Issue 21 Spring 2014
1
WORCESTERSHIRE
SOURCE
The Newsletter of Worcestershire Freemasons
New Wardens welcome the challenge RW Provincial Grand Master, Robert Vaughan, has chosen his acting Wardens for 201415. Provincial Senior Grand Warden will be Edward Derek Baker of The Lodge of Peace & Goodwill No 6010 at Kings Heath, and Provincial Junior Grand Warden Michael John Dykes, of Elmley Castle Lodge No 6247 at Evesham. Ed Baker, 48, is already wellknown in the Province. His post as Communications Officer has brought him into close contact with every aspect of Masonry in the Province and he has played the leading role in the development of the website
Ed Baker
– now a vital cohesive force in the Province. He has a huge knowledge and experience of IT and, indeed,
Michael Dykes
earns his living through it as a teacher of technology and is taking up a new job as a “technical evangelist”
for Microsoft. Ed, it seems, can’t resist a challenge. Last year, despite tinges of arthritis, he successfully completed the London Marathon and raised more than £5,000 for the Acorns Trust. It was his second marathon to add to two half-marathons and he vowed there and then “Never again!” He spent 20 years in the Territorial Army and was a Major when he left. He has also packed into his busy life the raising of three sons , and is now married to Sue and they live in Redditch. Ed joined the Lodge of Peace
The Masonic super-heroes
to page 2
VC awarded to 153 brave Brethren A fascinating display of Victoria Cross memorabilia is being displayed at the Provincial Library and Museum at Rainbow Hill, Worcester – all of it connected to British Freemasons who were awarded the supreme medal for outstanding bravery in the presence of the enemy during the 1914-18 Great War.
As well as two facsimiles of the coveted medal ( real ones are worth upwards of £1 million) there is an impressive collection of militaria either worn or used by the men themselves, like cap badges, ceremonial swords, dress boots, binoculars, a telescope, and even a can opener! The exhibition marks the
centenary of the start of the First World War and throws up a remarkable statistic: of the 1,360 VCs awarded since it was created in 1856, 153 of them went to Freemasons. Of the 634 awarded during 1914-18, 88 were members of our Fraternity. That’s more than 11 per cent from less than 3 per cent of the male population!
One man’s amazing war in the air Still on a war theme ... Worcestershire Mason Len Thorne had an amazing RAF career in which he could be flying a Spitfire one day and an Avro Anson the next. Here he is during his days as a fighter pilot. See story on Centre Pages.
The exhibition has been provided by Granville Angell, now in his 80’s, who has devoted the past 50 years researching the subject and was Prestonian Lecturer on it in 2006. He admits that for him it has become “an all-consuming dedication” that has taken him to 17 countries throughout the world and resulted in the discovery of another 53 VC Masons to add to the 100 Grand Lodge already knew about. He plans to publish a book soon containing comprehensive details of the 88 Masonic VC heroes of the 1914-18 conflict. Granville says: “There is a golden thread that links deeds of supreme gallantry and Freemasonry.” to page 2