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arena ISSUE 10

AUTUMN 2012

We will remember them

CONTENTS

3 4 6 8 10 11 12 16 18 22 24 26 27 30 32

Foreword by the Metropolitan Grand Master, RW Bro. Russell Race A Younger Mason Speaks... reminding us that "Young Mason" can have a different meaning....

Letters to the Editor The Men at the Top - Richard Regan Scrolling News and Events pages on Porchway, explaining recent changes to the format Opinion: by W. Bro S.Haines PAGDC "Why should I visit a ....Military Lodge" , continuing our series on "different" Lodges in London On the re-dedicated Peace Window - the Grand Chaplain´s oration given at the window´s rededication Sports and Social News - a round up of London events brought to arena´s attention The MMC CT Scanner appeal - arena visits The Royal London Hospital for the story behind the new appeal Olympics Assistants - London masons help out The Met Grand Almonry - a report on this very important part of Metropolitan´s work The Men at the Top - Christopher Clark Masonic London - continuing our series by W. Bro Yasha Beresiner PGStB, we look at Freemasons´Hall Musings - in which we eavesdrop on the private correspondence between W. Bros. Warren-Peace and Stein

London Events: CYBERKNIFE: OFFICIAL OPENING

BY THE GRAND MASTER 24 Oct 2010 at Barts. Space is limited so about 270 donors will be selected by ballot from all those who have supported.

METROPOLITAN GRAND OFFICERS’ MESS Grange City Hotel – Dinner 27 Sep 2012 Grange City Hotel – Lunch 26 Mar 2013 ALMONER’S WORKSHOPS 19 Nov 2012 5 Mar 2013 2 Jul 2013 12 Nov 2013 ALMONER LIAISON OFFICER WORKSHOP 18 Jun 2013 SECRETARIES, SCRIBES E AND TREASURERS SEMINARS 23 Oct 2012 07 Nov 2012 17 Jan 2013 16 Apr 2013 SHOOTING Home Counties InterProvincial shoot at Sporting Targets, Beds hosted Bedfordshire 24 Nov 2012 CHARITY SEMINAR Freemasons’ Hall 14 Nov 2012 MERCURIUS LODGE QUIZ NIGHT 10 Nov 2012 Further details are on Porchway

FRONT COVER: One of the four kneeling servicemen on the corners of the casket holding the roll of honour in the centre of the Peace memorial at Freemasons' Hall.

Founding Editor: Bryan Green Editor: David Roberts-Jones General enquiries: arena@metgl.com Journalists: Michal Buras; Charles Grace; Chris Frankland; Chris Starnes; Mike Winch; John Laurence; David Flawn; Stanley Haines; Ron Venn; John Railton; Darren Selkus; Peter Huddleston, Yasha Beresiner; John Walden; Scott Cargill Photography: Dave Green, Anna Flawn, Dave Luckins, Dennis Ramsay Graphics and layout: Greg Smith Advertising Sales: Pat McEnery To contact the Editor with features or letters for the next edition of arena, please contact by post to: arena, MetGL/MetGC, PO Box 29055, London WC2B 5UN or by e-mail to d.robertsjones@metgl.com © Metropolitan Grand Lodge/Metropolitan Grand Chapter. All rights reserved. For editorial matters, please contact the Editor. Comment and articles reflect the writers’ own personal views. The Metropolitan Grand Lodge and the Metropolitan Grand Chapter, as well as the United Grand Lodge of England may not subscribe to, or agree with, those views. The publishers cannot be held responsible for loss or damage to any unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.

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ISSUE 10

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FOREWORD

Welcome back Brethren!

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elcome back to the new season, Brethren!

As this edition goes to screen in September, we have the benefit of an Indian Summer which you may regard as long overdue. I am looking forward – as I hope you are – to the resumption of full on masonic activity after the summer recess (although in supporting the sterling efforts of our Bowls teams in Gloucestershire and the recent superbly-organised Olympic sports Dinner in London, my summer seems have been pretty busy!).

Sadly, the end of August saw the departure of our Metropolitan Grand Secretary, Stuart Henderson, after three very busy and productive years looking after our interests. We wish him and his wife well in their retirement and thank him most warmly for all his efforts. We will be shortly be formalising the appointment of Stuart’s successor, to whom we wish every success in this demanding role. No doubt, in due course you will all get to

EDITORIAL

AUTUMN 2012

know him better, either in person or through the columns of this august journal!

This edition, covering the period of September to November is, as you will find, dedicated to our brethren in the Armed Forces both serving and past. It invites us to show our support for the fraternal fellowship that is such a cornerstone of military life. This period also encompasses Remembrance Day. Whilst I know we are all pleased to be back in the masonic swing of things, meeting up with friends, old and new, it behoves us all, even in an area so vibrant and busy as Metropolitan, to stop what we are doing for a while, to think on and remember the debt we owe to those masons who made the supreme sacrifice on our behalf, and to celebrate the work of our brethren in the Armed Services, whether on active duty or in reserve. As the Grand Chaplain said at the recent dedication of the Peace Window at Freemasons' Hall

Brethren, Welcome back to another edition of arena! As the MetGM has said above, this edition celebrates military masons in London, their fellowship, history and traditions, as well as remembrance.

Why not take up the invitation on page 12 and visit a military-linked lodge as a guest? The edition also brings news of triumphs, both sporting

(see page 16), "may the message of the Attainment of Peace through Service and Sacrifice inspire us."

Thus inspired, we can look with pride on our having achieved a fraternal milestone in having raised the £2.5 million for the Cyberknife appeal as quickly as we did and perhaps channel our efforts to supporting both the new mobile CT scanner appeal recently announced by the MMC (see page 22) and the Supreme Grand Chapter appeal for the Royal College of Surgeons Research Fellowships. Whether you choose to support one, the other, or both, I wish you all the very best for the forthcoming season!

RW Bro. Russell Race, Metropolitan Grand Master

and personal, charity matters, happenings over the summer and events yet to come, not to mention the The Doors' Jim Morrison lookee-likee, now an Assistant Met GM, pictured on page 27! As arena is getting better known, brethren are becoming aware that there is an audience for Londonbased news, features and opinions. This is YOUR magazine brethren - don't

leave it all to your Secretary/Scribe E! Whether articles are destined for the pages of Porchway or arena itself (see page 10 for more details on what is meant by this), please do continue to send in your material to: arena@metgl.com or news@metgl.com With best regards to you all Editor 3

A Younger Mason speaks Here are some observations and thoughts of a new but not particularly young member of the fraternity, Bro David Flawn...

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have come into the world of Freemasonry rather later than most and... as my lodge, Phoenix No. 173 is part of the Universities' scheme, somewhat older than most of my contemporaries.

Growing up in a provincial town with none of my relatives or friends to my knowledge being Masons, the world of Freemasonry was very much a closed one. From the outside it was an organisation for the middleaged businessmen who controlled the economic life of the town to their own advantage. As a friend remarked when there was large scale redevelopment in progress, it was amazing how the bulldozers stopped just before the Masonic Temple. I am sure such cynicism was completely wrong, but it was very much a question of perception.

The road to Freemasonry started for me one Friday evening on a train to London. I met a friend, Carl May, who is now the present Worshipful Master of Phoenix Lodge. Jokingly I asked if he was off to learn his lines, completely unaware he was a Mason and was rather taken aback when he replied he was! This prompted a full and frank discussion of the merits of Freemasonry and an expression that ‘it takes good citizens and helps to make them better ones’. I reflected on this during the following months and found I could understand the 4

concept. So when an invitation to attend a dinner was given, I accepted.

Feeling rather self-conscious at being soberly suited in the West End on a late Saturday afternoon, I made my way to the Hercules Pillars where I found a large number of similarly dressed men who looked like (but were certainly not behaving like!!!) undertakers. We adjourned to The Connaught Rooms for dinner.

This was a very enjoyable affair and with choir-like singing of The National Anthem, banging of hammers on the table before toasts, and the general bonhomie of all present, it had a wonderful atmosphere. I really felt I was amongst friends and had somehow come home.

Following a successful interview, the day duly arrived for my initiation. Feeling like the new boy at school I arrived at Freemasons Hall. I was directed to the second floor and was immediately intercepted by the Secretary W. Bro Keith Favell PJGD who ushered me rapidly into a small ante-room, told me to await further instructions and firmly closed the door. I looked around an eight by four foot room and felt this must be a little like being in the condemned cell.

Eventually I was released and joined my fellow candidates for initiation.

After we were lined up to enter the Temple, I remember thinking I was very soon going to find out if all the rumours of strange initiation rituals were true, but there was nothing I could do but to walk in with my head high and take whatever was coming..... Hopefully I managed to get through without tripping over my feet or stumbling over my words but I was very impressed by the delivery, manner and attention to detail of those conducting the ceremony and of the obvious time spent in rehearsal. Because of this the delivery of the Ancient Charge made a strong and lasting impression on me.

Retiring to The Connaught Rooms for dinner the relief was rather tempered by Terry Mundy informing me I had to make a speech but not to worry, I had at least 30 seconds before the bread rolls started flying my way, the first probably from him!

Reflecting on the day I felt I had indeed joined a band of brothers who were proud of their calling, accepted their responsibilities and enjoyed themselves in so doing. For myself, I was pleased I had kept an open mind and that even at my age, I had grown a little.

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Letters to the Editor Dear Bro. David Having recently been referred to your magazine by VW Bro Paddy Johnson, AMetGM (a member of the Royal Colonial Institute Lodge), I was most impressed by the Spring and Summer 2012 issues of the publication and indeed took it as a sad reflection upon me, and my loss, not to have had sight of it previously.

I was aware of its existence on Porchway, however the hard copies were, in my view quite excellent, and I am now actively recommending access to it by other members.

I was however somewhat disappointed to learn that your Editorial policy is not to entertain featuring Lodge Centenary events.

Personally I felt this to be a somewhat negative policy, very much in keeping with the Freemasonry Today publication, from which I met with the same policy. But having mentioned the importance of our event and its attendees, there was a rapid, and welcome change of heart, and I hope it will be featured in the next issue.

Our RCIL Centenary was however, a very special, historic Masonic event, and whatever the policy of the day, I

believe there should always be room for exceptions. Having had extensive, past involvement with the Hertfordshire Provincial News magazine and a number of Charity publications, I have always been very conscious that people who present charity cheques, undertake various feats to raise funds, etc., and other notable events are worthy of some recognition. Publication should be possible, and will encourage others to do likewise.

