sariev, consecrated the lodge in Bulgarian, followed by a team from Hertfordshire, led by Deputy Provincial Grand Master Allan Atkinson, who consecrated the lodge in English.

Bowen took a special interest in the Haven’s ‘Guardian’ Programme – an invitation to individuals and corporate bodies to become Haven Guardians by donating £1,000 a year. Healy stated that the success of this challenging programme could result in The Hereford Haven becoming fully self-supporting. The Haven is entirely dependent on charitable donations.

bulgAriAn lODge cOnsecrATeD

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news AnD views

rmbi shows just how much it cares

OperATiOn lifesAver: bicenTenArY AppeAl TO funD surgeOns the royal arch is to mark its bicentenary in 2013 with an appeal to help fund research by the royal College of Surgeons of england (rCS).

• less invasive surgery and quicker recovery times • skilled operations to improve hearing and sight • cancer survival rates

The scheme, which relies entirely on voluntary donations, enables surgeons to explore treatments for conditions and injuries that affect millions of people worldwide. Surgical research has already provided significant advances in:

Currently in the UK, less than two percent of funding for medical research is given to surgical projects. It is hoped that the 2013 appeal will provide the RCS with a significant boost, enabling the continuation of existing projects, and supporting advancements in surgical care for future generations. To find out more, or donate, visit the Relief Chest section of the Grand Charity website (grandcharity.org).

• hip and knee replacements • the prevention of strokes • reconstructive surgery for trauma and war-wounded victims

The royal Masonic benevolent institution (rMbi) has offered a message of solidarity to residents of its care homes.

News of the financial collapse of care-home provider Southern Cross, and of abuse at Winterbourne View, has shocked and concerned many. The RMBI can offer reassurance that it is financially sound, owns the freehold of all of its care homes, and upholds the highest moral standards. It has an established Abuse and Safeguarding policy, encourages whistle-blowers, and maintains zero tolerance of any type of abuse. The charity is encouraging Freemasons across the UK to get in touch if they would like help or advice during the current crisis in the care sector.

LoCaL Love for parKinSon’S

parkinson’s uK is asking people to sign up to its mission to help find a cure and improve life for everyone affected by the condition. Go to parkinsons.org.uk/joinus for more information.

Grand Charity chief executive Laura Chapman said, ‘many of our members have experience of what it is like to live with this condition. parkinson’s uK has therefore received much support within the masonic community – a key factor for why it was selected for this national grant. we are delighted to be able to direct our support to local branches via local lodges.’ teresa forgione, major gifts manager at parkinson’s uK, added: ‘we are delighted that the freemasons’ Grand Charity is supporting our work. our local groups run a wide range of activities for people affected by parkinson’s, including pilates classes and education days.’ To read more about this considerable donation and what it means for parkinson’s uk, turn to page 41

oma past president ege parker (right) presents the president’s medal to Les hutchinson

new president for old masonians les hutchinson, chief executive of the royal Masonic Trust for girls and boys (rMTgb), has been invested as president of the Old Masonians Association (OMA).

The OMA, which currently has about 1,000 members, keeps alive the memory of the Royal Masonic School for Boys, while encouraging an interest in the work of the RMTGB, its successor. It was founded in 1886 and, 125 years later, Hutchinson is proud to continue to strengthen the links between the modern charity and its ‘Old Boys’. For further information, or to join the OMA, contact the secretary, Robert McGovern, at robertmcgovern@btinternet.com.

photography: parkinson’s uK, echo/Getty images

Parkinson’s UK has been awarded £250,000 from The Freemasons’ Grand Charity, with each of the 48 Metropolitan and Provincial Grand Lodges donating £5,000 to their local Parkinson’s UK branch.

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richArD TYDeMAn ObiTuArY and Woodbridge. He was an Honorary Canon of St Edmundsbury Cathedral from 1959 to 1963. In 1963, Tydeman moved to London as Rector of St Sepulchre-Without-Newgate and a Deputy Minor Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral. He was preacher of Lincoln’s Inn from 1973 until his London retirement in 1981. He then returned to Suffolk before moving to Cornwallis Court in Bury St Edmunds.

a Life LeSS ordinary With a quiet dignity and impish sense of humour, Reverend Canon Richard tydeman, MA, OSM, PSgW, came into Freemasonry in 1937. John Hamill celebrates his considerable achievements

ichard Tydeman, who died aged 94, had a great love of the English language and its proper usage. A highly regarded preacher and after-dinner speaker, he also compiled crosswords for the Church Times, produced verse and plays, and wrote a column for Freemasonry Today under the heading Reflection. A Suffolk man through-and-through, Tydeman was born in Stowmarket and educated at Woodbridge School, before attending St John’s College Oxford (BA in 1939, MA in 1943). He trained for the priesthood at Ripon Hall, Oxford, and was ordained in 1943. After a brief curacy in Staffordshire he returned to Suffolk first as a curate and then as a priest in charge of Ipswich

Tydeman’s long life was supported by three pillars: family, faith and Freemasonry. He was proud that his daughters – Reverend Rose Williams and Deaconess Sue Pierson – followed this path. He also protested as elements of the Church attacked the Craft. When the General Synod in 1986 announced it was to investigate the compatibility of Freemasonry and Christianity, he wrote to the Church Times asking what right the Synod had to speak for Christianity. He came into Freemasonry in 1937 in the Phoenix Lodge, No. 516, at Stowmarket. He was Provincial Grand Chaplain for Suffolk in 1957 and Grand Chaplain in 1966 and 1967. He was later promoted to Past Junior Grand Warden in 1989 and Past Senior Grand Warden in 2004 of the Grand Lodge. In 1988, he was appointed a member of the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry. In 1941, Tydeman came into the Royal Arch in the Lewisham Chapter, No. 2582, at Warley in Staffordshire. He later joined two chapters in Suffolk, was Grand Scribe N in 1971 and from 1980 to 1987 was Grand Superintendent in and over the area. In a debate in Grand Chapter on changes to the Royal Arch ritual in the late 1980s, he announced that he was privileged to be Grand Superintendent in a small province of 17 chapters that worked 18 rituals. Tydeman’s three addresses – ‘A New Approach to Mystical Hebrew’ (the ‘bumble bee’ lecture) of November 1979; ‘The Words on the Triangle – An Alternative View’ of November 1985; and ‘History, Mystery and Geometry’ of November 1987 – added to the revision of the Royal Arch in the 1980s. His contribution to Masonic thought was acknowledged in 1971 when he was appointed Prestonian lecturer, his subject being ‘Masters and Master Masons’, while his explanation of how the Grand Stewards gained their red apron – given as the response to the Visitor’s Toast at the 1978 Installation Banquet of the Grand Stewards Lodge – has become part of Grand Stewards folklore. He also held high office in many of the additional degrees, including the highest in two of them: from 1980 to 1996 he was Grand Sovereign of the Red Cross of Constantine, and from 1994 to 2002 he was Sovereign Grand Commander of the Ancient and Accepted Rite of Freemasonry. In both of those capacities, he travelled extensively, impressing many of the members with his dignity and impish humour. Even in these days of increasing longevity, 94 years of life, 74 years of Freemasonry and 70 years as a priest are achievements worthy of celebration. Those of us who were privileged to know him will mourn his loss but raise a glass to many happy memories.

rAllYing fOr chAriTY

peTrOl-heAD pArADise For classic Ford enthusiasts Marc and Lee Lawrence, Freemasonry is the driving force behind this father and son rally team, as Adrian Foster discovers

here is a growing trend for Freemasons to combine their hobbies and social interests with fund-raising and recruitment for their lodges. With the increasing popularity of so-called ‘hobby lodges’, father and son Freemasons, Marc and Lee Lawrence, share a passion for the Ford Escort Mk1 that has taken them across the US for a good cause.

sTArTing OuT The story begins in Ickleford, Hertfordshire, in the early 1990s, before son Lee was even old enough to drive. A logistics manager at missile manufacturer MBDA, Marc had always wanted a classic Ford Escort and one day found a very basic Mk2 at auction. In that moment a father and son rally team was born. Marc’s enthusiasm was contagious and Lee, now an IT analyst at MBDA, was well and truly bitten by the Ford bug. He recalls how he acquired his beloved Mk1 Ford Escort: ‘It started life as an ex-police Panda car bodyshell that was used for training body repair students at Hitchin College. With Dad’s help, we knocked out the dents and got it ready for the road. I worked on it every evening.’

photography: duncan Kendall

above: Lee (left) and marc Lawrence with their beloved ford escorts. Left: Lee at the wheel of his mk1. right: a car sticker celebrating 25 years of classic fords

freemasonrytoday.com

rAllYing fOr chAriTY

what strikes you on first seeing lee’s ford escort (above) is its flawless blue paintwork. far from being a stripped-out racer, it’s a normal escort Mexico inside with the design from the faster escort Twin cam. it pulls from low revs up to a 7,500rpm cacophony. 0-60mph is dispatched in just 6.25 seconds, with the potential of 150mph. it feels firmly sprung, with un-assisted steering, and un-servoed brakes that need a hefty shove. All in all, lee’s escort is more gentle pussycat than scalded cat.

‘TO be brOughT up in such A peTrOl-heAD’s pArADise is wOrTh iTs weighT in gOlD. MY DAD is QuiTe siMplY One Of MY besT frienDs’ Lee LawrenCe

The discussion shifts to their relationship. ‘To be brought up in such a petrol-head’s paradise is worth its weight in gold. He’s quite simply one of my best friends,’ says Lee. ‘The downside was living with car parts stored in wardrobes and the living room.’

MOving up A geAr So how do you blend Ford Escorts and Freemasonry? ‘Our rallying is used to raise money for charity. Like Freemasonry, in belonging to an auto club you find a fellowship that comes out of that shared interest. I joined Dacre Lodge in 1996 at a time when all my friends were Freemasons,’ Marc explains. ‘I spoke to a friend in the Craft, he knocked, and the door was opened to me. I was a founder member of the Anglo-Danish Prince Hamlet Lodge.’ For the rally events the two take part in, Lee points to the discipline needed. ‘It’s a bit like performing in a lodge, where everybody has a role to play,’ he says. So has Marc considered setting up a lodge for Escort owners? ‘I think it’s a great idea to combine both interests into one. But I don’t think it would work so well for Escort owners because, let’s face it, we’re all boy racers, aren’t we.’

photography: duncan Kendall

An escOrT wiTh A rAcing heArT

rAllYing fOr chAriTY

chAriTY rOAD Trip Of A lifeTiMe AcrOss AMericA in vinTAge fOrD sTYle Marc and Lee’s trip to America in 2005 was a memorable adventure. Using Lee’s blue Escort, the two drove from Baltimore on the east coast, through New York City, up to Niagara Falls, and then west along Route 66 to St Louis, Tulsa, Amarillo, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. The last stage of the journey took them through Death Valley, California, in sweltering temperatures of well over 100ºF, up to San Francisco, and then back down to Los Angeles. ‘America is a country of contrasts,’ recalls Lee. ‘While cruising along the classic Route 66 we took in Bakersfield for their annual Hot Rod festival, a real Mecca for petrol-heads. While there we had a problem with the alternator on one of the cars and a kind-hearted local Escort owner insisted on taking us back to his house to find a spare one that would fit our car. ‘We found a quaint little place called Hackberry, in Arizona,’ he continues, ‘which was completely unspoilt with just a handful of shops and houses, old diners, cars that had seen better days, and vintage petrol pumps. It looked just like it must have done in the 1950s.’

nOse firsT Another anecdote concerned ‘Cadillac Ranch’. As the story went, an eccentric Texan millionaire would buy a Cadillac and when he tired of it would have it buried nose first on his land. However, the truth is the Cadillac Ranch was a planned endeavour by a group who acquired the Cadillacs in order to represent the golden age of American automobiles. Lee got into the driver’s seat of one of these cars for a photo and his father wryly commented, ‘That’s another car you’ve driven into the ground.’ The drive of more than 5,600 miles took them through 13 US states and nearly three weeks to complete. The trip raised £7,500, which was used to purchase equipment and services for people suffering from Motor Neurone Disease.

freemasonrytoday.com

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grAnD lODge MOnAcO

a Grand beGinninG

photography: brian Lawrence/Getty images

the consecration of a new Grand Lodge is a rare event – and when such an occasion took place in monaco it proved to be a day to remember, writes John railton

t’s probably fair to say that freemasonry in monaco has been low-key for a number of years, following its conditional acceptance by the monégasque authorities in the first half of the twentieth century.

