debunkingfaqs

Letter from a former Police Officer explaining why he kept his Membership of Freemasonry private Dear Dr Staples, Thank you for forwarding this. As a former Police Officer, I read this article with dismay and was hopeful of a strong response from UGLE. Certainly, many of my former colleagues were Masons and there were multiple reasons for this. Most of us became Police Officers out of a strong sense of duty and a desire to help people more unfortunate than us or those in times of need. This altruism lends itself well to Freemasonry and all the things our charitable organisation does for people, yet seeks no recognition for.

Similarly, policing was often referred to as a "family" and historically, as a predominantly male occupation, a "brotherhood". Many Officers are ex-HM Armed Forces, who join because they long for the close bonds of brotherhood that the forces builds, yet so few other roles offer. It makes sense that officers will seek out that companionship in their personal lives too.

Unfortunately, many officers, myself included, felt the need to keep their membership of Freemasonry hidden from their non-Masonic colleagues. Not out of sense of shame, I am intensely proud of what I am part of, but because any successes, promotions or achievements would then be ascribed to your Masonic connections.

There is a strong sense amongst uninformed individuals in the policing community, who feel that Freemasonry will open you up for promotions and the like. Clearly, that is not the case and to join from such motivations would go against the answers you gave to the WM during your First Degree Initiation.

In an organisation as large as ours and the police force, there will ALWAYS be bad apples. But good news, positivity and total honesty never sold any newspapers. All I can say is, I'm glad this accusation has been addressed robustly and all the good work and publicity that was done last year to celebrate the Tercentenary, far outweighs this. I have noticed a definite change in my friends and colleagues being more open to asking me questions about Freemasonry and have been delighted to answer them and dispel any myths.

Kind regards, Mr G. L. H. Hakes

1

Further examples of discrimination faced by Freemasons (real life examples from a poll of our members explaining why they need to keep their membership private) In my early working life I was discriminated against by my employers for wanting to accept an invitation to join my local lodge. They were Catholics and threatened my job. I was given an ultimatum ‘my job or Freemasonry’, I chose my job. Having joined later in life I now regret my decision.

My father was a freemason, Arthur Edward Wootton (b.13/5/99, a member of various East Herts Lodges) and I'm writing this to record how anti-Masonic views continue to hurt me, even now when I'm in my 70s.

My relatives still believe that, in 1963, I won a place at Newnham College, Cambridge, only because Dad put `a secret mark' on my application form, as, in their view, I hadn't the ability to to be accepted fairly- nothing to do with the all the Entrance Exam papers I had to pass. The best they can say is `At least, YOU didn't do anything wrong...' a gross calumny against him and deeply hurtful to me.

This piece of conspiracy theory was put around by an embittered aunt whose own daughter could not pass O-level French, a requirement for acceptance at any university at the time.

I find it very painful that my cousins have not revised this view of me and it affects my relationship with them to this day.

I don’t know whether this is suitable material. It’s not so much actual discrimination which, I believe, affects masons; it’s the suspicion/fear that they will be discriminated against, especially by local authorities who until recently asked a particular question in recruitment/promotion forms.

One recent personal example is a potential initiate (from British Transport Police) at a dinner just before Christmas who was very keen to join. He was about to pursue a job on promotion and was seriously advised by colleagues whom he consulted not to join before he’d gone through the promotion process. We shall just have to wait.

I'd be more than happy to speak to Emily and offer any other assistance to United Grand Lodge of England in this matter. Whilst I have not directly experienced discrimination towards myself as a result of my being a Freemason. I certainly witnessed a lot of negative misconceptions and discriminatory remarks on a regular basis towards Freemasonry. Not only as a Police Officer, but also in my current role as Executive Officer for Cambridgeshire County Council. This has certainly left me very cautious about who I disclose my membership of Freemasonry to, in case anyone were to draw false assumptions from or it or devalue my achievements.

I haven’t received direct discrimination HOWEVER in my profession as an actor I have not told friends or colleagues about being a Freemason as I feel I would be judged and discriminated against.

Having a bit of a profile I would be reluctant for either the public or people within my profession/circle (i.e casting directors, fellow actors etc.) knowing about my Freemasonry.