In conclusion, having been reappointed as Secretary of the Commonwealth Lodges Association for a second year in July, I would like to give the Association some positive exposure, to improve its image and purpose. If I may, I will prepare a promotional article for you and your Editorial committee to consider for publication in arena magazine to assist us in our endeavours.

With kindest regards Yours sincerely and fraternally W. Bro Gwyn Howard Secretary Royal Colonial Institute Lodge No. 3556 Thank you for your letter, Bro. Gwyn.

In fact things have moved on since you sent your letter and, as explained on page 10, Porchway now accepts this sort of article and in fact the RCIL article and photos are on Porchway for all to view! Editor. ~ Dear Sir and Brother I enjoyed Jeffrey Monnickendam's article on ritual in the last edition of arena. There are, of course, several "workings" in Craft Masonry Taylor's, Emulation, Universal and so on. Even when a Lodge uses a particular working, they often have their own minor variations to "The Book". Half the fun of visiting different Lodges is seeing these departures from the norm. So, we cannot say that the Ritual is immutable. Far from it. I'm still bemoaning the changes that took away the penalties :-) So Jeffrey's point about having more explanatory ritual is an interesting take, and we could easily get "Monnickendam" working adopted by Lodges - but he would have to write it first! In Masonry, we learn that things in life have their good and bad points, and we make the best of them. In this case, a new Ritual would be a very good thing but, on the downside, we'd have to learn it ;-) Fraternal regards, W. Bro John Kay LGR, SLGCR Lodge of Tranquillity no. 185 Thanks for the letter, Bro Kay. Well, though it is not a new ritual like the "Monnickendam" ritual you suggest, with your tongue firmly in your cheek, there is a new Logic Ritual instruction group meeting from October onwards (see page 18), so perhaps it is better to say "never say never!". Editor

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Dear Sir and Brother Having been Secretary of my Lodge for 11 years, I have delivered the Ancient Charges to Masters-elect on many occasions. Those charges appear to encompass the basic principles of the Craft and it had never occurred to me to question or challenge any of them, particularly Charge 11.

One point that I believe that Jeffrey (Monnickendam, in his "Opinion" article in the previous edition of arena) has in mind, is that there should be a continuous discussion in Freemasonry, not necessarily to ‘modernise’ it, but perhaps to allow changes which will create interest and possibly generate further discussion. He seems in his article simply to want to introduce ritual that exists or has existed elsewhere because: (a) it provides an alternative to current wording, and/or (b) it uses language that is different and has a certain appeal.

If that is what Jeffrey has in mind, then I would accept both (a) and (b).

Certainly, a Lodge that introduced the pieces of ritual that Jeffrey has quoted would have its ceremony long remembered, and there should be no problem in accepting them.

However, the difficulty that I foresee would be whether or not those pieces could be judged as introducing innovation into the body of Freemasonry. We do, already, have different rituals in the Craft, each of them with variations on a main theme, but clearly these variants have been accepted over time and are not considered to be ‘innovations’. At the end of his article, Jeffrey asks the question AUTUMN 2012

‘would it really be considered as innovation to introduce a more vibrant ceremony, in both movement and ritual?’. Any forward looking Mason would answer “No, provided the basic principles are not subverted.”

Personally, I like Jeffrey’s examples of different ritual, particularly numbers 1 and 3, and I do not believe that they in any way diminish Freemasonry. However, if they were simply used without any central adjudication, then that could open the way to other, less acceptable, proposals. Jeffrey’s ideas should be considered on their merits but, apart from the Board of General Purposes, I am not aware of which group in Freemasonry could make a decision as to their acceptability.

W. Bro Malvern Barnett SLGR LGCR Friars Lodge No. 1349 Many thanks for your letter and comments, Bro. Malvern. Editor

arena Journalists and writers WANTED So that none of our volunteer journalists gets overloaded, arena is looking to grow its stable of writers/journalists.

Any brethren interested in assisting in this way should contact the Editor at arena@metgl.com giving their name and contact details.

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T H E M E N AT T H E T O P :

RICHARD REGAN

Whilst there are undoubtedly many men of rank and opulence (to coin a phrase) who have reached a level of national or international importance in their chosen fields amongst the group of "the Men at the Top", there are probably few in that grouping who have reached the position having left school with no qualifications. That's right. None. Zero – as Richard Regan FCIS, OStJ did. Nevertheless he has ended up in the Men at the Top grouping in no less than three areas of life, as we will show...

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V W Bro Richard Regan at about the time of his initiation, showing his baby son David a model of Concorde.

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orn into a family of seven children in Wimbledon, he attended Wimbledon College, the Jesuit-run school where, he "preferred music and sport to academic subjects". He readily admits however, that the relatively hard regime certainly taught him to look for the positive things in life.

Following his parents' marital split at the age of sixteen, he was given the stark choice of going to live on a farm or going to work and making his own way. Not perhaps the most attractive choice for someone of that age! Having scanned the Evening Standard and applied for what to him, appeared to be the most attractive available job in the paper, he was interviewed and was accepted by Thomas Cook - the travel agency - as an Office Junior at their Kensington office, where he started to learn the ropes of office life and even sell some tours. At around the same time, a friend had persuaded him to join the Scouts and become a troop leader, beginning a life-long relationship with wellstructured Youth work.

Deciding that selling tours to Duchesses was not for him, he applied for a job which he felt was more "settled", (as he had already met the woman who was in the event to become his first wife) believing that legal work would provide a better sense of stability.

He therefore applied to and was accepted by The Prudential Assurance Company. On arrival however, he found that his legal

ambitions were to be dashed as they had enough trainee lawyers and wished him to train as an actuary instead! He knuckled down and passed three of the requisite exams over the next three years, but then asked to move nearer legal work, as a Chartered Secretary. This request was (eventually) granted and Richard worked as a Company Secretary, specialising in investment management and began to rise up the Corporate ladder, being seconded quite early on to the Central Investment Panel of the Association of British Insurers. In 1964 he moved from the active fund management side to work directly for the ABI, where he specialised in the development of a) emerging markets, b) financial derivatives as a tool for managing risk, c) corporate recognition of the responsibilities of Institutional Investors as Major Shareholders, and also promoting London on behalf of institutional investors, as the leading financial market of the world. Furthermore he served on a number of senior Committees of the Bank of England, The Treasury and the CBI in London, Paris and Brussels. Additionally he was a member of the International Board of the Paris Bourse, developing the Nouveau Marche. He was part of the "Cadbury" corporate governance review team, was an early advocate of sensible interest rate and forex risk management processes and has been quoted extensively on corporate regulatory matters. He ended up as Head of Investment and ISSUE 10

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Masonic Career

a senior manager at the ABI. Away from work, he and his wife ran evening youth clubs between the duties of raising their two sons and daughter. Later on, his second wife Anne and he started to run cricket clubs, Richard having qualified as a cricket coach for youth. This interest in youth work and education was given a fillip when Richard, having achieved international recognition for his work on investment management and regulation in the City and beyond, decided to work towards giving something back, by standing as a Common Councilman in the City, which he became in 1996 and where he was immediately invited to contribute to educational and youth aspects of the City Corporation's work. He became President of St John Ambulance Leytonstone in 1997, a role he has retained to the present day. Just as in his corporate life, Richard began to move "up" in Common Council, having the privilege of serving as a Sheriff in the City of London in 2006-7.

Richard has just ended his stint as Chief Commoner, who acts, in effect, as the leader of the Council, supporting the Lord Mayor. In this

1983 1988

capacity he was involved , among other things, in dealing with the anticapitalist protestors outside St Paul's who were evicted earlier this year!

With no direct family or other obvious link to Freemasonry, Richard relates that it did not really impinge on his world until he was in his 40's. A work colleague asked him if he had ever considered it, Richard having plucked up enough courage to ask him where he was going dressed in pinstripe trousers and short morning coat. After discussion and an interview (for which there was no friendly preparation given!)

Richard was accepted and initiated into The Middlesex Lodge No. 143 in 1983. It is interesting to note that Richard found the initiation ceremony, as he puts it himself, "slightly disturbing"! This discomfort was however happily reversed when some of the second degree ceremony and words began to chime with some of his personal views and thoughts on self-improvement and education.

Once on the masonic "treadmill" as Inner Guard, he reached the Chair of Middlesex Lodge in five years and remembers doing a double ceremony in each of the three degrees during 1991! He joined the

Initiated into Middlesex Lodge No 143 Founder member of Aldertree Lodge No 9289 (Hants and IoW) 1991 W.M. Middlesex Lodge No 143 1993 –1999 D.C. Middlesex Lodge No 143 1996 & 1997 W.M. Cutlers Lodge No 2730 1998 LGR and joined Guildhall Lodge No 3116 1999 W.M. Cutlers Lodge No 2730 (3rd time)

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Lodge of his Livery Company, the Cutlers Lodge No. 3162, in 1994 and served there as WM three times. He also helped found Aldertree Lodge No. 9289 in Aldershot in 1988, where he was Founder Secretary, extending his masonry into Hampshire.

Having become a Common Councilman he joined Guildhall Lodge No. 3116 where he served in a number of senior rĂ´les. He had been exalted into the Holy Royal Arch Chapter attached to Middlesex Lodge relatively early on but, as with his Craft masonry, wanting to develop his enjoyment of the Royal Arch, he feels that he was fortunate to be invited to join St. Alban's Chapter No. 29, which has satisfied this want very happily.

Richard regards himself as privileged, in that having served in a number of senior capacities in a variety of areas, the inception of MetGL brought the need to identify those who were comfortable in a position of authority and had shown some proven ability. He feels that he was extremely fortunate to serve first as an Inspector, (having previously served as an SVO) and was delighted to be asked to take on the role of Assistant Metropolitan

2001 A.D.C. Guildhall Lodge No 3116 onwards...

2001 I.P.M. Cutlers Lodge No 2730 and Almoner 2002 Assistant Grand Pursuivant and VGO Met GL and Hampshire 2003 Met Grand Inspector 2004 Z in Chapter of Harmony No 26 2009 Assistant Met Grand Master, PGSwdB

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Grand Master as he feels this has allowed him to continue his masonry in a new and special way.