The Port of Hercules lodge was formed in 1924 under the English Constitution, and many Monégasques who wished to become Freemasons sought membership outside the principality. In more recent years, three lodges were formed under the German Constitution, but it became apparent that the Monégasques who had joined lodges in France would like one of their own. Accordingly, the first steps were taken three years ago to establish a Grand Lodge in Monaco, and this meticulous planning came to fruition on 19 February in Monte Carlo. The Grande Loge Nationale Regulière de la Principauté de Monaco was formed by seven lodges, one formerly meeting under the English Constitution and three each under the German and French. The consecrating officer was Pro Grand Master, Peter Lowndes, assisted by the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Germany, Rüdiger Templin, as senior warden; and the Past Grand Master of the National Grand Lodge of France, Jean-Charles Foellner, as junior warden. The ceremony was

freemasonrytoday.com

directed by Oliver Lodge (Grand Director of Ceremonies) with the help of Nick Bosanquet and Sebastian Madden (Deputy Grand Directors of Ceremonies) and Malcolm Brooks (Grand Tyler). The team from UGLE also included Nigel Brown (Grand Secretary), Alan Englefield (Grand Chancellor), Reverend Dr John Railton (Grand Chaplain) and Ron Cayless (Grand Organist). The consecration ceremony proceeded without a hitch, and included the unveiling of the lodge boards, the familiar scriptural readings from the Bible, the symbolic use of corn, wine and oil, and the censing of the lodge and its officers. It was conducted almost entirely in English, but the Rulers-designate took their obligations in their own languages. Jean-Pierre Pastor was installed as the first Grand Master, and he then appointed and installed Claude Boisson as Deputy Grand Master, and Rex Thorne, Knut Schwieger, Renato Boeri and John Lonczynski as Assistant Grand Masters. Other Grand Lodges were represented by more than a hundred delegates and many presented gifts to the newly installed Grand Master, including a magnificent ceremonial sword from the United Grand Lodge of England. The new Grand Master appointed and installed his officers, before the UGLE team withdrew, leaving the Grand Master and his new team to complete essential business. Monaco’s Grand Lodge had been launched in splendid style.

picturesque monte Carlo, home to monaco’s new Grand Lodge

10 YeArs Of spOOks

mi5 body doubLe Freemasons’ Hall has been leading a double life for the past decade as both the headquarters of the united grand Lodge of England and Mi5’s fictional home. Luke Turton finds out how the lodge has become an icon in the shady world of Spooks

photography: bbC photo Library

o you remember when twenty bombs went astray in Liverpool? Or what about the time Britain was on the brink of a deadly plague? Luckily, Harry Pearce and his MI5 officers are always on hand. From rogue states to ruthless assassins, Spooks has thrilled millions of television viewers every week as they see the British Security Service safeguarding the nation. Now in its tenth and final series, much has changed since the BBC drama was first broadcast on 13 May 2002. One thing, however, has remained the same: the location of MI5’s headquarters, Thames House, where Harry Pearce runs his counter-terrorism department – Section D, for those in the know. In real life, Thames House is an office development on the bank of the River Thames, but in the Spooks universe, Freemasons’ Hall in Covent Garden has played the part for the last decade. ‘There was a big search years ago for a building that could double as Thames House,’ reveals Spooks producer, Chris Fry. ‘We were trying to find the right architecture that would match it. The Grand Lodge has worked brilliantly.’ Over the years, the lodge has become synonymous with Spooks. The opening sequence in an average show will often feature a bomb exploding or a similarly dramatic set-up. As often as not, the next shot will be of the Grand Lodge. ‘We need to settle the story down, so you’ll get a wide establishing shot of Thames House,’ explains Fry. The lodge’s impressive interiors have also been used to great effect on the show. ‘Spooks does gritty terrorism but it also shows the corridors of power,’ says Fry, pointing to the visual distinction drawn between the wood panels and polished floors of the building, where high-level decisions are made, and the disused warehouses where the Spooks team execute orders. ‘We see the serenity in the meeting rooms but then our spies have to go out into the real world.’

freemasonrytoday.com

10 YeArs Of spOOks the Grand Lodge acts as the perfect double for mi5’s real headquarters, thames house

And, when the Freemasons’ headquarters isn’t playing Thames House, it can easily double as a planning room or plush embassy. ‘When we are filming here we have to make a day out of it, so we will try and get the most out of the building,’ says Fry. ‘The actors love it because it feels special.’

Karen Haigh, who manages events at Freemasons’ Hall, has worked with the Spooks production team since the start. ‘I was laughing with the director who did the first two and last two series of Spooks about what the show has become. I remember him walking in for the first time and saying there was this new drama about MI5 – I thought it sounded really exciting. The show has been such a success and we’ve grown with it as a venue.’ So is there any sensitivity around the fact that Spooks is a show about an undercover organisation and uses the Freemasons’ headquarters? ‘The fact that it’s a spy programme and people have preconceptions about the Freemasons is quite ironic. It’s a nice twist,’ says Haigh. ‘The funniest thing for me is that the MI5 say on their website that the Spooks version of Thames House is Freemasons’ Hall in Great Queen Street, Covent Garden.’ MI5’s concerns about putting the record straight seem to be well-founded. Fry recalls an incident: ‘I was on the phone and this couple walked past. One of them said, “That’s the Spooks’ headquarters.” I thought that was brilliant – lots of people think that the Grand Lodge building is Thames House.’ With the final series revolving around tensions in the Middle East, the UK’s special relationship with America and Harry Pearce’s old Cold War connections, Spooks devotees can look forward to seeing a lot more of the Grand Lodge this autumn.

in The spOOks universe, The uniTeD grAnD lODge hAs plAYeD The pArT Of Mi5 heADQuArTers fOr 10 YeArs

photography: Christiane Kappes/Kappes adventure press

fAcT MeeTs ficTiOn

photography: bbC photo Library

10 YeArs Of spOOks

freemasonrytoday.com

firsT persOn

buiLdinG a reputation From blockbuster launch parties to glitzy fashion shows, Karen Haigh has seen it all as Head of Events at Freemasons’ Hall. She talks about meeting Matt damon, Antony gormley statues on the rooftop and building a giant bathroom outside the grand temple how did you find yourself working for the freemasons? My father was a Freemason and we saw this newsletter advertising the position, so I wrote in. The Deputy Grand Secretary Michael Higham invited me to an interview and I got the job. There were only five women when I joined in 1979 and the building wasn’t open to the public. Where I’m sitting now used to be like a Dickensian office, with 24 desks and men sitting behind them with big ledgers. On a Monday, the housekeeper to the Grand Secretary would give us our hand towel for the week and a carafe of water. Twice a day we’d have tea breaks. I remember after six weeks I was allowed to type a letter on the new electric typewriter. what does freemasonry mean to you? It’s never been a big mystery to me because of my dad. I’ve gone to ladies’ nights from a young age and haven’t had any preconceptions. People I called ‘Uncle’ were from my dad’s lodge, so it didn’t seem weird and wonderful. when did you start the events business? I started as a Girl Friday [aide] in 1982, and when I was 21, I became the Deputy Grand Secretary’s secretary and began doing masonic events. I did that until 1999, then went into admin, doing things like purchase ordering, and in 2005 I started the events business. We’re averaging between 30,000 and 50,000 non-masons visiting every year now. The day I don’t enjoy it is the day I should leave. why host events at freemasons’ hall? There’s the commercial contribution that the events make, which pays for the upkeep of the building, but the main reason is to get as many people as possible coming into the building.

The openness is so important and has made such a difference. In the 1980s, the TV series Poirot could only film in two or three areas within the building, so you’d see the same area being rebuilt as a sweet shop or a hotel lobby. The first time we were allowed to shoot in the Grand Temple was in 2003 for a Westlife video. who else comes through your doors? Last Monday, we had a graduation for the Istituto Marangoni fashion school. Before that we had De Montfort University doing a student fashion show for lingerie. Next week we’ve got the Good Egg Awards, celebrating companies who only use cage-free eggs or egg products. The events have changed with the times. A couple of years ago, every American movie would have a big premiere followed by a major party. These days they don’t want to be seen to be throwing money around in a recession, so it tends to only be the really big Harry Potter-type films that get such launches. what kind of event wouldn’t you host? We avoid contentious events – anything too political. Guy Ritchie wanted to shoot the film Revolver here, but when we looked at the plot we saw it was about drugs and gangs. This Hall is a peace memorial, built to commemorate the masons who died in World War I, and if members saw it in a gangland film they’d be upset. Do you get nervous when celebrities walk in? If you don’t have nerves you’re missing something. The very first event we did was for the film The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I was standing there wondering what I’d done when 1,200 people arrived. I thought, ‘You’ve got to go with it.’ When we did Spamalot we’d get Eric Idle visiting

spOOkY cOnnecTiOns why the Grand Lodge has become a tv icon...

see p.26

‘the firSt time we were aLLowed to Shoot in the Grand tempLe waS in 2003 for a weStLife video’

and I loved that. We had nine weeks of filming for Green Zone with Matt Damon, and after a while we just got used to him walking around the building.

photography: david woolfall

Are you a freemasons’ hall fanatic? I love the building but I don’t talk to it! There are others who probably know it a lot better than I do. Many of the building’s nooks and crannies are still a mystery to me so I have a lot more exploring to do. My favourite area is the vestibule, as I think it sums up the majestic feel of the building perfectly. There’s so much tradition here. what’s the strangest request you’ve had? The weirdest thing was when the director of Kevin & Perry Go Large asked us to make the area outside the Grand Temple into a bathroom. Then we were one of the locations for the Antony Gormley project, Event Horizon. When the statue arrived in the front hall, I didn’t realise that it was going to be so anatomically true to life, and I’ll never forget an old lady walking into the lodge and staring at it. When they approached us, I think they expected us to refuse – but it did us good taking part in the project, helping change perceptions of what Freemasonry is all about.

seniOr insighTs

the externaL imaGe HRH the Duke of Kent explains why Freemasons need to not only act as mentors but also ambassadors