The acting world is quite liberal and I know we as Freemasons are viewed as part of “the establishment/elite” and I would fear discrimination.

Though not directly connected but as an example of the left-leaning liberalism within my circle and field, I and others fear expressing or even lightly discussing Brexit, The US or any kind of politics because of the possible direct and indirect discrimination I would receive. And I know this would be the same with my being a Freemason.

2

Freemasons and the Hillsborough disaster Any questions on Hillsborough must use this statement.

The United Grand Lodge of England always fully assists official bodies in the course of their investigations and will supply membership records on request.

In regards to Hillsborough UGLE checked, on behalf of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (now the IPOC), more than 100 male names supplied to us; despite being under no legal obligation to do so. This is something we are happy to do in both the interest of our reputation, and in correcting the ongoing prejudice shown by some members of the public towards Freemasonry.

The IPCC investigation recommended criminal charges against six people, one of whom happened to be a Freemason. There was no evidence of any Freemason cover up or untoward involvement of any other Freemasons. The ongoing innuendo linking Hillsborough and Freemasonry has been categorically disproved by the IPCC and no evidence of wrongdoing was found.

Proof Points: Statement by Sir John Goldring – Coroner In his summing up in March 2016 he said “There is no evidence to suggest that Mr Duckenfield being a Freemason, as he was, played any part in his promotion.”

Liverpool Echo – 26 February 2016 The jury in the Hillsborough inquests were told to ignore evidence about rumours of a secret meeting of Freemasons held in the days after the disaster. Coroner Sir John Goldring told the court “The rumour, the scuttlebutt, was that most were Freemasons. Members of the jury, there was not a shred of evidence that such a meeting ever took place or that all those named were Freemasons.”

3

Here follows a letter to Garry Rogers who wrote an article in the Sunday Telegraph dated 25 February 2018 titled “Masons tried to ruin my career with police”.

It is proof point for UGLE’s policy of asking those who make nebulous allegation against us to refer those allegations to the official bodies who would rightly be expected to investigate them. In the vast majority of cases there is, of course, nothing to investigate as the ‘allegations’ are in fact nothing more than pure prejudice and misconception.

To date no one making an allegation has allowed that allegation to be properly investigated, including Mr Rogers.

4

Garry Rogers c/o Patrick Sawer Sunday Telegraph By email only: patrick.sawer@telegraph.co.uk

15 March 2018 Not For Publishing Dear Mr Rogers We refer to allegations reportedly made by you against Freemasons, as covered in the Sunday Telegraph’s article dated 25 February 2018 titled “Masons tried to ruin my career with police”.

United Grand Lodge of England is the governing body for Freemasonry in England and Wales. We take allegations of improper behaviour by Freemasons very seriously. We have internal disciplinary processes, but for the type of serious crimes described in the Sunday Telegraph article we will also initiate or pro-actively support investigations by other appropriate bodies.

The allegations you make appear to be of a nature which should be put before the Independent Office for Police Conduct as a matter of urgency. The longer the delay, the harder it is to achieve justice. We wish to raise your allegations against Freemasons with the IOPC, but because you are the victim in this case we cannot submit a formal complaint without your permission.

This letter is a request for your permission for UGLE to submit a complaint on your behalf to IOPC against the Freemasons concerned, so that the matter may be properly investigated and any wrongdoing identified. Any relevant findings by IOPC would be taken into account during our internal disciplinary proceedings.

Please feel free to contact David Staples if you would like to discuss this letter or UGLE’s commitment to uncovering all improper behaviour of this nature by Freemasons.

Yours faithfully

David Staples For and on behalf of United Grand Lodge of England

Frequently asked questions

5

1.What is Freemasonry?

Freemasonry means different things to different people: In an increasingly divisive world, many people are looking for unity and purpose to help guide their way.

Compassion and respect are more important now than ever before.

Freemasonry is one of the oldest social and charitable organisations in the world, open to those of all backgrounds.

Its roots lie in the traditions of the medieval stonemasons who built our cathedrals and castles.

The organisation’s aim is to empower members to be the best they can be, both for themselves and for society around them.

It does this by providing a structure of support to help them make positive contributions to their local communities, whether it be through fundraising events or volunteer work.