He is passionate about opening up Freemasonry to show how beneficial it can be to individuals, their families and the wider Community; how enjoyable it can be and to assist non-masons considering their options to see what a good step it can be for them, continuing the theme of helping with worthwhile education that we have seen throughout his

life. Richard says that Freemasonry has widened his horizons, taught him to think of others, to try always to make a positive input to life, that every problem has a solution and that whatever life brings there is always someone worse off than you. In his own words ... "enjoy what you do and help others to enjoy each day as part of the wider community, always remembering that, as ever, Family comes first!".

Five things you didn't know about Richard Regan: 1 2 3 4 5

Enjoys stripping-down and rebuilding MG Sports Cars Was an ECB Cricket Coach for fifteen years, although he no longer coaches.

Is a passionate music lover Has been a Governor of five schools (none of which his children attended!)

Was once locked into a room at Christies with two Guarneri violins, where he was allowed to spend a happy afternoon playing the two superb instruments. He relates that despite this advantage, his technique did not improve to Guarneri standard!

New format for “scrolling� news and events reports on Porchway

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rethren will be aware that arena was started to provide a magazine for all London masons in MetGL and MetGC and with that premise in mind has always avoided reporting items of a more restricted interest such as centenaries and other Lodge or Chapter celebrations, or family membership in and of a single Chapter or Lodge, etc. Whilst these stories can be interesting , illuminating, or even downright moving, they are not usually of more than passing interest to those not directly involved. This policy has caused somewhat of a "gap in the market" since, if arena does not publish these stories, who will? Lodge and Chapter websites have provided a slight amelioration but, again at the individual unit level, it is difficult to find enough to write about that is of wide spread interest, and descriptions of past ceremonies and the like can date very quickly.

Brethren will be very pleased to note that this gap is 10

Richard, photographed recently with his now grown-up son, David.

being filled by the new scrolling News and Events service on Porchway which has been operational since July/August this year (see www.porchway.org/craft/london-news for details). It covers a variety of items of interest including the following: a) Sports events, matches etc. b) Lodge events such as Bi/Centenaries or other significant milestone meetings c) Regular masonic get-togethers d) Forthcoming events which brethren would like to publicise such as a Lodge/Chapter anniversary e) Charity news f) Cheque presentations of less than ÂŁ10,000 g) Lodges/Chapters of Instruction news or events g) Other masonic news, warnings, etc., It will not normally cover Installations or "regular" official visits.

Once the events above have been entered on to the Events page and the Events Diary gets properly populated, it should be possible to see "What's on" in forthcoming months, with a real choice of "special" events going on in the Metropolitan area.

So, any Lodge Secretary, Chapter Scribe E or any Met member who has some news, or some attractive photos of a special occasion to share, or even a future event to "advertise", please send your copy to news@metgl.com ISSUE 10

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OPINION:

As part of arena’s series of thoughts, views and ideas from senior masons W. Bro Stanley Haines, PAGDC of Fidelis Lodge No 5405 writes...

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ext year we celebrate ten years of Metropolitan Grand Lodge, thereafter Metropolitan Grand Chapter is part of our Supreme Grand Chapter's bi-centenary and not that long afterwards the 300th anniversary of the formation of our first Grand Lodge in London in 1717. Is it not time our Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter were able to pitch a hospitality tent within Freemasons' Hall to assist us all in celebrating these joyous occasions? Likewise after ten years hard work shouldn't MetGL and MetGC deserve a greater physical presence at Freemasons' Hall, one which all London Freemasons and their friends can visit, meet up and generally be seen enjoying one another's company, socialising with other members and their friends within that great building, but not within formal masonic confines. In doing so, wouldn't this help further to develop and project the identity of Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Freemasons' Hall? Of course we should! You see it at every provincial centre, and in London elsewhere at Ealing, Clerkenwell, St James's, even at Mansfield Bowling Club. It's called a Bar! Apologies to those other London centres, but as far as I am concerned, Great Queen Street is the centre of our Metropolitan solar system and it necessarily follows that it clearly should be seen to be so. What do we have there at the moment? Only a Metropolitan Office tucked into an unobtrusive corner of Freemasons' Hall, albeit at a very reasonable rent of about £1.40 per member per annum, but as yet without even our Metropolitan name over the street door! Of course some may say that this wonderful building is only the home of United Grand Lodge of England not MetGL. If I remember rightly, MetGL through London AUTUMN 2012

Management was the offspring of UGLE and, at ten years of age, isn't it about time we had our own playroom as well as a bed?!

In my view, a cafe/bar/lounge type establishment, opening from say, midday to 8pm, should be created within Freemasons' Hall under the banner of Metropolitan Grand Lodge.

I am sure those with greater commercial brains than I could work out a back-to-back agreement between us, UGLE and a franchisee, such an arrangement to be at limited financial risk to MetGL and UGLE of course. I know that even Grade II* Listed Buildings can be altered, subject to necessary consents, to suit the developing needs of the user, and indeed this building has been so adapted recently. Not that such a change of use within the existing first floor lounge, which was incidentally originally the Smoking Room, or, let's go mad, the large adjoining room, (originally the Reading and Writing Room, and as far as I can see, currently only used as a rather large wardrobe for London Fashion Week), would actually need much alteration anyway. Donations of older computers for the Internet Cafe area could I am sure be found- no excuse there for Secretaries not being able to access Porchway (or arena!). Just pop in an hour or so before your meeting starts!

I appreciate some will point out that the building was conceived as a Peace Memorial and such jazzing up is morally wrong. But do they know that the original brief for the architectural design included a licensed restaurant?

(See "Hall in the Garden" by the Library and Museum of Freemasonry p.63).

Unfortunately the restaurant never appeared. Others will say that there are many other local establishments that provide such services, some of

which may even be tenants of UGLE, but none of these establishments are dedicated to us, our friends, to the people we wish to show the building and our Metropolitan membership.

Neither, according to my muchexperienced masonic “masonette”, are all these other places necessarily where wives and girlfriends would wish to arrive at on their own to meet up with us individually later!

Would it work? History shows us that this has not always been the case.

The Freemasons’ Tavern attached to the original Hall of 1776 apparently had a very up or down time. Later as our movement gained in strength, Victorian Freemasons were generally against their august institution permitting part of its HQ to be used for drinking purposes. There was no licensed restaurant in the replacement Hall of 1869, such activities being kept separate and distinct, despite this building forming the basis of what is now the Grand Connaught Rooms. Likewise, after WWII as we sadly know, Great Queen Street remained very insular for many years, but now that has all changed.

I think our spirit of openness could even be further enhanced by the creation of a place of hospitality for our members, wives, friends and visitors and even displaced fashionistas. Yes, there is competition locally, but not all of that is particularly high quality. It works at other masonic centres in London, it works in many similar institutions, then why should it not work for Metropolitan Grand Lodge at Freemasons' Hall? I say let's give it a try. I am sure with support from our members, friends, associated clubs and organisations, our evening LoIs, our executive and other building users such a change would be welcomed and very successful. A sobering thought. Cheers!

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W H Y S H O U L D I V I S I T. . .

A military lodge?

As readers will have gathered, this edition of arena is dedicated to our servicemen brethren and what better way of showing your support, other than by donation to one of the excellent range of military charities, than by visiting a militarylinked lodge as a guest? arena has spent part of the summer period speaking to the Secretaries of over fifty London Lodges with a military background and without exception, confirmed our guess that masonic fellowship is strongly practised amongst this distinctive group of Lodges (see the inset table on page 14). We are aware of similarly linked military Chapters, but this article is only two pages in length, so bear with us! With those exigencies of space in mind we have taken the decision to look briefly at only a few lodges, but brethren interested taking their knowledge further are welcome to follow up this bite-size introduction either through their own research, or by visiting one of the Lodges shown...

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n talking to the Secretaries, arena found that the Lodges represented a very broad span of military connections. Obviously the Navy, Army and Air Force, then sub-sets within these groupings (through regiment, other unit or military speciality) or even military-linked lodges that might not even immediately spring to civilian minds as such. Additionally, we saw other Lodges where the founding connection was one of shared service, comradeship and fellowship, where those serving had wished to keep their military links flourishing, even when their primary connection was one of being prisoners-of-war together! In essence there seemed to be three main groupings into which London's "militarily-linked" lodges fell: 1) The Lodge for a specific service or unit whose membership is exclusive to members or ex-members of the said grouping.

2) A Lodge set up under the same terms as 1) above, but whose membership is no longer exclusive, and/or includes civilians, but who keep up their military tradition or ethos.

3) A Lodge originally set up with a link of some sort to the Armed Services but which no longer has that link because the original unit or reason is no longer extant. It is now likely to be a "normal" civilian Lodge in its actions and organisation.

As part of this exercise in introducing militarylinked Lodges to arena readers we have selected more or less randomly, a number of Lodges as examples or proxies of the huge diversity of military flavour. Some which fit into group 1 of our arbitrary division - with membership open only to serving or past members (but brethren should note, ANY mason is eligible to visit all of the Lodges mentioned, as mentioned over in the inset column on page 14) such as Navy Lodge No. 2612 (Naval Officers) or Royal Air Force Lodge No. 7335 (Air Force Officers. Others are a more specific kind of closed lodges such as FitzRoy Lodge No. 569, which is limited to members of ISSUE 10

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the Honourable Artillery Company and which meets in the Company's splendid HQ at Armoury House in the City, wearing uniform and which has its own regimental "Fire"; Comrades Lodge No. 2740 which is open to serving or past members (and lewises) of the Household Division, or Rosemary Lodge No. 2851 which is for past or serving members of the SAS. Navy Lodge No. 2612's history is somewhat typical in that a need was identified for a specific closed Lodge in London, (there being such lodges already extant in Plymouth and other major naval ports, and Lodge 59 having been set up largely in connection with Navy suppliers as opposed to Naval management) which might be more convenient for those working in the Admiralty or elsewhere in the city. Given the then Prince of Wales' very strong affection for the Navy (and the small fact that he was the then Grand Master!), the petition for a new lodge went through very quickly with HRH immediately accepting the role as the lodge's inaugural Master (it has had four sovereigns as its Master in all!). Proving that the military masonic community is not just confined to these historic lodges, a "new" Lodge, Queensman Lodge No. 2694, (in fact a revivification of an ailing Lodge) was recently revived for members and past members of the regimental family of the Queen's Regiment and its forbears, the name change coming formally into place as of May this year and the badge being changed at the same time, by permission, to the Badge of the Queen’s Regiment. There is even a military-linked Installed Masters Lodge - the Victoria Rifles Lodge No. 822 - for those who either were or AUTUMN 2012

are currently serving members of HM Armed Forces.