The Mentoring Scheme is designed eventually to mentor members at all stages of their masonic progress. Initially this will be especially for candidates during the three degrees and to encourage them to continue their progress into the Royal Arch. All Provinces now have a Provincial Grand Mentor who will be responsible for ensuring the selection of a mentoring coordinator in each lodge. The mentoring coordinator, in turn, will select the member in the lodge with the right personality and knowledge to actually do the mentoring of each individual. The Pro Grand Master announced to the Provincial and District Grand Masters the formation of a working party, under the chairmanship of the Grand Secretary, to look at for example, the selection of coordinators and mentors as well as guidelines to make sure that the messages are consistent. The aim is to have as many members as possible as ambassadors for Freemasonry. By ambassador I mean a member who not only lives as honest a life as possible, but also understands the meaning of the ritual and, importantly, is able and willing to talk about Freemasonry to family and friends. Talking openly about Freemasonry, as appropriate, is core to my philosophy, central to our communications strategy and essential to the survival of Freemasonry as a respected and relevant membership organisation. As Grand Officers I shall of course be relying upon you to give your full support to the Mentoring Scheme as it develops. On a visit to the Province of Buckinghamshire to see their Freemasonry in the Community projects, I was particularly impressed with their iHelp youth competition – involving young groups competing for prize money to show the positive side of young people – and the Rock Ride covering a 1,500 mile bicycle ride from Gibraltar to Stowe School to raise funds for

‘taLKinG openLy about freemaSonry iS Core to my phiLoSophy and CentraL to our CommuniCationS StrateGy’ non-masonic charities within the Province. These projects are supported by the local dignitaries and are enormously important for our external image. Another important example of our external image is the very successful event business run here at Freemasons’ Hall. As one of the unique venues of London we are highly respected within the events industry. I was pleased to hear that, last year, we had 53,000 non-masonic visitors to our events. This included London Fashion Week and an after party for the latest Harry Potter world premiere! Many of our visitors did not know that they could come into a masonic building and all of them I believe left having had a very happy experience.

this is an excerpt from the annual Craft investiture address by the mw the Grand master hrh the duke of Kent, KG, given on 27 april 2011. to read the speech in full, go to freemasonrytoday.com

wOMen AT wAr how female freemasons aided the war effort

see p.63

photography: Getty images, jeff blackler/rex features

rand Rank should be regarded as a challenge to greater effort and as an incentive to shoulder greater responsibilities. Some of you already hold executive appointments in the Metropolitan, Provinces and Districts. All of you, whether you hold these appointments or not, must remember the importance of training the next generation, which is precisely why the Mentoring Scheme has been set in motion.

seniOr insighTs

inveStinG in the future Pro First grand Principal Peter Lowndes discusses Freemasonry rituals and important charity funding projects

ast year I announced that as part of the Royal Arch celebrations in 2013 it had been decided that a donation be made to the Royal College of Surgeons. The Royal Arch Masons 2013 Bicentenary Appeal was launched at the Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter. Our donation will help to fund the College’s successful surgical research fellowship scheme, which supports surgeons to undertake a surgical research project. Freemasonry has had a long and close association with the College and we are their major benefactor. We were pleased to have several surgeons – who had been beneficiaries – come and present to us at the Convocation. Although I was unable to be at that meeting, I have heard from many companions how fascinating it was to hear about their research in surgical care for current and future generations. The Grand Scribe Ezra has written to all Grand Superintendents informing them how to request similar presentations from the College in their Provinces. The information for donating to the Royal Arch Masons 2013 Bicentenary Appeal is on the Grand Charity website and donation leaflets are available by request. We are grateful to those who have already donated. Companions, as you are well aware changes were made to the general practice of the Royal Arch in 2004 affecting the ritual,

the donation will help fund the surgical research fellowship scheme

freemasonrytoday.com

‘freemaSonry haS had a LonG aSSoCiation with the royaL CoLLeGe of SurGeonS and we are their major benefaCtor’ together with certain permitted ritual alternatives. As a result, I wonder how many of you are like me and get thoroughly confused when deciding which version of the ritual to use. With this in mind, it is proposed to use 2013 as the catalyst to publish new ritual books, which would have the permitted alternatives as the main version and the original version printed out separately. For clarity, this is not a change to the ritual. It is intended to be helpful to Chapters by simplifying the printed material and to avoid any confusion the 2004 changes may have caused. The aim is also to encourage those Chapters who have not yet made the change to the alternative form, to more easily adapt what is already widely practised and enjoyed. This alternative ritual involves more companions in the ceremony and I believe encourages greater delegation of the work. Interestingly, the 2013 Committee is proposing that a demonstration of the alternative exaltation ceremony form part of the bicentenary celebrations, to be performed by the Metropolitan Grand Stewards demonstration Team in the Grand Temple on the morning of the special celebration Convocation in October 2013.

this is an excerpt from me pro first Grand principal peter Lowndes’ address at the annual Supreme Grand Chapter investiture on 28 april 2011. to read the speech in full, go to freemasonrytoday.com

seniOr insighTs

worKinG aS a team Pro grand Master Peter Lowndes examines the strategic plans for the Craft and its charitable endeavours

he past year has been a busy time for the Craft. I have selected one or two examples to give you a flavour of what I mean. On the ceremonial side, the Rulers have installed five new Provincial Grand Masters and a Grand Inspector. In addition there have been six installations of Grand Superintendents in the Royal Arch. I had the pleasure of presenting two medals for the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Freemasonry to both brothers Sir John Welch and Simon Waley. And with the Grand Lodge team, of consecrating the new Grand Lodge of Monaco. It was a marvellous success and was extremely good for international relations.

masonic funds were donated to the red Cross for victims of the new zealand earthquake

‘i have reCentLy Set up a worKinG party to LooK CLoSeLy at how beSt to mentor at LodGe LeveL’

Regarding communication, I spoke about this at the September Quarterly Communication explaining how the strategic plans supported our open approach. I took the opportunity to encourage members to talk about their masonry as appropriate and I have recently set up a working party to look closely at how best to mentor at lodge level. You also now have the newly designed issue of Freemasonry Today. The magazine will continue to evolve and the key reason for this is to encourage you and your families to enjoy it and to talk more about Freemasonry. You have heard from the President about the timing for the publication of future issues. On the charitable side, we had a very timely talk from the head of the Disaster Management at the British Red Cross at the March Quarterly Communication. Timely because of the plight of our brethren in Christchurch: New Zealand with the earthquakes, and in Rio de Janeiro, with the devastation after the mud slides. We gave generously through the Red Cross. I am sure that Father Jonathan Baker’s resignation from his lodges and Chapters was read with great sadness by all masons and many non-masons. This was as a result of tremendous outside pressures brought on him after his appointment as

rio de janeiro was devastated by mud slides and the Craft was on hand to help

Bishop of Ebbsfleet. For the time being I shall just say that our feelings on this subject have been made. With the exception of the last item that I have mentioned, we have had a good year and the Craft is in good heart. this is an excerpt from the mw pro Grand master peter Lowndes’ Quarterly Communication address, given on 8 june 2011. to read the speech in full, go to freemasonrytoday.com

TiMelY reflecTiOn reverend barker Cryer on ritual meaning...

see p.82

photography: new zealand red Cross, aft/Getty images

On the business side, I met all the Provincial Grand Masters at my Regional Business meetings and attended the eighth regional conference of District Grand Masters of the Caribbean and Western Atlantic. Additionally, we successfully ran, for the second year, a business meeting specifically for District Grand Masters and Grand Inspectors before the annual investitures.

When brothers Mathew and Christian Cleghorn decided to row across the Atlantic Ocean for charity, little did they realise they would have to contend with lost rations, a capsized boat and a bird called Elton

pond SKipperS O

n 8 March 2011, brothers Mathew and Christian Cleghorn rowed into English Harbour, Antigua, having crossed the Atlantic Ocean in just over sixty-four days. Their arrival was greeted by the sound of ship horns, loud cheers and rounds of applause, marking the culmination of a dramatic and exhausting three-thousandone-hundred-mile journey. This epic voyage was not undertaken on a whim. The brothers had embarked on their mammoth enterprise with one aim in mind â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to raise as much money as possible for a charity that is dear to their hearts: Parkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s UK.

brOThers AnD breThren The masonic connection is Lewis Lodge, No. 872, in the Province of Cumberland and Westmorland. With Mathew and Christian initiated in 2007 and 2008 respectively, there is an extensive Cleghorn family connection with the lodge. Their uncle, John Cleghorn, is a Past Master and Provincial Officer and their cousin, also named John Cleghorn, is presently Junior Warden.

ATlAnTic vOYAge

above: the Cleghorns take papa delta out for the first time. far left: the brothers celebrate Christian’s birthday with a turkish delight and commemorative photograph. Left: mathew with the equipment needed for the crossing. right: mathew ‘abusing’ one of the boat’s surplus flares

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the Cleghorn’s 3,100 mile route across the atlantic

atlantic ocean

puerto de mogán

english harbour, antigua

‘i see The chAllenge As An eXTensiOn Of MY freeMAsOnrY, As The whOle AiM hAs been TO benefiT A wOrThY chAriTY’ mathew CLeGhorn

‘I really enjoy attending lodge meetings,’ explains Mathew. ‘Unfortunately I don’t get to them as often as I would like, as my job takes me to many far-flung places, not to mention spending two months on the Atlantic Ocean. I see the Atlantic challenge as an extension of my Freemasonry, as the whole aim has been to benefit a worthy charity.’ Originally from the coastal town of Whitehaven, Cumbria, Mathew, 27, and Christian, 32, are no strangers to the high seas, both being ex-Royal Marines and highly trained in seamanship. But getting the project off the ground and into the sea was a feat in itself, requiring significant funding. It took nearly three years, but once the sponsorship began to materialise, the Cleghorns’ dream became a reality.

life On The wAves The journey began on 3 January 2011, when Mathew and Christian set off from Puerto de Mogán, Gran Canaria on Papa Delta, their twenty-three foot boat made in Dorset and Whitehaven. It was equipped with satellite-navigation devices, allowing it to be tracked twenty-four hours a day, while friends and relatives were kept informed via a daily blog and a map that pinpointed the Cleghorns’ position. The journey provided a rare opportunity to view incredible wildlife; along the way, the brothers encountered whales, dolphins and sharks. For much of their journey they were befriended by a bird, which continually tailed them. The rowers are still not sure what species it was, but it became an honorary third member of the crew – so much so that, with the help of the children at Christian’s son’s junior school back home, it was christened ‘Elton’. Naturally, the daily grind of rowing two hours on, two hours off, began to take its toll. But exhaustion was just the beginning of their challenges. At one

point, they were nearly mown down by a passing commercial ship in rough seas; Mathew reported that he ‘was rowing like a man possessed’ to get out of the way, and the tanker eventually slid by about 150 metres away. They also suffered problems with steering, were blown completely off-course, and experienced as many extremes of emotions as they did changes of weather conditions. Worse was to come when their food store – rations that provided essential energy for rowers burning five-thousand calories a day – was nearly destroyed in a storm. Luckily, the brothers were re-supplied by a passing Italian vessel. The intrepid brothers even capsized and lived to tell the tale. With a violent sea creating waves seven to eight metres high, a combination of wind gust and changing direction tipped them over. Mathew, who was at the oars, was thrown out of his seat, hanging half out of the boat, while Christian was flung about inside the rear cabin. But the boat is designed to right itself, and their voyage continued.

JOurneY’s enD After sixty-four days of drama and adventure, the Cleghorns finally made it to Antigua. Their feeling of euphoria and pride couldn’t be topped – until Mathew proposed to his girlfriend Colleen, and she said ‘yes’. Then the celebrations really began. Mathew and Christian will never forget their experience, and know it has all been worthwhile. ‘If our journey across the pond has made just one more person aware of Parkinson’s and the daily suffering involved, then we have succeeded in our goal.’ Having raised £30,000, they are still short of their target to raise £50,000. Donations can be made by visiting: www.parkinsonsoceanchallenge.co.uk.