In an uncertain world, the Masonic principles of integrity, friendship, respect, and charity ring as true today as they ever have before.  

 



For Freemasons, there are four important values that help define their path through life: integrity, friendship, respect and charity. In an uncertain world, the core values of Freemasonry ring as true today as they ever have before.

INTEGRITY: Building good people Rather than working on buildings like the masons of old, today’s Freemasons are focused on building themselves as people of integrity, and membership provides the structure to help achieve that goal.

FRIENDSHIP: Building together One of the oldest social organisations in the world, Freemasonry provides the common foundation for friendships between members, many of which will last for life.

RESPECT: Building unity With a membership of more than 200,000 people drawn from all communities across the country, Freemasonry brings people together irrespective of their race, religion or any other perceived differences that can divide us as a society.

CHARITY: Building compassion Kindness and charitable giving are deeply ingrained within the principles of Freemasonry.

The organisation provides the structure for members to make positive contributions to their communities and various causes, and was responsible for over £48m of charitable giving in 2018 alone.

2. Why don't the Freemasons publish a publicly available list of past and present members?

We do publish a list of all our senior officers in our Masonic Year Book but we consider it a private matter for each member to decide whether they want their membership to be public or not. The majority of our members are quite happy to publicly declare their membership however some don’t want their membership to become public. Those members who prefer to keep their membership to themselves tend to fear the consequences of declaring their membership publicly. A letter received by our CEO from a former policeman in response to the misinformed Guardian article explains why: “As a former Police Officer, I read this article with dismay and was hopeful of a strong response from UGLE. Certainly, many of my former colleagues were Masons and there were multiple reasons for this. Most of us became Police Officers out of a strong sense of duty and a desire to help people more unfortunate than us or those in times of need. This altruism lends itself well to Freemasonry and all the things our charitable organisation does for people, yet seeks no recognition for.

6

“Unfortunately, many officers, myself included, felt the need to keep their membership of Freemasonry hidden from their non-Masonic colleagues. Not out of sense of shame, I am intensely proud of what I am part of, but because any successes, promotions or achievements would then be ascribed to your Masonic connections.

“There is a strong sense amongst uninformed individuals in the policing community, who feel that Freemasonry will open you up for promotions and the like. Clearly, that is not the case and to join from such motivations would go against the answers you gave to the WM during your First Degree Initiation.

“In an organisation as large as ours and the police force, there will ALWAYS be bad apples. But good news, positivity and total honesty never sold any newspapers. All I can say is, I'm glad this accusation has been addressed robustly and all the good work and publicity that was done last year to celebrate the Tercentenary, far outweighs this. I have noticed a definite change in my friends and colleagues being more open to asking me questions about Freemasonry and have been delighted to answer them and dispel any myths.”

We always open our membership lists to any appropriately authorised body (such as the IPCC) when they are engaged in an official investigation.

3. How many police officers and members of the judiciary are Freemasons?

Whilst we have some information on the occupation of some of our members we do not have accurate enough information to be able to answer this. This is because as an organisation we have never very much cared about the jobs our members are drawn from. Our database does now collect this information but there are many historical holes in it as we only ask about occupation when a member first joins us and we have no way of knowing if and when this changes. It is also not always possible to know who has retired and who is still actively engaged in their profession. There are 200,000 members in England and Wales. We would expect from this under 1% of policemen and members of the judiciary to be freemasons.

4. What do you say about Police Federation, former president, Stephen White's claims that the Freemasons are obstructing reform of the police service?

We consider them laughable. The idea that there is a cabal of freemasons within any organisation pushing any political agenda is complete rubbish. We are a non-political and non-religious organisation who draws our membership from those across the political and class spectrums. Politics and religion are not discussed either in our meetings or at dinner afterwards. This is one reason that people with completely different views and backgrounds are able to meet as equals and enjoy each other’s company. This has been the case for hundreds of years. See Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘The Mother Lodge’ as an example of this.