The next grouping of Lodges keep links either through having a predominantly military membership (although not closed as such) or by keeping links with the unit after which they are named, thereby maintaining a military ethos. These include Gostling Murray Lodge No. 1871 which still toasts the "Diehards" at every festive board and Elthorne and Middlesex Lodge No. 2094 (incidentally, 1871's daughter lodge) which has a ‘Die Hard’ member and a minority civilian membership of mostly servicemen's sons. Sua Tela Tonanti Lodge No. 8003 ("to the Thunderer, his Arms") was the Lodge of the Royal Army Ordinance Corps (now RLC), and although largely civilian in its membership (yet has two George Cross holders), retains a very distinctly military focus on ammunition and bomb disposal.

Maguncor Lodge No. 3806 is named after the Machine Gun Corps, which was disbanded in 1925, yet its traditions are still military both in the temple and at festive board where it still shows some of its old silver. At its own annual service of remembrance, held at Hyde Park Corner at the "Boy David" memorial to the Corps, it remembers the two VC's won by members of 3806. In similar fashion, RNVR Lodge No. 3923, like many other lodges, has a special ceremony of remembrance at its meeting closest to November 11th where the "Last Post" is played before a two minutes silence is observed.

The largest grouping of lodges is one where the military link has reduced somewhat and we have subdivided this group into two parts.

First Lodges which have either had a

military past but have for one reason or another changed their lodge composition and adapted accordingly (or the original reason for their creation no longer exists in that their sponsoring unit may have been disbanded or merged with another military unit). These lodges may not be as "military" as they once were, but retain their history and identity with pride.

Thus, amongst many others, Grenadiers Lodge No. 66, Royal Naval College and United Service Lodge No. 1593, the eponymous Military Lodge No. 2621 and Warrant Officers Lodge No. 2346 no longer have specific military connections, but continue their masonry in the light of their military heritage. In the same way, Royal Naval AntiAircraft Lodge No. 3790 has no active military connection but its Festive Board (where snuff is offered) is graced by many silver gunnery trophies and all its collar jewels (and the snuff box) are made from the metal of a shot-down Zeppelin.

Likewise, Army and Navy Lodge No. 2738 toasts the Armed Services at every festive board. Social Friendship Lodge No. 497 was formed in its present incarnation in 1844 for the Irish Fusiliers with an 13

No.

Lodge

66 497 569 822 1593

Grenadiers Social friendship FitzRoy Victoria Rifles Royal Naval College and United Service Centurion Ubique Gostling Murray London Rifle Brigade Elthorne and Middlesex London Scottish Rifles London Irish Rifles' Warrant Officers Bloomsbury Rifles' Train-bands Royal Rose National Artillery Royal Engineers Navy Household Brigade Military Queensman Nil Sine Labore Army and Navy Comrades Lodge of Assistance Paddington Rifles Rosemary Third Middlesex Artillery Royal and Loyal Middlesex Imperial Yeomanry Royal Crown Wantage Queen Mary's King's Colonials In Arduis Fidelis Kensington Battalion City of London National Guard Royal Naval Anti-Aircraft Maguncor United Arts Rifles Imperial Cadet Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Gastvrijheid Connaught Army and Navy Finsbury Archers City of London Rifles Venture Adventure Royal Air Force Friendship from Service Sua Tela Tonanti St Eligius Certa Cito Parachute Regiment

1718 1789 1871 1962 2094 2310 2312 2346 2362 2524 2565 2578 2599 2612 2614 2621 2694 2736 2738 2740 2773 2807 2851 2942 2952 3013 3133 3178 3327 3386 3432 3624 3757 3790 3806 3817 3824 3923 3970 4323 5466 5606 6022 7335 7691 8003 8295 8925 9315 14

"ambulatory" warrant. Such "travelling "warrants were reasonably common in the early years of military masonry, reflecting the fact that military units (it should be noted that four "ship" warrants are also recorded) would spend much of their time abroad fighting. Interestingly, Lodge 497's travelling warrant was in fact only formally handed back in 1947!

Second is a group of Lodges which were formed for military fellowship and friendship, such as Friendship from Service Lodge No. 7691 which continue their specific tradition of masonry. In this connection, we mentioned the P.O.W link in paragraph two - this refers to Gastvrijheid ("Hospitality") Lodge No. 3970, actually set up in 1915 in Groningen in the Netherlands by interned members of the First Royal Navy Brigade under a Dutch Warrant and then transferred to UGLE under its present number whilst also keeping its Dutch warrant. The original P.O.W. camp is long gone, but the essential underlying reason for the Lodge's inception, that of comradeship, continues apace and it still has a very close relationship with its sponsoring lodge, L'Union Provinciale Lodge No. 117 in Groningen.

We conclude this article by looking at another interesting military-linked lodge, The Lodge of Assistance No. 2773. This Lodge, set up by three prominent Lodges (Prince of Wales's Lodge No. 259, Apollo University Lodge No.357 (Oxfordshire) and Household Brigade Lodge No. 2614) in 1899, was created to give London-based assistance in various ways to its parent lodges but its military connection was to the soldier members of 2614 who might have lost their progression within the Lodge on their being posted away. Instead, their masonic career was kept on track at the Lodge of Assistance, which had an in-built capacity to rapidly "slot-in" officers on request to facilitate their masonic experience and progression, which might otherwise have taken years to recover.

This article lifts only one page in an absolutely fascinating series of historical stories, links and perhaps above all, opportunities for fellowship. All the Lodges mentioned in the article have said that they are open to visits and any brother wishing to visit without direct connection, should ask their own lodge secretary for the e-mail address of the proposed Lodge's secretary, who will deal with the request in the usual way.

Additionally, Brethren may wish to look at the website of the Circuit of Service Lodges at (www.militarymasons.co.uk) for more lodge links. arena is indebted to many who gave their time but would like to give particular thanks to VW Bro. Brigadier Peter Sharpe PGSwdB, W Bro. Major Ron Venn and W. Bro. Captain David Swain PAGSwdB..

ISSUE 10

“They shall grow not old as we are that left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.�

For the Fallen R. Laurence Binyon (1914)

On the Re-Dedication of the Memorial Window VW Bro Revd Dr John R H Railton, Grand Chaplain

Every stained glass window tells a

continuing their pilgrimage and

gift of a Temple in memory of those

story! Indeed, that’s how they

making their ascent to that Eternal

who gave all ‘for King and Country,

started – to convey an unmistakable

Grand Lodge Above where they

Peace and Victory, Liberty and

message to those who might not

shall rest in peace for ever. The

Brotherhood’. The wreath of oak

have the ability to read the written

scenes depicted here portray

leaves and acorns symbolise

word. While this entire building is

loyalty, courage, and self-sacrifice

Strength, Honour and Steadfastness

the Masonic Peace Memorial, here is

on the part of the faithful in all

– qualities attributed to the Deity

the focus of our remembrance, with

ages, for there are shown also in the

and exhibited without hesitation

the Roll of Honour below it, this

side panels those who have gone

by those who serve him. Their

tribute to those of this great

before having acquitted themselves

devotion to God and country

Masonic fraternity who made the

honourably in the service of others.

inspire us to continue to strive to

ultimate sacrifice in the service of

The central panel shares a common

build a living temple in our hearts

this nation. Here we have symbols

design with the Hall Stone Jewel. It

and lives and pledge it to his

of courage, of dependability, of

depicts the presentation to the

service, as our tribute to those we

endurance, and of self-sacrifice. In

Angel of Peace of a Temple, one

remember with gratitude.

the lower panels, we see the souls of

which bears a striking resemblance May the message of the Attainment

those from all walks of life and

to that in which we now stand.

whom this memorial honours,

Cyril Saunders Spackman’s design

of Peace through Service and

having passed the Guardian Angels

was described as ‘An Angel of Peace

Sacrifice inspire us to ever greater

at the threshold of eternal life,

holding a temple to represent the

service of that cause.

Lodge badges from the militarily linked London Lodges (see page 14)

Sports and Social News M.A.C.E. Bowls Trophy comes back to London finalists! The runners-up competition for 3rd and 4th places was fought out by Devonshire and one of the Gloucestershire rinks.

An exciting and eventful day was rounded off by the news given at the White Table following the event that through all the The Metropolitan Grand Master with the winning team fundraising efforts on the day GMBA had from the London Masonic Bowls Association. managed over the year to raise £12,300 for a local charity, The Three Shires any congratulations to the winning Robotic Cancer Surgery Appeal, and a team from the London Masonic cheque for this amount was handed Bowls Association who played against over to a representative of the charity. their Provincial competitors to pip The appeal is aimed at providing Middlesex at the post in an extremely Robotic Assisted Surgery in dramatic final watched by their Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and supporter-in-chief of the day, RW Bro South Worcestershire. The Robocap will Russell Race. assist a surgeon to perform keyhole The team was skippered by W. Bro surgery procedures, for example in Roy Blundon LGR; the 3rd was W. Bro treating Prostate Cancer. The Robot Ian Keech LGR; the 2nd, W. Bro Lou offers surgeons 3D HD visualization, Epstein SLGR, 92 years young, scored enhanced dexterity, much greater the all important winning shots when he took over the Skip position when Roy precision and ergonomic comfort whilst performing this minimally invasive regrettably had to withdraw after surgery. For the patient it means less suffering from too much sun! The Lead Bowler was George Spary PGStB and the pain after the operation, minimal blood loss, quicker recovery and much brave reserve making up the team in reduced incidence of complications. the later stages was Associate member The future of M.A.C.E. is assured, Mrs Susan Lesser. Middlesex held the since it will be held at Cambridge in lead by 2 shots with only the final end to follow. W.Bro Lou Epstein managed to 2013, with their PGM, RW. Bro Rodney Wolverson, already fully committed. An draw a second shot for a tie. On the evening’s entertainment of modern extra deciding end, having given the mat away to guarantee last wood, LMBA Musicals and a buffet at Bateman Street is already planned. In 2014 M.A.C.E. trailed by one shot for almost the whole time, until W.Bro Lou with that vital last returns to Taunton in the South West, where Somerset has signed up as Host wood turned over an existing LMBA Province. Thanks to all who assisted in wood to wrench victory from the grasp bringing the trophy back to London! See of Middlesex. It could not have been a you in Cambridge next August? closer end for two well-matched

M

18

New Logic Ritual Instruction Group formed

T

he Logic Ritual Association has announced that it plans to run a monthly Lodge of Rehearsal for all interested Master Masons. It will meet on the first Thursday of each month with the inaugural meeting of the group at 1900 on Thursday, October 4th at Freemasons' Hall. The preceptor will be W. Bro John Stonely PGStB. Meetings are open to all Master Masons irrespective of ritual, and brethren are most warmly invited to support not only this landmark inaugural meeting but are also requested to spread the word!! For further details please contact: Michael Keisner at michael@efl.bz

ISSUE 10

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The Grand Charity

Non-Masonic Grants in London At the General Meeting of The Freemasons’ Grand Charity held in June the following grants were approved for London based charities: • £60,000 over two years to Buttle UK to fund the development of the Quality Mark for Care Leavers in higher education.