ATlAnTic vOYAge the brothers arrive in Gran Canaria for the start of their voyage

the boys await assistance from yacht white whisper after running out of food

mathew on day 12, enjoying a glorious sunset

the Cleghorns soak up the Gran Canaria sunshine in front of a nutrichef sign; the healthy meal delivery company was among their much-appreciated sponsors

the brothers in their hometown of whitehaven during a fund-raising event in summer 2010

an exhausted Christian one week into the crossing; the two hours on, two hours off routine, was beginning to take its toll

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chAriTY fOcus: pArkinsOn’s

cOMMuniTY suppOrTers in recent years, freemasonry and parkinson’s uK have built a strong relationship to help deal with this degenerative condition at both a research and community level, as Matthew scanlan reports

ost readers will have heard of Parkinson’s and know that it is a degenerative condition. It selects its victims at random and affects people from all sectors of society – young and old, rich and poor – including many household names such as Deborah Kerr, Sir Michael Redgrave, Salvador Dali, Muhammad Ali and Pope John Paul II. Initially described as shaking palsy, Parkinson’s was discovered in the early nineteenth century by an English physician named James Parkinson, after whom the condition is named. The precise cause of Parkinson’s remains undetermined, although it is known that it begins when sensitive nerve cells in the brain die off resulting in a lack of the chemical dopamine. Symptoms typically include the onset of tremors, distorted facial expressions, a difficulty in walking, a distinctive gait, and in extreme cases (when around 70 percent of the normal level of dopamine is absent) sufferers shake uncontrollably. Although Parkinson’s does not directly cause death, there is as yet no known cure and it is a lifelong condition where symptoms get progressively worse over time.

DevelOping new TreATMenTs With around 120,000 people currently living with Parkinson’s in the UK, Freemasonry has long been a supporter of Parkinson’s UK (formerly called the Parkinson’s Disease Society). Since 1981, more than half a million pounds in grants has been approved by The Freemasons’ Grand Charity. In 2007, it donated £170,000 for a three-year research programme carried out at University College London, into a gene called PINK1, which when mutated, can cause nerve-cell death and lead to Parkinson’s. This research has helped scientists understand more about why people who inherit faulty versions of the PINK1 gene are more likely to develop Parkinson’s. Researcher, Dr Emma Deas,

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commented: ‘We believe that understanding how changes in PINK1 function lead to nerve-cell death will allow us to develop new and better treatments.’ In addition to its research funding, the Grand Charity announced a major grant of £250,000 earlier this year, with the aim of aiding the charity across the country at local branch level. As Laura Chapman, chief executive of The Freemasons’ Grand Charity explains, there is a great deal of support for Parkinson’s UK by Freemasons: ‘Many of our members have experience of what it is like to live with Parkinson’s, either through a friend

Since 1981, freemasons have donated more than half a million pounds in grants to parkinson’s uK to aid vital research

chAriTY fOcus: pArkinsOn’s the Grand Charity grant will help fund exercise classes and other proven techniques for easing the symptoms of parkinson’s

or family connection. Parkinson’s UK has received much support within the masonic community, a key factor for why it was selected for this national grant.’

MAking A Difference It is hoped that by dividing this grant between local branches, many people across England and Wales will benefit from additional help. The Grand Charity recognises the important role Parkinson’s UK branches play within the local community, providing dedicated support and services. ‘We were delighted to receive this grant – £250,000 is a huge amount of money,’ says Teresa Forgione, major gifts manager at Parkinson’s UK, adding that it will be divided and distributed to various Parkinson’s UK branches across the country so that grass-root charity workers can make the best use of the funds as they see fit. Parkinson’s UK is allocating the money according to local needs, with decisions being taken by regional groups. Forgione emphasises that Parkinson’s UK’s mission is not only to discover the initial causes of Parkinson’s and thereby find a cure, but also to improve the quality of sufferers’ lives, which is where this grant can really help. The condition not only affects physical movement but also presents a variety of debilitating problems such as tiredness, pain, depression and constipation. As the symptoms exhibited and the speed at which the condition develops vary from person to person, so do the treatments differ. Drugs are most commonly used but in some instances surgery may be utilised in order to try and reduce physical shaking through deep brain stimulation, which is done by implanting electrodes into the brain. Forgione notes that many sufferers find that simple exercise classes help reduce the side effects

‘i wouLd reCommend exerCiSe CLaSSeS to anyone with parKinSon’S. i onLy wiSh i had diSCovered them at an earLier StaGe’ judith Green

of Parkinson’s, including reflexology, yoga, Pilates and even Tango classes. Judith Green, 62, from Cornwall, reports that exercise classes have made a hugely positive difference to her life since she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. ‘Thanks to Pilates and Zumba classes, I have regained my balance and confidence,’ she says. ‘My consultant couldn’t believe his eyes when I walked into his office without my walking stick. In my experience being active makes such a big difference. I have seen the same benefits for other people with limited mobility and I would recommend exercise classes to anyone with the condition. I only wish I had discovered them at an earlier stage.’

MOneY well spenT The Grand Charity grant will help to fund classes such as these, as well as patient therapies and other aspects of care, such as help with transportation. The money is also going towards funding new, specially trained Parkinson’s nurses. As Forgione concludes: ‘In short, this major gift will help people live with Parkinson’s and thereby improve the quality of their lives.’

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AuThOrs’ lODge

authorS’ LodGe: a hiStory David Harrison looks at the foundation of the lodge and its illustrious members and friends

uthors’ Lodge, No. 3456, upon its foundation in November 1910, received letters of goodwill from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Rudyard Kipling, Henry Rider Haggard and Jerome K Jerome. Conan Doyle and Kipling were both Freemasons. The latter had been initiated into Freemasonry in the Hope and Perseverance Lodge, No. 782, based in Lahore, India, in 1886, and went on to become an honorary member of the Authors’ Lodge. Conan Doyle was initiated into the Phoenix Lodge, No. 257, at Southsea, Hampshire, on 26 January 1887. There is no proof that Rider Haggard or Jerome were Freemasons, but we can certainly say that they were sympathetic; the letters of goodwill they wrote prove that.

photography: time & Life pictures/Getty images

leAgues Of genTleMen The Authors’ Lodge had a direct connection to the London-based Authors’ Club, which had been established in 1891. The latter’s membership included other literary Freemasons such as Oscar Wilde and Winston Churchill; the new lodge was founded by a number of the club’s masonic members. Jerome was a member of the Authors’ Club; for many years Conan Doyle was its chairman and he often read his manuscripts to members prior to publication. One of the founders of the Authors’ Club – though not of the lodge – was the prolific novelist and Freemason Sir Walter Besant, who went on to be a founder, in 1894, of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No. 2076 – the London lodge dedicated to masonic research. The consecration of the Authors’ Lodge reveals the intricate relationships between certain gentlemen’s clubs and the world of Freemasonry. Victorian

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gentlemen’s clubs had links to Freemasonry during the period. Indeed, many Victorian writers, artists and politicians were members of both, the thriving social scene offering opportunities for networking and social advancement. The founding of the lodge was seen at the time not only as a way of promoting the Authors’ Club among Freemasons but also as providing a means of promoting Freemasonry within the club, since attracting literary men into the Craft, according to one of the founding members of the lodge, journalist Max Montesole, ‘could not fail to add lustre to the Order’. Kipling and Rider Haggard were very close friends, and they both famously conveyed Freemasonry in their work. Indeed, masonic themes can be seen in Rider Haggard’s late Victorian works King Solomon’s Mines and the wonderfully exotic novel She, a story that deals with death and rebirth. Both of these works present the idea of the heroic explorer searching for hidden knowledge in lost civilisations. These, along with Kipling’s The Man Who Would Be King, testify not only to the popularity of Freemasonry at the time but also to the acceptance of the

rudyard Kipling was an honorary member of the authors’ Lodge

AuThOrs’ lODge

although his masonic status remains in question, jerome K jerome was a supporter of the authors’ Lodge

Craft in Victorian society which, within these literary contexts at least, also conveyed an element of mystery and the occult. Conan Doyle occasionally referred to Freemasonry in his Sherlock Holmes stories, such as in The Red-Headed League, when Holmes – who was obviously very familiar with masonic symbolism – recognised that a certain gentleman was a Freemason, the particular gentleman being surprised that Holmes knew of his membership: ‘I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you how I read that, especially as, rather against the strict rules of your order, you use an arc and compass breastpin.’ He also referred to Freemasonry in other Sherlock Holmes stories such as The Adventure of the Norwood Builder and The Adventure of the Retired Colourman. In addition, adding to the nuance of mystery and the occult, Conan Doyle, along with other Victorian Freemasons such as Arthur Edward Waite, had embraced psychic research and spiritualism, an interest that developed after the death of his wife and several other close family members. Until his death in 1930, he consistently sought proof of life after death. Conan Doyle’s 1926 work, The History of Spiritualism, also lent his support to seances conducted by various psychics at the time, and their supposed spiritual materialisations. One of the spiritualists that Conan Doyle supported, Daniel Douglas Home, was also supported by fellow Freemason, Lord Lindsay, who had – he said – witnessed the spiritualist apparently mysteriously levitate out of a third story window and return through the window of an adjoining room. Jerome K Jerome’s masonic membership is hotly debated; although he certainly mixed in masonic circles – Jerome having been good friends

a celebrated member of the authors’ Lodge, arthur Conan doyle frequently conveyed freemasonry in his writing

with fellow writers and Freemasons Conan Doyle and Kipling – proof of membership is lacking. Jerome also contributed to a masonic publication: a souvenir of the Grand Masonic Bazaar in aid of the Annuity Fund of Scottish Masonic Benevolence in 1890 and produced by the Lodge of Dramatic and Arts, No. 757 (SC), for a fundraising bazaar held in Edinburgh in December 1890. The publication, given the rather humorous title of Pot Pourri of Gifts Literal and Artistic, included the Jerome story ‘The Prince’s Quest’, a rare and much sought after piece of Jerome literature. We need to be cautious: the preface written by the artist William Grant Stevenson, then Master of Lodge, states that many of its contributors were not members of the Craft. Being friends with Conan Doyle and Kipling, Jerome would have been familiar with Freemasonry. Perhaps future findings may reveal some masonic membership. But the letters of goodwill these authors wrote testify to their respect for the founding of the Authors’ Lodge, a lodge that celebrated its centenary late last year. with thanks to ron Selby, secretary of the authors’ Lodge

photography: hutton archive/Getty images, ann ronan picture Library/hip/topfoto

The cOnsecrATiOn Of The AuThOrs’ lODge reveAls The inTricATe relATiOnships beTween cerTAin genTleMen’s clubs AnD freeMAsOnrY

rugbY AnD freeMAsOnrY

perfeCt matCh

As the Rugby World Cup returns to New Zealand after 24 years, Patrick Kidd traces the origins of the game to see why it sits so well with the values of Freemasonry

photography: paul james/Getty images

he Maori chieftain threw back his head and roared. ‘Ka mate! Ka mate! Ka ora! Ka ora!’ he shouted, advancing towards the Welsh players. ‘Tis death! ’Tis death! ’Tis life! ’Tis life!’ Standing in front of the sportsmen, quaking slightly, was Des Barnett, president of the Welsh Rugby Union at the time of the first Rugby World Cup in 1987. The team had been invited to a traditional Maori welcome in Hamilton, on the North Island of New Zealand. As president, Barnett was told that he had to face the haka war dance – ‘because I was their chief’ – and so there he stood, as the Maori rolled his eyes and flopped his tongue, wondering how to reply. ‘I was admiring his beautiful outfit, when suddenly there, swinging on his chest, I saw a square and compasses,’ Barnett, a mason since 1967, recalls. ‘I gave him a sort of hailing sign, putting my hand on my heart and said, “I bring you fraternal greetings.”’ The chieftain stopped. ‘You mason?’ he smiled. And then he gestured towards his tribe, all of whom, it turned out, were members of a Maori lodge. Now, 24 years on, the World Cup has returned to New Zealand. The sport has changed immensely, moving in the 1990s towards a fully professional