5. What advantages are there to being a member?

The ‘ceremonies’ - dramatic plays - build confidence and self-awareness. Members will meet and mix with those from completely different backgrounds to themselves and learn huge amounts from talking to them, and also enjoy the history and tradition of the organisation, and the companionship it provides. Some older members who have lost their partners have a active social life because they are members of a number of different lodges. Younger members like meeting people with a great deal more life experience than themselves, and enjoy being part of something so much bigger than themselves, that teaches its members to value integrity, honesty and ‘doing the right thing’.

7

6. What happens if another Freemason becomes aware that two Freemasons have colluded to their mutual benefit?

Freemasons have a moral duty to report any illegal behaviour to the appropriate authorities.

Behaviour which is regarded as unethical or inappropriate rather than illegal would be dealt with under the Masonic Code of Discipline for “Bringing freemasonry into disrepute” and could result in a warning, suspension or expulsion from the order. Any conviction, or finding of fact by a court or a professional body involving dishonesty or fraud would result in immediate expulsion from the organisation.

In the ceremony of initiation, the ‘Charge to the initiate’ is recited to the new member. It stresses how a freemason should behave: ‘As a citizen of the world, I am to enjoin you to be exemplary in the discharge of your civil duties, by never proposing or at all countenancing any act that may have a tendency to subvert the peace and good order of society, by paying due obedience to the laws of any State which may for a time become the place of your residence or afford you its protection, and above all, by never losing sight of the allegiance due to the Sovereign of your native land, ever remembering that nature has implanted in your breast a sacred and indissoluble attachment towards that country whence you derived your birth and infant nurture. As an individual, let me recommend the practice of every domestic as well as public virtue: let Prudence direct you, Temperance chasten you, Fortitude support you, and Justice be the guide of all your actions. Be especially careful to maintain in their fullest splendour those truly Masonic ornaments, which have already been amply illustrated; Benevolence and Charity.’

This is what we expect from our members, and what they expect from themselves and each other.

7. What happens during the initiation ceremony?

We keep the ceremony private because we do not want to spoil it for potential members. If people really want to read it, they can find it readily enough on google, but rather like looking at a score of Mozart rather than hearing it, we feel they will not immediately grasp the point from simply reading, rather than experiencing it. The initiation ceremony is a dramatic play in which the candidate is encouraged to consider his entry into the world, the fact that we all come into this world in the same way and equal, and that as life progresses, some do better than others. They are encouraged to think on their responsibilities to those less fortunate than themselves. The ceremony of initiation is one of three such dramatic plays and is called the first degree. The second degree ceremony asks candidates to reflect on how to improve themselves, through education, into better people, and the third degree ceremony ask candidates to reflect on their own mortality and the end of their lives – to make the most of their time on this world and to be remembered for the right reasons.

8. Are women allowed to become members?

Yes. Women can be freemasons by joining the lodges under the jurisdiction of the two women’s’ grand lodges in England – The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons, and the Order for Women Freemasons both of whom perform exactly the same ceremonies as we do and wear the same traditional uniforms. Both these organisations, and the United Grand Lodge for England prefer to remain single sex organisations, but should men or women wish to practice freemasonry together then there are also co-masons lodges where this can be done.

9. What distinguishes Freemasonry from a Gentlemen's club?

Gentlemen’s’ clubs tend to be exclusive, have restrictive membership rules and provide a premises where members can go to meet other members on daily basis. Freemasonry consists of lodges which meet for 3-4 hours between 2 and 8 times a year on average. We take people of all religions, ages, classes, backgrounds, political views, races and faiths. We also raise a vast amount of money

8

for a wide range of charities (over £48M last year) from our own membership, their families and friends. Our members also donated over 5million hours of their time as unpaid community volunteers in a whole range of activities 10. Are there Freemason lodges with exclusive public school membership?

Yes. They tend to have grown up in the earlier part of the last century and most are now open to those with no connection to the schools in question. There are also lodges for railway workers, individual trades union members, those with a special interest in fishing, classic cars, football and all sorts of other things that people might have in common. As you might expect from an organisation that is apolitical and draws members from across the political spectrum there are also numerous lodges associated with state schools and universities.

11. How much does it cost to become a Freemason?

On average between £50-250 per year plus the cost of meals after the meetings (which can range from £7.50 to £120 depending on where the lodges meet and what their members choose to pay).

9