• £90,000 over two years to Dementia UK to fund a Chief Nurse post to develop training for specialist dementia nurses.

• £25,000 to Special Olympics UK to fund the salary of the volunteer development manager.

• £30,000 to Young Minds to fund the development of the charity's use of internet technology to provide support services to young people with mental health problems.

The Metropolitan Masonic Charity

Non-Masonic Grants in London During May 2012 the MMC made the following grants to local NonMasonic Charities totalling £22,600 • £3,000 The Lee Smith Foundation.

• £2,500 Inspire Appeal - St Brides Church.

• £2,600 The Douglas Bader Foundation • £5,000 Lambeth Summer Projects Trust.

• £2,500 Barons Court Project • £5,000 London Wing Air Training Corps • £2,000 METRO

Team 1731 raises £7,500 for Cyberknife

S

ince the last article in Arena,Team 1731 has raised just over £7,500 for the Cyberknife by running the St. Albans 5km, the British 10K, London and the London Spartan a 'muddy' adventure race with obstacles where Darren Selkus LGR and DC of Cholmeley Lodge 1731 finished 14th out of the 2314 participants. Team 1731 have now started a new season of fundraising for the MMC, initially for the CT Scanner Appeal, by entering a series of 10K, half-marathon and adventure races. For more details please visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/cholmeley1731

AUTUMN 2012

Emulation Lodge of Improvement closes the Festival Season in Style

E

mulation Lodge of Improvement provided a fitting end to the Masonic Season at its yearly Preceptors’ Festival on Friday 29th June.

In a wonderfully entertaining evening the Ceremonies of Raising and Installation were demonstrated in front of an attendance of some 120 by regular Members who had been nominated by their Lodge of Instruction or The ELI Committee, several being London Freemasons.

Sadly, the fabled ‘Silver Matchbox’ was not awarded but that did not detract from the high standard of Ritual being demonstrated.

The event was presided over by the Senior Member, VW Bro Graham Redman PGSwdB, Assistant Grand Secretary, who congratulated all those who had contributed to the success of the evening Those interested in improving their Emulation ritual should note that the Emulation Lodge of Improvement meets each Friday of October to June at 6.15pm, Lodge Room 9 at Freemasons' Hall Should you need more information please contact the Secretary, Scott Cargill at scott.cargill@blueyonder.co.uk

19

Commonwealth Lodges Association Biennial Festival

T

he biennial festival of the Commonwealth Lodges Association will be hosted this year by Australia Lodge No. 6505 at Freemasons' Hall on 14th November 2012 and will commence at 17:30.

The CLA is a group of Lodges with Commonwealth or Empire connections and exists to promote fraternal exchange. Festive Board will be at the Imperial Hotel in Russell Square and the cost of dining will be ÂŁ39.00. Brethren from non-CLA member Lodges are most welcome.

All brethren wishing to attend should request an attendance form from W. Bro Richard Irving, 2 Thornton Road, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1JH or via e-mail to richard@irving-family.com.

A new look for the Family Festive Concert

P

lans for another excellent Family Festive Concert in December are now well under construction, and arena went to find out more on what might be coming our way. This preChristmas concert is a firm Metropolitan tradition, however responsibility has now been passed to a newimpresario, W Bro. Terry Hill LGR, who is masterminding a new line up of top talent to entertain us.Terry says "there is obviously a limit to what one can do in terms of changing what amounts to perhaps one of the most traditional formats, but I am currently negotiating with an extremely famous group, who have recently shot to fame, for them to appear as one of our star items". When prompted by arena for more detail on the group's identity, it seems that Terry is taking the third part of the motto "Audi, Vide ,Tace" with great seriousness, as he said "I'd prefer to keep it as a surprise until the Posters are released!". So, Brethren , like arena, you will just have to wait and see.

Tickets for brethren, wives, partners, family and friends will go on sale in October. Why not organise an evening out for your Lodge widows?

20

MBE for W. Bro Bob Howard, LGR, PZ

W

. Bro Robert Howard of St. Paul's Lodge No. 194 and MD of Wilson & Wylie Contracts Ltd was awarded the MBE in the Queens Jubilee Honours List in recognition of his services to the British wall and floor tile industry.

Robert was born and educated in Hollins, Oldham and later lived in Dobcross in Saddleworth. He began his working life in the tile industry at the age of 15, serving a 5 year bound apprenticeship to J Duncan of Oldham whilst also attending the Manchester College of Building. During his time there he won a National Tiling Competition at Olympia and was awarded a prize for highest marks in City and Guilds Wall and Floor Tiling by Lord Rhodes of Saddleworth in 1968.

His early days were spent on the tools, but as his career developed not only was he fixing tiles, but with his passion for training already ingrained his company allowed him time off in 1974 to return to the college as a lecturer on wall and floor tiling. He progressed up through the ranks to Contracts Manager and then moved to London in 1978 where he was employed by one of the larger tiling contractors, Wilson & Wylie Contracts Ltd. He progressed to Contracts Director before taking over as Managing Director and owner.

He was the last chairman of the National Master Tile Fixers Association (1997-1999) and as one of the founder members went on to chair The Tile Association from2002-2004. He has chaired the Training Committee since The Tile Association was launched in 2000; represented the industry on many committees involved in improving standards in training and he represents the UK on the Board of the European Fixers Association. All of these activities have been undertaken on a volunteer basis.

In 2001 he was given the freedom of the City of London becoming a member of the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers Livery, where he sits on their Craft Committee. The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers is one of the ancient London liveries and encourages excellence in the tiling and bricklaying industries and has awards for outstanding tiling and brickwork.

Bob was very proud to receive his MBE in respect of his work in the industry and has been celebrating with his wife Christine, sons Lee and Andrew and his "pride and joy" grandchildren, Elliott and Christina Jane.

ISSUE 10

Kent Club continues to prosper F

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ollowing a year of transition The Kent Club is delighted to have finalised its programme of Events for the 2012 -2013 season.

Chairman Scott Dunn explains, “Exciting times are ahead for The Kent Club. The Committee have been working hard to try to establish exactly what our Membership is looking for from the Group. It transpires that access to somewhat ‘exclusive’ or ‘premier’ events is something that busy, time-pressured Freemasons would advocate”.

Scott continues, “Until recently it has been suggested The Kent Club has struggled to define its ‘unique selling point’. Since offering a slightly different type of function, we have seen our event attendance increase dramatically. A good example is our recent visit to Utilitas Chapter, who usually meet at 10 Duke Street. In celebration of a member’s 60th year as a Holy Royal Arch Freemason, the Metropolitan Grand Chapter Stewards’ Demonstration Team performed a wonderful ‘live’ Exaltation Ceremony in The Grand Temple and, with dinner being served in the salubrious surroundings of The Oxford and Cambridge Club, it really was a first class evening”.

“We have also recently concluded an arrangement with Cator Chapter No 2266 to provide our Members with the possibility of joining the Supreme Degree should they not have an option elsewhere, or indeed if they wish to join a second London Chapter. This of course provides a great facility for our Members, whilst providing an increase in numbers for the Chapter."

Other notable matters are a change in venue for the quarterly social meeting to the Bar at Mark Masons’ Hall, a visit to Commemoration Lodge No 2663 on Friday 14th September, where a team of Scottish Constitution Brethren will be demonstrating their Third Degree Ceremony, and even a Portuguese Wine Tasting evening is in the offing!

Should any Brother, from Entered Apprentice to Grand Officer wish to join the Kent Club in order to have access to such events please contact David Luckins, Events Manager at daveluckins@hotmail.com Alternatively brethren can visit either The Kent Club website at www.kentclub.org or their Facebook Group Page for more information.

AUTUMN 2012

21

The MMC appeal -

London Freemasons help to save lives with purchase of a mobile CT scanner

Dr Vishi Verma & the ICU team at The Royal London Hospital

W

ith the CyberKnife now paid for and MetGL’s momentum of generosity still high, it has been decided that the MMC appeal will continue but instead focusing on the Trauma unit at The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, part of Barts Health NHS Trust, with a specific purchase of portable kit to aid them in their lifesaving work. arena recently visited the Intensive Care Unit ("ICU") to discuss the need for assistance, and how our donations will be spent, with Dr Vishwajit "Vishi" Verma, MBBS, MD, FRCA, FFICM, a Consultant in Critical Care at the hospital.

When we think of 'trauma' we mostly associate it with emotional distress. However, in the hospital environment, trauma is a clinical term used to describe a disease caused by serious physical injury. In the UK, and across theglobe, it is the biggest killer of children and young male adults,and the only disease with a rising mortality rate. Whilst The Royal London specialises in whole body trauma care, the specialist element that we will be assisting is trauma to the head. It is perhaps surprising to note that Head Injury is in fact the third largest killer in the world after Cancer and Heart Disease.

It mostly affects 20 to 40 year olds of 22

whom 70 to 80% are male. Most often, the cause of the trauma is road traffic accident, but assault and falling from height are also significant. The average stay is six days in the ICU, but it should be remembered that this is an average taken from a spread of up to 21 days.

Typically, after being assessed and stabilised, a patient will be hooked up to a plethora of drips, drug infusion pumps, breathing apparatus and other organ support machines ranged around the bed. With the brain unable to be seen directly, it may be that there is damage (stroke, brain haemorrhage) which can only be guessed at. To detect any abnormality in the brain you have to rely on imaging, which means the patient has had to be taken to the radiology department (some distance away from the ICU) to have the CT scan done. By definition, moving ICU patients will lead to increased morbidity and mortality, particularly when one considers the spaghetti of wires and machines that are supporting the patient. In fact, moving one patient will require a Doctor, a Nurse and two porters to go with the patient, all of which means that each of those staff members will be away from the unit for up to an hour. Additionally, assessment of a critical care trauma patient will need to leapfrog those non-ICU patients who are already queued for a CT scan, thus delaying other assessments.