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game. In 1987, the Home Unions were not keen on the World Cup, fearing it might destroy their own Five Nations Championship – it began under a political cloud because of the expulsion of South Africa over apartheid, and a military coup in Fiji. Wales, Ireland and Scotland flew out on the same plane. Barnett recalls that the Welsh squad had spent just one weekend together, while New Zealand had trained for months. Little wonder that the All Blacks demolished Wales in the semi-finals 49-6 on their way to winning their first and, so far, only World Cup. Yet the tournament was a success for Wales. They beat England in the quarter-finals (always the result that matters most), and came third in a play-off match against Australia, with Paul Thorburn striking a late conversion from out wide to seal a 22-21 win. ‘A New Zealand brewer gave the Welsh players four bottles of lager a day, left untouched,’ Barnett says. ‘Until the third-place play-off, and then they partied.’

shAreD iDeAls Rugby may have changed, but the theme of camaraderie, teamwork and post-match enjoyment endures. They are tenets most Freemasons share.

rugbY AnD freeMAsOnrY the inaugural rugby world Cup in 1987 saw wales reaching the semifinals after seeing off england in the quarters

‘Rugby was known as the Freemasonry of the world,’ says Barnett, who was initiated in Hen Bont Lodge in South Wales, and was Junior Grand Deacon in 2004. Alan Grimsdell, the president of the English RFU in 1987, is also a mason, but they only discovered this bond sometime after the World Cup. Rugby, like Freemasonry, developed over a long time before finding the form we know today. In the earliest days, villages played different versions of a football game with their own rules, much like the early lodges developed individual rituals.

breAking AwAY In 1863, meetings were held to form a Football Association at the Freemasons Tavern, attached to Freemasons’ Hall. It was split between supporters of the version of the game played at Rugby in Warwickshire, in which almost any violence was acceptable, and the Cambridge rules, which banned catching the ball and hacking your opponents. ‘It would do away with all the courage and pluck from the game,’ said Francis Maude Campbell, of the Blackheath club. So, rugby and football parted. Rugby remains the more manly – some might say thuggish – game. Peter Larter, a former second row forward who played 24 times for England, as well as touring South Africa with the 1968 Lions, has seen enough violence to qualify him to sit on the citing panel for this year’s World Cup, as he did in 2007. ‘I’ve been there, seen it and done it,’ he says. ‘When I played, there were certain crafty players. My job at the World Cup is to provide evidence of foul play.’ He admits, though, that since the game went professional, it has become cleaner. ‘A lot of boots in the back or high tackles are accidental,’ he says. Larter was initiated into Freemasonry in 1977, when he was stationed in Germany with the RAF, joining Saxony Lodge. Through the late Don White, the former England flanker and, from 1969 to 1971, the first England national coach, he was encouraged to join Cumton Lodge in Northamptonshire. In 2001, White and Larter were founder members of William Webb Ellis Lodge, which, like the World Cup trophy, is named after the schoolboy who, ‘with a fine disregard for the rules of football... first took the ball in his arms and ran with it’. The lodge meets in Rugby, just 250 yards from the field where Webb Ellis played, twice a year, with the December installation always coinciding with a home match played by Rugby Lions – the

National League Three Midlands team who recently appointed Neil Back, the former England flanker, as head coach, with a mission to take the side into the Premiership. The meeting, which starts at 9.30am, is concluded in good time for lunch, followed by an afternoon watching rugby. Conviviality remains something sacred to rugby and Freemasonry. ‘In rugby, as in Freemasonry, you make friends for life,’ Larter says. The same spirit inspired the foundation of Rugby Football Lodge six years ago in Huddersfield, the town where rugby league split from rugby union at a meeting in 1895.

hOusehOlD nAMes One of the most enduring connections between the Craft and rugby is in the name on the trophy for which Australia and New Zealand compete every year. The Bledisloe Cup is named for Charles Bathurst: Lord Bledisloe, the Governor-General of New Zealand in the 1930s, who was also Grand Master of the country’s Grand Lodge. Many illustrious players have been Freemasons, including several members of the dominant 1970s Wales team. At least two England captains have been masons: Eric Evans, the hooker, who led England in 1957 to their first grand slam in the Five Nations for 29 years, was a member of Lodge of Unanimity, No. 89. Ron Jacobs, the prop who led England in 1964, was initiated in St Andrew Lodge in Cambridgeshire, and was a member of William Webb Ellis Lodge until his death in 2002. The connection exists among modern players, too. Richard Hibbard, the Ospreys hooker who has played many times for Wales, was initiated into Celtic Eagle Lodge in Port Talbot three years ago. Having served as a steward, he is now Inner Guard, although says that he will wait until his rugby career is over before trying to go through the chair. ‘I love freemasonry,’ Hibbard explains. ‘It’s similar to rugby because of the friendships you make.’ Another rugby-playing mason is John Freedman, the Australia prop who managed the national side in 1973 and is in Lodge Vaucluse in New South Wales. At a 40-year reunion, Freedman spoke of ‘a pleasant ethos in rugby socially, not dissimilar to Freemasonry’. Brotherly love, relief and truth: they are the three principles that bond the Craft together – as closely as the three rows of a scrum. patrick kidd is a writer for The Times. his book The Worst of Rugby is published by pitch

rugbY AnD freeMAsOnrY

former england second row forward peter Larter (back row, fifth from left)

former england captain eric evans was a member of the Lodge of unanimity, no. 89

another former england captain, ron jacobs, (centre) was a member of the william webb ellis Lodge

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photography: bob thomas/Getty images, S&G and barratts/empiCS Sport, popperfoto/Getty images, inpho/action images

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;many iLLuStriouS pLayerS have been freemaSonS, inCLudinG SeveraL memberS of the dominant 1970S waLeS team and at LeaSt two enGLand CaptainSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

a tightly fought thirdplace play-off saw wales triumph 22-21 over australia at the 1987 world Cup

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Despite considerable opposition from health care professionals, I was returned to my home where it soon became apparent that I had bitten off a lot more than I could chew. Three times within three nights, I had to phone for an ambulance to help me as I had fallen out of bed. Due to one of my falls, onto a broken glass, an artery was cut and I was back in hospital to have it repaired. I was still stubbornly adamant that nobody was going to get me into a care home. The authorities were equally adamant that I was not ﬁt to be let loose on my own. Fortunately for me one of the Brothers in my Lodge had some experience of RMBI Homes and as they say ‘the rest is history’. Since moving into Lord Harris Court I have never looked back. I am well cared for, well fed and if I need help in the middle of the night, it’s there!

Upon speaking to a Brother from my Lodge about my situation, he gave me a leaﬂet on the RMBI’s Care Advice Team. I took it home, read through it and decided to make the call. What did I have to lose? A Care Advice Visitor assessed both of our requirements. The whole experience was a breath of fresh air; the compassion and empathy was evident from the minute we contacted the RMBI. They took care of all the paperwork that was required which enabled us both to receive some respite periods at RMBI homes together which did us the world of good. We have now moved into an RMBI care home as my wife’s health deteriorated further. She is receiving the care she needs and I am very content.

CARE IN THE COMMUNITY I was recently diagnosed with early stage dementia and my wife, who suffers from poor eyesight, is my main carer. We realised that we needed some help with our day-to-day living, as we wanted to continue living independently in our own home. I got in touch with my Almoner who arranged to come and visit me with a member of the RMBI Care Advice Team. I was a little apprehensive about the visit but the Almoner informed me that the team can provide advice on health and welfare rights and beneﬁts, the services offered by the Masonic Charities, and by statutory and voluntary agencies. He also assured me that each case is conﬁdential and treated individually.

We were provided with information on: respite breaks, Social Services and carers’ support, dementia related charities and medical/ophthalmic aids. A check was also carried out to see if we could beneﬁt from one of the other Masonic Charities. In addition, we were provided with information on future care options if our circumstances changed.

The Care Advice Visitor instantly recognised that my wife and I required information and assistance in a number of areas to ensure that we had the right support to maintain a quality of life within our own home.

We were both reassured after the visit that we could continue to live in our own home. My Almoner and the Care Advice Visitor have set up appropriate plans to help monitor our care needs. This provides us with tremendous relief that we are being looked after, but from a distance to help maintain our independence.

The RMBI has a number of services that can help to meet people’s needs in various ways. If you would like more information on how the RMBI can help please contact us: T: 020 7596 2400 E: enquiries@rmbi.org.uk RMBI 60 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ

www.rmbi.org.uk

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the freemaSonS’ Grand Charity

eSSex SetS Charity reCord

ssex Freemasons have raised £5,502,833 for The Freemasons’ grand Charity over a six-year period. The astonishing amount was unveiled at a dinner in June celebrating the culmination of the Essex Festival 2011. in the sumptuous surroundings of London’s guildhall, John Webb, Provincial grand Master for Essex, presented a cheque to the grand Charity’s President, grahame Elliott. Pro grand Master Peter Lowndes was also present, along with more than a thousand masons, together with wives, partners and friends. ‘What a truly magnificent total,’ said Elliott. ‘i can confirm that it is the largest amount that The Freemasons’ grand Charity has ever received from one of its Festivals in the 30 years that the charity has been in operation.’ He added that the money will enable the charity to continue its good work. ‘i thank the Provincial grand Master and all members of the Province of Essex for raising a sum that is truly of historical significance in the life of The Freemasons’ grand Charity.’

the magnificent surrounds of the City of London’s Guildhall

help AT hAnD in TrOubleD TiMes

SPEAK TO US

in the current economic climate, the support offered by the grand charity to those in straitened circumstances has never been more significant. in 2010, Masonic Relief grants totalled nearly £5 million, the largest amount given in the charity’s history. in many cases, this is a direct response to the economic crisis that has affected countless people. Masonic Relief grants are given to assist with essential daily living costs and unexpected needs (e.g. funeral bills, emergency repairs, hardship faced following an accident, redundancy, or other personal crises).

would you like to know more about the work of The freemasons’ grand charity? it welcomes invitations to speak about its work and, subject to availability, can arrange for a representative to speak at lodge meetings and other events. all presentations are tailored to suit the occasion, the audience and the time frame. new leaflets are also available, including the annual review 2010, masonic Grants 2010, Grants to Charities 2010, hospice Grants 1984-2010, and Celebrating 30 years of the freemasons’ Grand Charity.

if you feel that you may be eligible to receive a grant, please contact your lodge Almoner, provincial grand Almoner or The freemasons’ grand charity on 020 7395 9391 / 9293. every case is considered on its individual merits and in strict confidence.

60 Great Queen Street London wC2b 5az tel. 020 7395 9261 fax. 020 7395 9295 info@the-grand-charity.org www.the-grand-charity.org

to arrange a speaker or a free delivery of leaflets, please contact 020 7395 9388 or info@the-grand-charity.org. The Freemasons’ grand Charity now also has a Facebook page – please find us and join in the discussion.

slugmaSoniC gOes hereSamaritan fund

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CarinG for the CarerS The Masonic Samaritan Fund provides much-needed support for unpaid carers

n 2001, the Census included, for the first time, a question on the provision of unpaid care. it revealed that 11 percent of the uK’s population provides unpaid care to someone who is ill, frail or disabled. when the results of the 2011 Census are available, this number is expected to be even higher. most carers do not get significant help from the formal care system – trying instead to manage as best they can on their own. many say that caring can be very rewarding, but the costs can be considerable. one in five carers gives up work to care; carers are twice as likely to suffer ill health as those not providing care; and many struggle to make ends meet. Since 2005, the masonic Samaritan fund has been supporting eligible applicants by offering grants towards the cost of providing respite, enabling carers to take a rest while their loved one is looked after. to date, more than £1 million has been awarded, funding short breaks – a few hours, a fews days, or as much as a fortnight – within suitable care homes or day-centres, or providing help in the carer’s own home. Confidential advice on eligibility and the application process is available direct from the fund. it will also advise on local-authority support, in particular Community Care assessments (for the person being cared for), and Carer’s assessments. if you are caring for a loved one and would like advice on how to access support, please contact the fund.

the masonic Samaritan fund can provide professional care for your loved one when you need to take a break

john Collins with his prized leeks

sTAnDing sTrOng 60 Great Queen Street London wC2b 5az tel: 020 7404 1550 fax: 020 7404 1544 mail@msfund.org.uk www.msfund.org.uk

A struggling brother receives help in his time of need

f you have ever thought about getting help from the Masonic Samaritan Fund, John Collins can throw some light on how simple the process is. in September 2009, he discovered he had three fractured metatarsals, requiring surgery. Collins is not sure exactly what caused the injuries – but for someone who counts bowling, fell-walking, ballroom dancing and gardening among his pastimes, there were some likely culprits. Some seven months later, he learned that he was not yet on the waiting list for surgery – and that once on the list, he could face a further 12-month wait. Collins was in pain and becoming increasingly immobile. So, in October 2010, he approached his lodge almoner, Bill Brown, and made an application to the Masonic Samaritan Fund. it was granted, and the operation was booked for 8 January 2011. The operation was a success. A further infection, requiring his foot to be put in plaster again, slowed the recovery process – but despite this, Collins finally got the all-clear in April this year. Since then, he has got straight back to his allotment where, over the past 45 years, he has nurtured and raised many hundreds of exhibition leeks. Thanks to the MSF, Collins’ life is as fulfilling as it always was.

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see p.22

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royaL maSoniC truSt for GirLS and boyS

CountinG the CoStS of a reCeSSion

60 Great Queen Street, London wC2b 5az tel: 020 7405 2644 fax: 020 7831 4094 info@rmtgb.org www.rmtgb.org

Children missing out as masonic families struggle to cope with the prolonged economic downturn

he effects of the recession are still being felt by many masonic families. Enclosed with this edition of Freemasonry today is the Royal Masonic trust for girls and Boys (RMtgB) 2010-2011 Annual Review. The document reveals that the RMtgB accepted 30 percent more new cases in 2010 compared with 2009. in total, 1,820 children and young people received support in 2010, and the trend shows no sign of reversing.

the rmtGb annual review, included with this issue of Freemasonry Today, highlights the way the recession has affected masonic family life

diStreSS SiGnaLS Not surprisingly, the number of financial distress cases has risen as the economy struggles to recover from the recent global financial turbulence. Children can do little to escape the effects of monetary hardship and often, despite the best efforts of their parents, miss out on opportunities that in previous years had been taken for granted – frequently with life-changing consequences. The general rise in the cost of living, government cuts to local services such as libraries, school travel and the education maintenance allowance, coupled with a significant increase in tuition fees, mean that the cost of raising children is continuing to increase rapidly. The RMtgB exists to ensure that financial hardship does not impact on the general welfare or education of children from masonic families. RMtgB chief executive Les Hutchinson is keen to stress that support is available for children and young people who may be affected. ‘it is a tragedy that it is so often the children who suffer most because of financial situations completely beyond their control,’ he says. ‘Even temporary financial difficulty lasting a few months can have life-changing consequences for children.’

ready and wiLLinG to heLp despite the increase in cases, and the higher costs of living, Hutchinson stresses that the generosity of Freemasons means that the RMtgB is in a strong position to assist those children and young people who most need help. ‘i would urge anyone struggling to support their children financially during this time to contact the RMtgB or their lodge almoner.’

wOrcesTershire Digs Deep The Province of Worcestershire celebrated raising over £1.6 million to support the RMtgB at a glittering event attended by more than 700 brethren and their wives and partners. the evening, held at the international Convention Centre in birmingham, marked the conclusion of a five-year festival appeal that included many successful initiatives – from a provincial lottery, which raised £36,500, to the sale of a range of masonic-themed merchandise. ‘the brethren of worcestershire, and their wives and partners, have dug so deeply and, through their tremendous support, made a real difference to the lives of so many children,’ said rmtGb president mike woodcock. those present at the event included the provincial Grand master for worcestershire, richard Goddard, and the deputy Grand master, jonathan Spence. Guests were treated to a range of musical entertainment before the result was announced.

royaL maSoniC benevoLent inStitution

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Care and Share An innovative strategy is helping to improve quality of life for dementia sufferers by focusing on individual needs and sharing experiences

ementia is one of the most challenging issues society faces: in the uK, there are around 750,000 people with a form of the syndrome, and this figure is set to rise in the next 20 years. A recent report from the Alzheimer’s Society showed that two-thirds of people living in care homes have some form of dementia. debra Keeling, deputy director of Care Operations at the Royal Masonic Benevolent institution (RMBi), said: ‘We found that people with dementia, of varying types and stages, live throughout our care homes. Therefore, as an organisation, we needed to think about how we could adapt, improve and expand our services to meet the needs of the people who live in our homes, in a way that enhances their wellbeing and quality of life.’

a new Care StrateGy As a result of the RMBi’s research on the type of care needed by the people using its services, a five-year strategy was approved by the board of trustees in 2009. The RMBi Care Strategy – currently being rolled out in a phased approach to its 17 care homes – focuses on person-centred care, and how quality of life can be improved for individuals using its services. New and improved care-planning documentation has been introduced. This focuses on the individual’s care needs and how this information could be used to influence the way care is delivered to ensure that it is meaningful to the individual. Relatives are also encouraged to be involved in the process throughout.

Many homes hold regular relative-support groups for families of people living with dementia that offer both emotional support and advice about all aspects of dementia, with an emphasis on sharing experiences. The RMBi Care Strategy is integral to the working of all departments within the organisation. Closer working relationships have been developed between departments, ensuring that the key goals of the strategy are met, and that any changes required within the care-home environment are implemented in a manner that is appropriate to the people living there. A comprehensive training programme to support staff has also been implemented. Through this investment in training and development, the RMBi aims to equip staff to review the care regime in their local care setting, in order for them to seek ways of removing barriers that hinder relationship-based care. On completion of the strategy, the RMBi will be able to deliver a more person-centred approach to its care provision throughout the organisation.

residents at rmbi care home Scarborough Court, in northumberland

berkshire rAces AheAD Berkshire Freemasons have broken a new record, raising £2,276,000 over a five-year period – the highest amount per member ever recorded for a RMBi festival. photo: mike Swift

60 Great Queen Street London wC2b 5az tel. 020 7596 2400 fax. 020 7404 0724 enquiries@rmbi.org.uk www.rmbi.org.uk

Left to right: provincial Grand Charity Steward Gerry hann and anne hann; Gail and john nixon; david and margaret williamson; vicki and mike hooton; Sue Shackell and rmbi president willie Shackell; joan williams and rmbi head of external affairs peter williams

freemasonrytoday.com

the grand total – vastly exceeding the initial £1.5 million target – was announced at a dinner at ascot racecourse to mark the end of the 2011 festival. the event was attended by 520 guests, including assistant Grand master david williamson and festival president michael hooton. the rmbi is immensely grateful for the support of the festival, which will enable it to continue and develop its important work.

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leTchwOrTh lODge

cenTenArY celebrATiOns As Letchworth marks its one-hundredth year, John Hamill reports on the centenary of a very special lodge

n 28 March 2011 in Lodge Room No. 10 at Freemasons’ Hall in London, almost 150 brethren gathered for an emergency meeting. Nothing unusual in that – until you look at the signature book and discover that those present included the Pro, Deputy and Assistant Grand Masters, the Metropolitan Grand Master for London, the President and Deputy President of the Board of General Purposes, the Grand Chaplain, Grand Secretary, Grand Director of Ceremonies, Presidents of the Grand Charity and the Masonic Samaritan Fund, and other senior brethren. What, you might wonder, other than a Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge, would bring such illustrious company together in one tyled meeting? The reason is a joyous one – to take part in the centenary celebrations of Letchworth Lodge, No. 3505. But why such eminent brethren for a Hertfordshire lodge? The answer, to paraphrase Shakespeare, is all in a name. The ‘Letchworth’ after which the lodge was called is not the delightful Hertfordshire town, but Sir Edward Letchworth who was Grand Secretary from 1892 to 1917. As for why the celebrations were in London, when the membership of the lodge was formed in 1911, it was restricted to the permanent clerks in the Grand Secretary’s Office. And even today is limited to those employed in the capital’s masonic headquarters.

lODge hisTOrY Although a Secretary to the Grand Lodge was appointed in 1723 (becoming Grand Secretary in 1734) and the premier Grand Lodge had a permanent building in Great Queen Street from 1775, it was not until 1838 that the Grand Secretary’s Office came into being. From the union of the two Grand Lodges in 1813 until 1838, the Grand Secretaryship was a joint office shared by

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William White, who had held the same office in the premier Grand Lodge, and Edwards Harper, who had been Deputy Grand Secretary of the Antients. In 1838, Harper ‘retired’ and White was asked to take on the role of Grand Secretary. He agreed but on one condition: that Grand Lodge employed two full-time clerks to assist with paperwork. As a result of the expansion in members and lodges in the Victorian period, by the time Letchworth became Grand Secretary in 1892 the office had grown to seven clerks. As they had to be Master Masons it was suggested they should have a lodge. There

Sir edward Letchworth, Grand Secretary from 1892 to 1917

leTchwOrTh lODge was one problem: nine was the minimum number of petitioners and there were only seven clerks. By 1911, there had been an expansion of the Craft and clerk numbers grew to 15. They approached Letchworth to petition for a lodge, and the consecration took place on 28 March 1911. Sir Edward himself was the Consecrating Officer, assisted by the President of the Board of General Purposes, the President of the Board of Benevolence (now the Grand Charity), the Grand Chaplain and Grand Director of Ceremonies and the Chairman of the Board’s Officers and Clerks Committee. Sir Edward stated that the lodge’s purpose was ‘to meld the clerks into greater harmony’. It would also assist Grand Lodge by bringing into Freemasonry suitable candidates that might become clerks in the office; and get brethren through the Chair in a reasonable time for additional duties. The latter was important, as many lodges had more than 100 members and it could take 15 or more years to reach the Chair.