The portable kit to which we have referred is, of course, a portable CT scanner, and having one of these on the ICU means that the patient can stay in situ, whilst the scan can be done in a matter of minutes and without the need for so much staff time. This time-saving and efficiency will also clearly help in speeding up the assessing of dynamic injury in head trauma during surgery (since it can be used for an assessment whilst the patient is on the operating table), as the

primary injury (say, being hit by a baseball bat) may also be accompanied by swelling which is causing secondary injury as well.

Identifying such changes in injury so that appropriate treatment can be set or dynamically amended in changing conditions is clearly time critical and having imaging "on tap" is key. It can thus perhaps mean the difference survival (but with no quality of life and totally dependent on specialist nursing care), to surviving without the use of limbs because of neurological damage or, best case of all, without much impairment at all.

The Royal London's ICU is one of the largest in the country and is well known all over the UK, and internationally, for taking the largest number of cases of head injury. It takes patients from within the M25, but this is added to by the fact that it has its own helipad, which results in patients brought by helicopter from Essex, Kent, Sussex and Hertfordshire.

It is housed in a virtually brand new building, the department having moved in only in December 2011.

The scanner that the MMC intends to fund (see picture) will be only the fourth in the country, and it is hoped that head injury mortality, which used to be 30% some twenty years ago and had dropped to around 17% by 2003, according to a data study released in 2005, may be improved yet further.

Donations will be handled in the same way as the CyberKnife appeal, and future donations for this appeal will enable higher levels of awards to be gained. A further visit (once we have raised enough to purchase the kit!) to The Royal London will be made in due course to report back to arena readers.

ISSUE 10

The ‘Freemasonry and Sport’ Celebration T

wo hundred Masons, family and friends gathered at Great Queen Street on Saturday July 21st for the ‘Celebration of Freemasonry and Sport in Olympic Year’ event, organised by W.Bro. Mike Winch on behalf of Spencer Park Lodge No. 6198 and the Royal York Lodge of Perseverance No. 7.

The event started in the late afternoon with tours of the Grand Temple and the Library and Museum where the excellent ‘Game, Set and Lodge’ exhibition was running to coincide with the Olympic Games.

The Director of the Library and Museum, Diane Clements, gave a very well received talk on the Grand Temple, and her staff manned the exhibition to help visitors as they passed around the exhibits. The Masonic connections with many of sports’ greatest exponents were highlighted in the detailed and interesting displays.

Following on from the tours was a ‘Bucks Fizz’ reception in the Grand Connaught Rooms. The Metropolitan Grand Master, RW Bro. Russell Race joined at this point and after circulating amongst the guests everyone moved through to the banqueting suite for dinner. After Grace, delivered by Lodge No. 7’s Chaplain, W.Bro. Eric Davies, W.Bro. Mike Winch welcomed everyone and thanked them for attending the celebration. The Grand Connaught Rooms put on an excellent meal during which a silent raffle was held with over 60 prizes available. This on its own raised over a thousand pounds.

BBC presenter Paul Dickenson then interviewed some of the many sports personalities who were in attendance.

W.Bro. Tony Alcott, fifteen times world bowls champion and current chief executive officer of England Bowls, stressed how important sport was for developing youngsters and how his link with Freemasonry had similarly showed him that the principles of the organisation could be such a major force for good. Paul also AUTUMN 2012

interviewed two young athletes, one of whom, James Ellington, a member of Spencer Park Lodge, was a competitor in the current Olympic Games. James reiterated the feeling that Freemasonry had helped in his path to success. Also interviewed were Judy Oakes OBE, a four times Olympian who has more British Team appearances than any other athlete and Bro. Clarence Callender, an Olympic relay silver medallist from Seoul 1988. This part of the evening was concluded by a motivating video presentation on the success of our British athletes in the Olympic Games.

Changing the tone, a superbly athletic display of Latin American dancing by two of the country's top exponents, Richard and Teresa Tandy, then thrilled the room and displayed the intricacy and skill needed to perform such complex routines.

Huge applause greeted the completion of their stunning routine.

At this juncture, an Olympic Torch from the current Games was passed around for the guests to see, touch and have their photograph taken with.

Its eight thousand holes represent the eight thousand runners who made up the relay around the Country. This torch was carried by a young athlete of the Sutton and District Athletic Club and was brought along by Bro. Alex Starr who is Chairman of the Club.

Any remaining excess energy was burnt off by dancing to the renowned Ross Mitchell Band. As the music commenced, the dance floor was immediately crowded, showing everyone’s enthusiasm for a bit of exercise. Allowing a prudent rest from the energetics of dancing.

W.Bro. Gary Beckwith, politely and persuasively extracted two and a half thousand pounds from the guests, with a special fundraising auction with the star piece, a bronze participation medal from the 1948 Olympic Games being sold for over one thousand pounds! The evening concluded with the final dances and a

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Judy Oakes OBE with the Olympic Torch.

flurry of patriotic singing.

After reckoning up the figures, the evening produced over six thousand pounds to be split between the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys and the Paralympic charity, "Wheelpower". This was a superb event that will be remembered for years to come, probably not however, until the next Olympic Games in London!

23

Olympic Assistance and Gamesmaking Deputy Met Grand Superintendent E. Comp Chris Frankland PGSN and his Olympic car.

arena has heard about four London brethren who gave their time to volunteer at the recent Olympics. We feel sure that this may be the tip of the iceberg, so if there are any more interesting community-linked stories of Olympic or other venue support please let us know at news@metgl.com

D

W. Bro Lancelot Stimpson, LGR (centre) and fellow volunteers.

W. Bro John Hubbard, SLGR and his Olympic vehicle.

Metropolitan Grand Charity Steward, Stratton Richey PAGDC and his fellow blue lamp colleagues.

24

eputy Met Grand Superintendent, E. Comp Chris Frankland PGSN is the first of our four volunteers. His job was to drive athletes and/or officials and VIPs from venue to venue using the special "Zil" Olympics lanes. He reports that he was part of a Team of drivers (BMW cars, since you ask..) based at the Fleet Depot in the Olympic Park, Stratford. Following three days of training, the Teams provided a 24 hour executive car service between competition venues, hotels, airports, stations, etc. although Chris was relieved to see that night clubs, and restaurants were NOT on the list!

There was a special Satnav programmed with the designated Olympic routes and each car was fitted with a tracker so the Controllers knew exactly where they were. Since public transport was so effective, particularly the Javelin trains, the demand for cars was not as great as had been anticipated. Chris however did manage to carry a full range of passengers including, almost, the Minister of Sport for NZ … but he got into the car behind!! Chris is glad that he was able to play a very small part in making the 2012 Games the success that they undoubtedly were.

W. Bro Lancelot Stimson LGR of Kent Lodge No. 15 says that unless one had specific skills (e.g. medical or linguistic) a

GamesMaker’s role seemed to be randomly allocated. Nevertheless, he was glad to have been allocated a position in the Print Distribution office where he was a Printed Results Distribution ("PRD") team member. In spite of mobile ‘phones, e-mails, Twitter, Facebook and other electronic wizardry, it was not possible to declare any results as OFFICIAL until they received the appropriate Pieces of Paper from the PRD as required by The International Olympic Committee rules. PRD team members had to be fleet-footed and able to remember the quickest route to the various delivery points of which there could be up to nine.

Indeed, one delivery point had 91 steps to climb!

Assuming no objections, official results for, say, a 100metres event would be distributed moments after the finish but official results for, say, the marathon could not be distributed until the last competitor had finished! The last to finish in the London 2012 Men’s Marathon was thus 47 minutes after the winner, although in such circumstances, interim official results are distributed!

W. Bro John Hubbard SLGR was, like Chris Frankland, a driver. As he says himself, "I enjoyed driving down the Olympic lanes and being the only vehicle driving around Buckingham Palace and ISSUE 10

Annual Metropolitan Inter-Faith Service

Bro Rabbi Jeff Berger, RW Bro Lord Millett PMetGM, RW Bro Russell Race MetGM, RW Bro Michael Ward PJGW DepMetGM, W Bro David Nunes SLGR and W Bro Patrick Penny PAGDC

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he well-supported annual Metropolitan inter-faith service of thanksgiving attended by the RW Metropolitan Grand Master Russell Race was held at the Bevis Marks synagogue in the City on one of the relatively sunny days in June.

Opening and closing the service were the two halves of Mozart's masonic cantata "Laut verkünde uns're Freude" sung in German by the synagogue's resident cantors who also led the singing in the familiar opening and closing odes. The

up the Mall." Like Chris, John did not have anyone famous in the back of his car but did at least have the President of the Marshall Islands as well as the usual range of athletes, referees and broadcatsers etc. John also had many hours of waiting around, mainly due to the fact that the organisers had assumed a high attrition rate of volunteers, whereas it proved to be less than 1% over the entire fortnight.

In addition, the underground was faultless and people soon found out that it was the quickest way to get around. John's best anecdote is from a work colleague who worked on security. He challenged one of the volunteers' credentials, but she confirmed that she was indeed a lifeguard. Apparently, Health and Safety dictates that every swimming pool has to have a lifeguard at all times and her job was to sit by the

pool for all the events just in case Tom Daley, Michael Phelps or anyone suddenly forgot how to swim!!

Last but not least, Metropolitan Grand Charity Steward, Stratton Richey, also volunteered and was seen by some breaking the speed limit, crossing Red lights and making a lot of noise. Is this news you may ask yourself? Well, having taken an Advanced Drivers course and the yet more specialised "Blue Lamp" training with the London Ambulance Service, he did four shifts of 12 hours during the Olympics as the driver of a rapid response Volvo with a highly experienced Paramedic He attended numerous different types of call, from a traffic accident to elderly folk in a state of collapse. The program will continue to run in London and Stratton will continue to volunteer a couple of days a month as required

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congregation was welcomed to the synagogue by W. Bro David Nunes, past Chairman of the Bevis Marks committee and the Ark was opened

by VW Bro Derrick Silver, W. Bro Stephen Fenton, W. Bro Brian Saidman and Bro. Warwick Brenner.

The service was conducted by Bro. Rabbi Jeff Berger who also gave the address, speaking about the resonances between masonry and the 300 year old building, concentrating on Divine Law, Divine Service and Acts of love and charity.