rApiD eXpAnsiOn The lodge’s first year was a busy one with two candidates and three installations. The Master designate had been installed at the consecration and at the July and November meetings two of the senior clerks were installed. In 1913, the lodge began a practice that was to continue until the 1970s – that of initiating as serving brethren members of the portering and maintenance staff of the Hall. They were to assist the Grand Tyler by laying up the lodge rooms and acting as Assistant Tylers whenever Grand Lodge met. The First World War halted progress of the lodge and office, as half the staff were on active service. Only one did not return, Ponsonby Cox, and another, Guy Mercer, was awarded the Military Cross. Those too old for military service kept the lodge and office going. To help in the office, the rule requiring clerks to be Master Masons was put into abeyance and three lady clerks and two ‘lady typewriters’ were taken on. The latter, Miss Haigh and Miss Winter, proved far from temporary, spending the rest of their working lives as private secretaries to Grand and Deputy Grand Secretaries. The huge increase in the Craft four years after the war, and the plan to rebuild Freemasons’ Hall as a permanent war memorial, led to an increase in office size. Between 1925 and 1927, five boy clerks were taken on as ‘temporary’ staff; each of them eventually becoming members of the lodge. There were similar problems during the Second World War, when again the rule on clerks being Master Masons was set aside and women were taken on. They proved so popular and useful that in 1949 the rule (No. 33 in the current Book of Constitutions) was put into abeyance. The lodge had difficulties meeting and reduced its wartime gatherings to two per year. The only ceremonial work was the annual installation of the Master. The immediate post-war years saw an enormous growth in the Craft. This led to expansion of the office and an increase in the membership of the lodge. Much of the work was in making serving

brethren, as the portering and maintenance staff had also grown, and many took on additional work as Tylers for lodges meeting at Freemasons’ Hall. By the late 1960s, however, things were slowing down and doubts were expressed about the future of Letchworth Lodge. Membership had been limited to Permanent Clerks, but in 1977, Grand Secretary James Stubbs was approached about opening the lodge to the full office, to which he agreed. In the early 1980s, under Grand Secretary Michael Higham, the lodge was opened to the whole of the male staff at Freemasons’ Hall and the staff of other masonic headquarters in London. This has resulted in a vibrant lodge with a steady stream of candidates. The changes have also brought the staff of the various masonic offices in London closer together. Sir Edward Letchworth’s hopes at the consecration can truly be said to have been achieved.

illusTriOus MeMbership As the Grand Secretary’s lodge, Letchworth has had great support from Sir Edward and his successors. Sir Philip Colville Smith became an honorary member when he became Grand Secretary in 1917. (Sir) Sydney White joined the lodge when he was appointed Chief Clerk in 1918, was its Master in 1920, and was a regular attendee even after election as an Honorary Member when he became Grand Secretary in 1937. (Sir) James Stubbs was elected an Honorary Member when he was appointed Assistant Grand Secretary in 1948, while Michael Higham became a joining member when appointed Deputy Grand Secretary in 1978, and is still active. Nigel Brown joined when he was appointed Grand Secretary in 2007 and members are delighted to have him as their Centenary Master. He was thrilled to have been installed by Michael Higham. Being involved in central masonic administration, the members of the lodge were only too aware of the privilege extended to them to have the Pro Grand Master present the Centenary Warrant. The happy occasion was followed by a reception and banquet in the Grand Temple vestibules.

Centenary reception in the Grand temple vestibules

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photography: the woman’s Library/mary evans, onslow auctions Ltd/mary evans

Great women at war

Ann Pilcher Dayton profiles two strong-willed women who challenged the social mores of the day in order to help others during World War i and honour the principles of Freemasonry freemasonrytoday.com

evelina haverfield (below left) helped found the women’s volunteer reserve and the women’s emergency Corps. She was also a suffragette

t the outbreak of World War I, the upper-class women of Britain were experts in supervising households and managing their husbands’ estates – invaluable in the provision of welfare to the troops. Several of these women were also Freemasons. The Honourable Evelina Haverfield, daughter of the Third Baron Abinger, came from a family dedicated to public and military service. An energetic person, she had tremendous physical stamina, and was a keen and capable horsewoman. She was a member of Lodge Golden Rule, No. 21, of the Co-Masons (Le Droit Humain), founded in 1905 by Annie Besant. And its name reflects its aspirations: ‘do unto others as you would be done by’. Haverfield already possessed the liberated lifestyle to which many women aspired in their struggle for the vote – she kept by deed poll the surname of her late husband on her remarriage.

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below left: a waaC cartoon from the Illustrated London News. below middle: world war i saw many waaC members taking on traditionally male roles. right: a waaC display in june 1919

She was also a prominent suffragette and took part in many demonstrations, was arrested and subsequently imprisoned. She even used her equine experience to make police horses break ranks to cause the maximum disruption during protests. When war broke out, Haverfield was 47. Together with Decima Moore, formerly a singer and actress with the D’Oyly Carte Company, as well as members of the Actresses’ Franchise League, she formed the Women’s Emergency Corps – the first of the women’s uniformed organisations. Their response to the crisis was to organise a role for women. Many upper- and middle-class women joined the Corps. These members became involved in several ventures, including a uniformed group called the Lady Instructors Signals Company, who trained Aldershot army recruits in signalling. They were the first to feed the Belgian refugees in England, collecting London’s surplus food

from Smithfield and Covent Garden. Interpreters were also provided with lists of hotels, lodgings and free rooms, met the continental trains in London, and taught elementary French and German to training soldiers.

nATiOnAl herOine Haverfield’s next venture was forming the Women’s Volunteer Reserve (WVR) in August 1914. She became Honorary Colonel of the WVR, with battalions, officers and non-commissioned officers and other ranks. Members wore khaki uniforms, aligning the group with men in defending British values and as a model for women’s services. The aim was to train a body of fit and disciplined women who could undertake a range of tasks, including signalling, first aid, crowd control, driving and delivering messages. One particular responsibility

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photography: illustrated London news/mary evans, Grenville Collins postcard Collection/mary evans, hulton archive/Getty images

below: the waaC marching in London. right: dame florence burleigh Leach (1874-1956), Chief Controller of the waaC

was to ensure the removal to safety of the elderly and unfit in the event of a sudden attack. In 1915, Haverfield joined the Scottish Women’s Hospitals Unit as an administrator. Two fully equipped field hospitals staffed entirely by women and led by Edinburgh surgeon Dr Elsie Inglis were sent out to Serbia to support the soldiers. Haverfield spent two years in Serbia and Romania as commander of the Motor Transport Section, which consisted of eighteen American Ford ambulances, British-built lorries and kitchen cars, all serviced and driven by women. Vehicles had to be hand-cranked to start them and in these war-torn rural areas of Eastern Europe all spares had to be carried on route. Finding petrol and digging the vehicles out of the mud while under shellfire was nightmarish as they shuttled the wounded to field hospitals. In 1917, Haverfield was back in England where she set up relief organisations – the Serbian Soldiers

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Comforts Fund and the Fund for Disabled Serbian Soldiers. Following the Armistice in 1918, she returned to Serbia to supervise the distribution of food, clothing and medical supplies for the Red Cross. While the rural economy of Serbia would in time recover, many of the children were orphaned by the war, and so in 1919, she and a group of former colleagues returned to set up an orphanage on the Bosnian/Serbian border. She died there from pneumonia in 1920 aged fifty-two and was hailed by the Serbs as a national heroine.

fOrce TO be reckOneD wiTh Haverfield’s passion for helping others was also evident in Major General Dame Florence Burleigh Leach. Initiated into the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Masonry in 1910, she was described by one of her wartime contemporaries as ‘beautiful, elegant

Clockwise from far left: the waaC was renamed the Queen mary’s army auxiliary Corps in 1918; a waaC tug-of-war to aid the war effort; evelina haverfield (left) in court with fellow suffragette, emmeline pankhurst

and charming’. She was also renowned for her organisational ability and her independence of spirit. Being an army wife, Leach saw it as her duty to assist in the war effort as the dangers of an inadequately fed army were recognised. In April 1915, Leach was one of the founders of the Women’s Legion, whose objectives were to release men for active service, improve cooking and prevent waste. In February 1917, Leach was appointed Controller of Cooks, and later brought all 7,000 Women’s Legion cooks and waitresses into the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). The role of women in the army expanded at home and on active service in France, replacing men in many traditionally male roles including clerks, tailors, librarians, storemen, photographers, drivers, grooms and policewomen. In February 1918, Leach became Chief Controller of the WAAC, and five months later was promoted to Controller-in-Chief, becoming the senior officer

of 57,000 women serving at home and overseas. Although members wore uniforms, the Corps was organised on civilian lines – no one was given military titles or held commissions. Honoured by Queen Mary, the name changed to Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps, and Leach became President. Leach was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919, and put forward her best officers for initiation into the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons so it ‘might offer a valuable link to cement comradeship’. Blanche Ireland, MBE, was Grand Treasurer, Dorothy Taylor was Deputy Grand Master for twenty years, and Florence Leveridge served as Grand Secretary for fifteen years. Haverfield and Leach were exceptional women but it can be no coincidence that, at various times in their lives, they espoused the tenets of Freemasonry. Love, relief and truth had no greater expression than through the work of these ‘strong-willed women’.

photography: onslow auction Ltd/mary evans, henry armytage Sanders, the woman’s Library/mary evans

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brisTOl MAsOnic MuseuM

A PROviNCE ALL OF itS OWN in the heart of bristol, freemasons’ hall library and museum houses a treasure trove of artefacts that point to the city’s unique masonic history, as Yasha beresiner discovers

Masonic glass bristol blue glass has its origins in the 1780s, when it was exported, through the auspices of isaac jacobs, to the aristocracy in europe. these bohemian-style goblets have the emblems and symbol of freemasonry engraved onto the surface

ristol holds a unique status in English Freemasonry. In 1373, Edward III granted the citizens of Bristol a charter whereby the town was constituted a county free of the rules and regulations of adjoining counties. In 1542, Henry VIII established a bishopric and Bristol became a city. In 1786, against this historic background, the celebrated Thomas Dunckerley (the alleged illegitimate son of George II) suggested Bristol should be made a masonic Province – duly approved by Grand Lodge in London – making it the only city to have a Provincial Grand Lodge in its own right. With the exception of Jersey in the Channel Islands, Bristol is the only Province where all masonic meetings are held under one roof – Freemasons’ Hall, 31 Park Street. Prior to 1871, this elegant building was the home of Bristol’s Philosophical Society.

‘briStoL bLue GLaSS haS itS oriGinS in the 1780S, when it waS exported to the ariStoCraCy in europe’

A uniQue prOpOsiTiOn Bristol differs in several other ways. It claims to continue the ritual as it was before the Union of 1813. The semi-apocryphal story is that the representative of the Lodge of Reconciliation visited to instruct the Province on the new standardised ritual, was effectively hijacked, wined and dined by the brethren and sent back to London, task unfulfilled. Thus, Bristol’s Craft and Royal Arch rituals differ from elsewhere in England. Bristol’s uniqueness is evident in the contents of its library and museum – a vast collection of books and artefacts under the charge of archivist Philip Bolwell. Bristol does not use printed rituals, with candidates keeping handwritten versions. The archives include the first-recorded minutes of an English Royal Arch meeting of lodge No. 220 held at the Crown Tavern, Bristol, on 13 August 1758, when brother William Gordon was ‘raised to the degree of a Royal Arch and accepted’. visit by open appointment via philip bolwell at the provincial grand Office: email: prov.sec@provinceofbristol.org, telephone: 0117 954 9840.