Refreshed and renewed by the beauty of the words and music and by the very beautiful eighteenth century interior, those who attended on this sunny afternoon will have felt privileged to have been there.

for the Emergency response program.

Stratton was very impressed with the professionalism and dedicated care that all the members of the London Ambulance Service give to members of the public in London. ‘it was a tremendous privilege to work alongside the LAS, they really do care an awful lot about their patients’. He further asked that drivers give the emergency services plenty of room on the roads, ‘it was staggering how many motorist will just stop in the wrong place on the road and effectively block the progress of an emergency vehicle!’

These are the four brethren that we know about, but are there any other Olympic or indeed, Paralympic volunteers whose story we could feature? Please send your photos or stories as ever to arena@metgl.com!

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The Met Grand Almonry With the Lodge Almoner Workshop Programme and associated protocols now firmly established within MetGL/GC, arena sought an interview with the Metropolitan Grand Almoner, W. Bro Peter Huddleston, PAGDC, to sit down and take stock...

Metropolitan Grand Almoner, W. Bro Peter Huddleston, PAGDC.

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he emphasis of the team's approach is on the education of Lodge Almoners and where required, to give assistance on specific matters.

With around 2,000 individual lodges and Chapters in London, that's an awful lot of Almoners: how does the Met team deal with such a crowd? Through good organisation and efficient use of our team, comes the reply. There is an addendum too. In fact, there are rather more than 2,000 Almoners because one of the maxims being popularised by the team is that "we are ALL Almoners if we believe in Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth!". This is a point we will come back to, but first of all a short introduction to the team structure at the Met Grand Almonry.

Headed by Bro. Huddleston, the team has seven Assistant Met Grand Almoners, five of whom handle teams of eight Almoner Liaison Officers or ALOs (W. Bros Don Foster, David Linney, Dave Smith, Barry White and John Winter) with W. Bro Patrick Gray acting as the Metropolitan Welfare Officer and W. Bro Garry Gilby responsible for Communication and Training. Each of the forty ALOs is then set to work with around fifty Lodge/Chapter Almoners with whom they are expected to be in touch on a reasonably regular basis and of course to be available to give direct advice if requested . This means that whilst the amount of work generated by initiating regular contact is extensive, it is not insurmountable. It also gives a chance for experienced Lodge Almoners to continue their training and gain promotion through the offices mentioned above.

As to the work generated in the Almoner's role, the Team gives advice as follows. The Almoner of today is expected to be proactive and to seek out any need for relief for members within his unit or their families. This can mean a lot of work for an individual Almoner, which is why the Team suggests that other members of the Lodge are drafted in to assist where it is practical to do so and for Almoners to call upon the resources available to them through their ALO. This is why

they consider that, as is mentioned above, "we are ALL Almoners now".

One aspect of this is Bro. Gray's work as the welfare Officer, controlling a team of over seventy Visiting Brothers to assist Almoners with those more difficult cases that sometimes crop up.

This is not to detract from the important role of the Lodge Almoner, but to give guidance and make visits if for some very good reason the Lodge Almoner is unable to do so. The Team have also made co-operation agreements with their Provincial counterparts so that non-London based visiting or contact which is too difficult to arrange at the unit level can easily and swiftly be arranged.

One scheme which has been very successful has been the "Adopt-aWidow" scheme, managed by Bro. Linney, which arranges for widows of units which have closed to be "adopted" by living Lodges and for the widow to be treated exactly as the Lodge's own widows. Loneliness being one of the worst aspects of widowhood, the basic objective is that the lady has regular Masonic contact, vital in time of need, as well as a friendly voice once in a while. Just under a hundred Lodges have made this commitment so far, but clearly more will be needed. As Bro. Huddleston says, "We need more Chapters to come forward to take up the Adopt a Widow Project by adopting a displaced Masonic widow. The important thing is providing the contact".

The emphasis on educating Almoners and Lodge members in general (you don't have to be an Almoner to attend the excellent courses being put on by the team) is clearly paying off, as over time, more brethren are becoming more experienced in how to deal with relief matters. Lots of excellent information is available on Porchway but it is also good to know that we can rely on the extensive resources of the Metropolitan Grand Almoner's team to be activated to support us whenever we have any queries in this area, because, as you will now be aware...we are ALL Almoners now!

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arena T H E M E N AT T H E T O P :

CHRISTOPHER CLARK A

lthough VW Bro Christopher Clark PGSwdB is a London mason through and through, he has always lived in the town of Rochford, some 40 miles away, in deepest Essex. In fact, his house, where he has lived for the past 42 years, is less than half-a-mile from the site of the hospital (since closed down and now a housing estate) where he was born! Chris is, therefore, the genuine article, a real Essex boy.

He went to Southend-on-Sea High School for Boys, a local grammar school and proceeded from there to Southampton University to read English, expecting to become a teacher, or journalist, or perhaps a librarian.

University was, however, a lifechanging experience for him, even though he never left his birth town.

During most of his teenage years, Chris earned pocket money from a combination of local paper-rounds and odd-job gardening. One of his lady gardening clients had a small chain of hairdressers and used her spare cash to play the Stock Market. Her discussions with Chris during his tea breaks about her hobby fired his own interest and by the end of his second year at University he was reading the Financial Times as much as his set texts and set his career on becoming an investment analyst (a sort of specialist financial journalist, so not really so different, after all!). The other big event at this time was his engagement – after only a 3-week relationship – to Angela, a fellow student in his English class. Appropriately enough for English undergraduates, they were both on an university-led visit to Stratford-upon-Avon to see both parts of Shakespeare's Henry IV, when they decided during the interval (as one does) to get their engagement ring!

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Back at the theatre, they asked one of their colleagues to take a celebratory photo of them, apparently thus creating some competition for the stage players in the second part of the show as classmate whispered to classmate "did you know that Angela and Chris got engaged during the interval?" After graduation everything rushed forward – a job as a trainee analyst, marriage and the start of a family, and the daily commute from Rochford to the City of London.

Chris gained experience as an analyst with several City stockbrokers, starting at Moy, Davies, Smith, Vandervell, during which time he studied and qualified as a Chartered Secretary (today an FCIS), through various companies. During these early years Chris and Angela had their family of a daughter and three sons all close together and well before they were 30 – and these are the nucleus today of a close-knit family, currently with 14 grandchildren (help needed at Christmas!). Chris became a partner in Kemp-Gee in 1975, at the age of 33, and subsequently saw the firm become Citicorp Scrimgeour Vickers at the time of the 'Big Bang', by which time he was Head of Investment Research. In 1989 he moved to Credit Lyonnais, concentrating on investment strategy and quantitative analysis, and again became Head of Research, before finally retiring from full-time work in 2002 and setting up a part-time business consultancy, in which he is still active.

Chris was introduced to Freemasonry through the relatively unusual route of his mother-in-law. She worked as PA to Philip Goodhew, an architect who was active in a London lodge and, after some enjoyable Ladies' Nights as his

V W Bro Christopher Clark at about the time of his initiation into Freemasonry

guest, Chris felt he was with people whose ethics and standards he shared and told his mother-in-law that he would quite like to become a mason.

She set up the meeting with her boss for some serious discussion and, as Chris was already working in the City, it was natural for him to join a London lodge. He was duly initiated into Fidelity & Goodwill Lodge No 5404 in January 1969, at the age of 26, in the midst of a busy career and a burgeoning family. He describes joining masonry as 'like a fish being introduced to water' and in just two years was exalted into Aldwych Chapter No 3096. He became Master of 27

Five things you didn't know about Christopher Clark: 1 2 3 4 5

Masonic Career 1969 1971 1975 1979 1991 1994 2001 2002 2003 2006

Initiated into Fidelity and Goodwill Lodge No. 5404 Exalted into Aldwych Chapter No. 3096 W.M. Fidelity and Goodwill Lodge No. 5404 (also 1993, 2005) MEZ, Aldwych Chapter No. 3096 (also 1995, 2002, 2006 (100th MEZ!)) LGR LGCR PAGDC (Chapter) Visiting Officer SLGR MEZ Canute Chapter No. 3104 (Essex), PAGStB (Craft) Founding J of Chapter of True Friendship No. 160 (Essex)

Also a member of Britannic Lodge No 33, Jubilee Master Lodge No 2712 and Lodge of True Friendship No. 160 (Essex) and London First Principals Chapter No. 2712 28

Dislikes heights and deep water.

Has run 16 marathons, fastest in 3 hours 4.5 minutes.

Enjoys fly fishing (lakes and rivers).

Had four children under five years old by the age of 30.

Was introduced to masonry by his mother-in-law!

5404 in 1975 (and again in 1993 and 2005) and was First Principal of 3096 in 1979 (and again in 1995, 2002, and 2006 when he was the one hundredth MEZ).

After gaining RA Grand Rank in 2001, Chris became a Visiting Officer in the Devonshire Group under Brian Vickers and because of a shortage of VOs in the RA at that time found himself working with several Chapters and making locum visits as well. The important work then was to explain the creation of Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter and to rally support in the face of much resistance to change. A similar task was required within Chapters when the permitted alternative versions of the ritual were approved by Supreme Grand Chapter in 2004, again with misunderstanding in some quarters. Chris's VO duties were extended into Lodges when he received Craft Grand Rank in 2003.

Then, when the Visiting Officer system was reshaped in 2007/08 with the appointment of Metropolitan Grand Inspectors, Gordon Wilson asked him to become a RA SVO, which he did until becoming a MetGI himself in 2009. At the same time, his researches for writing the history of his mother chapter, Aldwych 3096, for its centenary in 2007, led him to write three lectures which he has delivered on many occasions. One is about an eminent mason and Great War hero, Reginald Davis, with readings from his diaries. Another is about Masonry and Methodism, and the third is on Masonry and the Temperance Movement (although Chris prefers to call this lecture 'The Demon Drink' as he thinks that attracts a larger audience!)

These strands of working for Met, masonic research and of course his literary background came together in what may be described as Chris's defining work as devisor and architect of the 'Exaltee's Guide' and of the

'Talking Heads' introduction to the Royal Arch. The 'Exaltee's Guide' was conceived to make new members feel comfortable as quickly as possible in their Chapters, while the 'Talking Heads' playlet is aimed at introducing the Royal Arch to Master Masons, whilst rekindling the interest of more established companions who may perhaps have lost their way in the Order. Since retirement from the City, Chris has joined a local Lodge and Chapter and been founding J of a new local Chapter, but his commitment remains firmly to London. In fact, many of his masonic friends in Essex are London masons too!

Chris believes that, just as the Olympics in London brought a sense of purpose within the country, so might MetGL and MetGC similarly benefit in 2013 from the higher profile that must come from the celebrations of the SGC Bicentenary and those for the tenth anniversary of their own formation which also occurs next year. In terms of his own specific responsibilities on the Royal Arch side, he opines that whilst it is early days as yet, he senses that the efforts to retain members and recruit new exaltees appear to be having a positive effect and the 'Next Step in Masonry' talks and the 'Talking Heads' project are being well received.

He also sees the 'Connect with your Roots' project where Chapters are encouraged to reinforce or renew relationships with their "feeder" Lodges working equally successfully (and, indeed this initiative will be featured in the next edition of arena). With the above-mentioned anniversaries now very much on the horizon, Chris, who is now completing his second year as an Assistant Metropolitan GM/GS, feels that these are very interesting - indeed, exciting - times for Freemasonry in general and for Metropolitan in particular, and is immensely pleased to be part of all that is happening and is yet to happen in London masonry .

ISSUE 10

M A S O N I C C I T Y:

Freemasons' Hall Continuing our series on masonic London by W. Bro Yasha Beresiner PGStB we look, in common with other articles in this edition of arena, at the masonic military connections that lie behind Freemasons' Hall in London...

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hen war broke out in August 1914 and Freemasons were called to arms, they followed in a long and established Masonic military tradition. The earliest recorded origins of military Lodges outside England are attributed to Irish, Scottish and, later, English Military Lodges who met on foreign land and even on board ships under the authority of their ‘Travelling Warrant’. In this context, it is interesting to note that requests by English military Lodges for such warrants initially fell on deaf ears.

Both the ‘Moderns’ and ‘Antients’ Grand Lodges considered such warrants inappropriate. Nonetheless, English Lodges particularly keen to obtain Travelling Warrants did so

from Irish and Scottish Grand Lodges. A good example, and the first such English Lodge, was the 1st of Foot (Royal Scots) Lodge No 11, who petitioned the Grand Lodge of Ireland and was issued with an ‘ambulatory’ warrant in 1732.

Meetings held by Brethren under the adverse conditions of Prisoner of War camps have been well recorded (see also page 12). They cover the Napoleonic Wars and continue to the 20th century. The military record of serving and fallen Brethren is a matter of pride and is well commemorated by the institution.

Masonic Peace Memorial The most predominant and largest memorial to these brave Brethren is

our own Freemasons’ Hall in Great Queen Street, London. In the three years following the end of the First World War in November 1918, some 350 Lodges were consecrated in England. The founders of these newly established Lodges consisted of servicemen who sought continuity to the camaraderie they had enjoyed during their difficult war time service. By now the growth of the Craft had by far outstripped the accommodation facilities of the earlier Masonic Hall on the same site and records show that the Quarterly Communications of the United Grand Lodge of England had to be held outside the available premises. It was under these circumstances that a decision was

The Peace Window in Freemasons’ Hall.

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taken in 1919 to erect a Masonic Peace Memorial, honouring the 3,225 Brethren who fell in the Great War. The foundation-stone was symbolically laid by the Duke of Connaught, Grand Master, on 14 June 1927 in the Royal Albert Hall, in the presence of no less than 8,000 brethren. This interesting and unusual ceremony made use of available ‘modern’ technology and as the Grand Master lowered a replica of the foundation stone in the Albert Hall, the actual foundation stone was simultaneously lowered, by remote control, at the site in Great Queen Street. The building was finally completed and dedicated on 19th July 1933 by the Grand Master in the presence of 5,353 Freemasons including the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor and the Duke of York, later King George VI, among many Royal and other dignitaries that filled the Grand Temple of the new Masonic Hall to the brim.

International Architectural Competition Freemasons’ Hall in London is, of course, the home of all 220,000 English Freemasons but it is we London Brethren who enjoy its facilities to the fullest. Freemasons’ Hall is an imposing art deco building, now Grade 2* listed both internally and externally and it remains the only art deco building in London still preserved 'as built' and used for its original purpose. It covers two and one quarter acres, in the very heart of the metropolis.

When the original decision to build a new Hall was taken it was also decided that the way to progress in identifying suitable architects was by AUTUMN 2012

contest. Thus in 1925 an international architectural competition was held. One hundred and ten schemes were submitted from which the jury - chaired by Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944) - selected just ten of the best submissions to be presented in full. The winning design was by the London partnership of H V Ashley and Winton Newman. The building has a memorial shrine as its centre piece, dedicated, as mentioned, to the 3,225 brethren who died on active service in the First World War. The theme of the stained glass memorial window, shown in the centrespread of this edition, with the Angel of Peace carrying a model of the tower of the building, symbolises the attainment of Peace through Sacrifice. The large and prominent bronze memorial casket has gilt figures at the four corners representing the fighting services and was designed by Walter Gilbert (1871-1946). You will have seen one of the figures, shown on the front cover of this copy of ARENA as well as perhaps on your visits to Freemasons' Hall. It contains a memorial roll of every Lodge that lost a member in the war, naming him personally. The scroll is movable and can be viewed through a glass aperture The Grand Temple The building is dominated by the Grand Temple which is totally isolated from the adjoining structures by a courtyard which goes all the way around it, allowing for a wonderful sense of peace and quiet.

It stands 120 feet in length, 90 feet in width and 62 feet in height. The extraordinary Masonic bronze doors, each weighing one and a quarter

tonnes, open into the impressive chamber that seats 1700 Brethren.

The ceiling consists entirely of a mosaic design depicting Masonic emblems and symbols including allegorical figures of the four cardinal virtues: Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude and Justice.

In addition to the Grand Temple there are nineteen other Craft Lodge rooms and Royal Arch Temples in the building, as well offices, meeting rooms and usual facilities. Rather ironically in recent years we have reverted to the traditions began in Sandby’s original Hall and the Grand Temple is now again being hired out for performance by Opera Houses for Musical Concerts which recently included, rather appropriately, Mozart's Magic Flute - I cannot avoid the thought that Mozart, had he been alive, could not have dreamed of a better setting!

Honouring ‘Peace through Sacrifice’ was very much brought to life by our masonic forebears in the shape of this beautiful and extraordinary edifice. Continuing to honour that thought remains as alive and relevant today as it did when our present Freemasons’ Hall was first built. We must avoid the tendency to take our surroundings for granted.

We must also not forget the significance of the environment and ambiance each time we enter the building. Next time you attend Lodge in Great Queen Street take a moment to reflect and honour the memory of the sacrifice so many Brethren made and which today allows us to enjoy that very special memorial that is Freemasons' Hall.

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A N D F I N A L LY. . .

Musings from W. Bro. Warren-Peace In which we eavesdrop on the private correspondence between W. Bro. Warren-Peace and W. Bro. Stein, two long-retired, experienced and "free-thinking" London masons as they exchange thoughts on matters masonic....if you feel you want to join in or comment on any of their outrageous comments, please feel free to use the Letters column as always...

Philip, Your letters always make me laugh, my friend. You described how you scratched the side of your “pristine classic car” when you attempted to park it at a Provincial Lodge car park. I can only imagine that you're referring to that 30 year old, clapped out, lime green Vauxhall Viva, which should have gone to the scrapheap years ago! As for the loud music at the Lodge meeting, you probably had your hearing aid turned up too high! I still laugh at the time you sent it for repair and one of those charity folk in the street persuaded you to go to a presentation. You told me the talk was about the hardships of the “Youth in Asia”. How I laughed when you came back rather sheepishly, only to tell me that it was actually a lecture on Euthanasia! I think I still have that address in Switzerland they gave you!

My dear Philip, there are worse things in the Provinces than the loud gavelling you described in your last letter. Some years ago, I too had the dubious pleasure of attending, as a guest, a Lodge in the Provinces. As my host was on top table, I was seated in between two chaps whom I'd never met before. One of them, it turned out, was a Prison Officer. I think he must have been amongst undesirables for too long as he seemed to have lost the power of speech; I literally couldn't get two words out of him. Of course, I felt it my duty to educate him about the necessary penal reform required in this great nation, and made sure he understood the benefits of chain gangs, straw beds and military discipline! He didn't seem

impressed, so I shifted my conversational efforts to the chap on my other side, who’d been looking at me rather strangely all evening.

When he told me what he did, I immediately realised why. He was a Funeral Director, Philip! I'm sure that man was measuring me up in his mind. He seemed to get very excited when I told him about my bad bout of 'flu the other week and said “Remember, never allow Doctors to examine you in the nude. Always make sure they're fully clothed first”.

Well! That was the first of a series of excruciatingly bad jokes he told rather badly throughout the evening.

The Prison Officer chap, however, seemed highly amused and nearly fell off his chair with laughter when the Funeral Director told a joke about a very drunk man, walking down the street at one o’clock in the morning. A policeman stopped him and asked: “Where are you going in that condition?” The man said: ”IIʹmm on mmyy waayyy to a

lectttuurre on Ffreemmassonnrrry.”

The police officer replied: “Where can you possibly get a lecture on Freemasonry at this time of night?”.

The man said: “Frromm mmyy wifffe, wwhenn I gget homme!”

I must say I didn’t find any of this the least bit humorous but I was forced to endure more of this torture throughout the evening. When he found out that I was giving the visitors toast, the Funeral Director said “here’s another one for you”, and proceeded to tell me about a tired old mason whose hair was grey.

He came to the gates of Heaven one day. When asked, what he had done the most on Earth, he said he had replied to the Visitors Toast. St. Peter said, as he tolled the Bell: “Come inside my Brother youʹve had enough of Hell!”.

I was glad that the time for the visitors toast was fast approaching.

When it was finally my turn to respond I must say I gave a lengthy, high quality oration to the highest degrees of eloquence and composure, as I always do. I think I showed those Provincial chaps how it should be done! I certainly wasn’t impressed by the constant tutting and the ‘looking at watches’ as I gave my articulate and stirring response.

After 20 minutes, I left them wanting more. The least I was expecting was a standing ovation, but they swiftly moved on to the next item of the evening without the slightest acknowledgement at all! Why don’t they appreciate genial linguistic aptitude when it’s presented to them Philip? I simply don’t understand it!

S&F Sebastian