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cocked hat among the many eccentricities in bristol is the continued practise for the master of each lodge to wear a cocked hat during the procession in and out of the lodge. an example of an antique hat and case is on display in the museum

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water jug in november 1940, bristol’s masonic hall was devastated by German bombs. a small number of artefacts, including this early 19th-century water jug, were recovered and are now on display

baldwyn jewel belonging to the baldwyn rite of Seven degrees ti, a masonic order that traces its debatable origins to a Charter of Compact dated 1780, this Grand Superintendent’s jewel consists of a Greek cross superimposed on an eight-pointed star

Maltese cross this eight-pointed silver maltese cross has a hand-engraved seven-pointed star at its centre and Latin initialling

Treasurer’s box Large wooden treasurer’s box identified by the several keys needed to access it. at the top, inlaid into the wood is the square and compass encircled by several rings

chamber pot this amusing Sunderland chamber pot has a quaint masonic ditty, within a floral wreath and square and compass, transferred onto the surface outside. the inside design depicts a figure intended to shock

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19th-CENtuRY SKYSCRAPiNg the Library and museum of freemasonry salutes the Craft’s tallest building, in an exhibition that explores the role of this fraternal organisation in america’s history

he Masonic Temple in Chicago was, for a brief period in the 1890s, the tallest building in the world. Built in 1892 and designed by the famous architects Burnham and Root, it was 302ft (92m) high and stood at the corner of Randolph and State streets. The masonic rooms were at the top of the 22-storey building, with a central court surrounded by nine floors of shops and offices. Although Chicago’s building regulations did not allow taller structures until the 1920s, the Masonic Temple was overtaken by the Manhattan Life Insurance Building in New York, at 348ft (106m) in 1894.

a SenSe of beLonGinG

It was the tremendous growth in the number of Freemasons in America between the end of the Civil War in the 1860s and World War I in 1914 that prompted the building of the Chicago skyscraper and other large masonic halls across the country. As the population grew and more immigrants arrived to seek their fortune in what was becoming the world’s largest economy, Freemasonry provided a source of charitable support and a place in society for its members. Sadly, all that now remains of the Chicago Temple are the souvenirs. The lifts proved to be inadequate for the number of people who could potentially use the building and it became less popular with commercial tenants. The construction of the State Street subway in the 1930s would have required extensive work on the building’s foundations, which could not be justified, and so it was demolished in 1939. The Chicago Temple was commemorated with postcards and souvenirs, which can be seen in the Library and Museum’s latest exhibition, The Patriot Mason: Freemasonry in American Society – from 4 July until the end of 2011. It explores Freemasonry in American society from its origins in the early 1700s to now, using many rarely seen objects, books and documents from the Library and Museum’s own collections, as well as material on loan from masonic collections in the United States.

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Clockwise from above left: a spoon showing the image of the temple. a drawing of the Chicago masonic temple. a clock face modelled on the temple library and Museum of freemasonry freemasons’ hall, 60 Great Queen Street, London wC2b 5az tel: 020 7395 9257 libmus@freemasonry london.museum www.freemasonry. london.museum Shop: www.letchworthshop. co.uk

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leTTers

LetterS to the editor The reAl king’s speech Sir, I write concerning the article about the Oscar-winning film The King’s Speech (‘The King’s Freemasonry’, pp. 53-54) in the spring issue of the magazine. Between 1940 and 1945, my great uncle, Major Dennis Scanlan, was a TIME and LIFE war correspondent based in London, and among his many effects are a series of cable reports that both he and his colleagues would regularly send across the Atlantic to their head offices in the United States. One cable dated 3 June 1943, sent by an Austrian-Jewish exile colleague of his, Raimond von Hofsmannsthal (son of the Richard Strauss librettist, Hugo), is especially poignant. It reads: ‘On June 1st, for the second time in four years, the King installed a Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, but for the first time since the Marquis of Ripon nearly 70 years ago, the new Grand Master brother-in-law Harewood ain’t of blood royal. The Grand Lodge opened by the Deputy Grand Master, General Sir Francis Davies escorting with procession and fanfare, “Most Worshipful Brother, His Most Gracious Majesty the King” to the throne. The second escort was formed by Harewood and after the King’s speech in memory of ex-Grand Master Kent, the ceremony of installation was performed. After the ceremony the King addressed the new Grand Master thusly: “Many of our lodges are situated in countries at present in enemy occupation. They will have to be reestablished. There are also countries where the Freemasonry which we have recognised as regular has been dissolved... It is a sad phase in the history of those constitutions and when circumstances allow I have no doubt that the mother Grand Lodge of the world will gladly offer its help to restore the Craft which will be strengthened by the adversity through which it has passed.” The King then praised British masonry for adhering steadfastly to fundamental principles in the past.’

write to: The editor, freemasonry Today, freemasons’ hall, great Queen street, london wc2b 5AZ email: editor@ugle.org.uk Letters emailed to the editor should not be sent as attachments. please include a home address and telephone number. an S.a.e should accompany any photographs to be returned.

Sir, In the article ‘The King’s Freemasonry’ it strikes me that on page 54, first column, line 13 from the bottom, the reference should be to the third degree and not the second degree. In the second degree only one point of the compass is revealed whereas in the third degree both points are disclosed. George M Docherty Canongate Kilwinning Lodge, No. 2 Edinburgh, Scotland

Sir, With reference to ‘The King’s Freemasonry’ in the spring edition, may I respectfully comment that in 1935 the late King George VI accepted and was installed Grand Master Mason of Scotland. He affiliated with The Lodge of Glamis, No. 99, where his fatherin-law, the Earl of Strathmore, was a Past Master. It would be appreciated by all Scottish Masons who have joined English lodges if there could be a mention of this in the next issue of Freemasonry Today. Ken Hutchison The Crusaders Lodge, No. 4107 Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

Sir, I have had a lifelong stammer, although I am very pleased to say that I am now four years down the road to recovery. When I joined the Craft almost nine years ago, I was, as with every candidate, very nervous about what was going to happen to me during my initiation. My stammer really took hold and I very nearly walked out of the temple. Looking back, if it was not for the fact my father-in-law was conducting the ceremony, I really think I would have left. But unlike before when I had been among a large number of people, I didn’t see anyone laughing or pointing. What I did see was the look of respect and encouragement from my brethren. For the first time in my life I knew I was being looked upon as an equal. I will never forget the way I felt after the meeting when I spoke to the members and guests and realised what being a Freemason was all about. To me being a Freemason is to have compassion and mutual respect. Steve Simmons Stour Lodge, No. 2305 Ashford, East Kent

Matthew Scanlan Kirby Lodge, No. 2818, London

leTTers

Sir, Way back in 1987, I was Master of my Livery Company, The Worshipful Company of Butchers. At that time our Royal Honorary Member was HM the Queen Mother who was a regular attender, so I got to know her reasonably well. Over lunch one day, knowing that I was a Freemason she told me about her late husband’s enthusiasm for the Craft, adding that she attributed the improvement in his self-confidence to his regular attendance at lodges. She also said that his speech impediment was largely overcome as he had to remember ritual and make speeches without prior preparation. I wonder why there has been no visible statement from UGLE to at least take some of the credit so lavishly poured on the Australian speech therapist. I was able to tell Her Majesty that I was persuaded by business friends to join the Craft in my 20s because they could see that I was then painfully shy and with a reluctance to speak in public, as I too stumbled over my words, though never as badly as the King. I have often acknowledged publicly that I owe much of my subsequent success in business to the confidence that Freemasonry gave me. Indeed, many of my friends tell me that the treatment went far too far – my difficulty now is not starting but stopping! Robin Pooley Strumpshaw, Norfolk

new-lOOk MAgAZine Sir, Just a quick note on the new format magazine. I have left the latest copy of Freemasonry Today out on my desk at work and felt you would be pleased to know about the number of people who have picked it up and flicked through. I have to say that I used to do the same with the older style magazine, but it rarely attracted the attention that this issue has. Mark W Bennett Stanford-le-Hope Lodge, No. 5217 Stanford-le-Hope, Essex

Sir, I would like to congratulate you on the latest edition of Freemasonry Today. Not only is it packed full of well-written, interesting and original articles (as it usually is) but it now has great coffee table appeal due to the fantastic front-page design. It is fresh, clear and appealing and it’s almost a shame that there is still a perceived need to send it out in ‘disguise’ packaging. Well done. Mark Cook Alfred Lodge, No. 306 Otley, Yorkshire, West Riding

MAsTerlY inTerview Sir, I was delighted to read the thoughtprovoking interview with the District Grand Master of Nigeria, of which there were two issues I found particularly illuminating. Firstly, the fact that amid the complexities and challenges within Nigeria, Freemasonry is flourishing and that there is a constructive outreach programme with political institutions. This should help to build understanding and trust with our communities, and help to spread the good work of Freemasonry. Secondly, the interview helped to cement why I decided to join the noblest of crafts. This clarity is best captured in the words of the District Grand Master: ‘Freemasonry can make a man perfect.’ I joined Freemasonry to enrich my masonic education, as well as learn and acquire the skills and attributes to be a perfect gentleman; perfect citizen within my local community; perfect citizen at the national level; perfect global citizen; and an ambassador of brotherly love. I look forward to reading more enlightening interviews with District Grand Masters. Francis Kayada Dunsmore Lodge, No. 6442 Rugby, Warwickshire

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the importanCe of meaninG The Reverend Neville Barker Cryer asks us to look behind the words and actions of our rituals

ecently, the northern Provinces organised a conference with the primary aim of interesting and informing Master Masons. Its title and main thrust was Unravelling Ritual, a subject which interests me enormously. Quite apart from the fact that I believe that it is this aspect of Freemasonry that is the truly unique and indispensable feature of our society and what masonry is ‘all about’, I have, in the course of more than half a century, seen the impact that ritual has on the men who join our fellowship. That impact has various stages. To those who do not belong, and have never belonged, to a church that derives from Catholic or Orthodox backgrounds, or have had no acquaintance with the livery companies of our great cities, the procedures in our lodges must seem at first odd and certainly striking. As a new mason learns that all that was said and done in the ceremonies of which he is part is meant to be memorised, then recalled and repeated without a note, he is successively impressed, challenged and then fearful of his own ability to carry out the ritual work. By the time he has become a Master Mason he would be only human if he began to think that not only was all this learning quite beyond his capabilities, but he might wonder whether it was really necessary. Believe me, though it was a long time ago, I had such thoughts as these. At this I recalled the first question asked of me by the senior churchman who enrolled me as a brand-new young priest in his lodge. The question was: ‘Young man, have you got a good memory?’ At last I realised why he asked this, and it occurs to me now that seldom have I heard such a question is asked of a potential candidate today. Yet the art of memory is one of the first skills that was to be encouraged by those

ancestors of ours who started to join the operative guilds of stonemasons in the late sixteenth century and throughout the seventeenth. Why was the business of memorising regarded as so important? It was because there were two aspects of the old stonemasons’ practice that employed this faculty. The first was the ability to memorise the rules and techniques of the actual trades of quarrying, shaping, carving and setting the stones of large and expensive buildings. Not only was there a need to memorise these techniques to preserve trade secrecy, but some fellows or journeymen could not read, a skill which you had to have as a Master Mason. You learnt the trade by verbal instruction and watching your craftsman-mentor, who would occasionally test you by getting you to repeat his words and actions. You can see how this practice is preserved in our lodges today. The other guild feature was the mystery-play that your guild provided and paid for and, to which, for a long time, it provided its members as actors. That play had to be performed from memory. Its words, based upon those of the Bible, were so revered or essential to the performance that they had to be correctly and clearly pronounced, and there was a fine if they were not. Yet there was one further aspect of this memorising: the stonemasons had to understand, had to know what the words and actions meant, and why they were so important. That is why there is a need now for such a conference on unravelling ritual, and to give more attention to explaining what we have to learn and say. It also occurs to me that we now have another question for a possible candidate: ‘Are you interested in history?’ In Freemasonry there is quite a lot and you’ll enjoy it more if you learn about it.

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