qc minutes sep 2008

8/8/2019 QC Minutes Sep 2008

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UNITED GRAND LODGE

OF

antient, free and accepted freemasons ofEngland

Quarterly Communication

Holden at Freemasons' Hall , Great Queen Street , London

on Wednesday , the 10th day of Sep temb er 20 08

present:

MW Bro the Most Hon. the Marquess of Northampt on, DL Pro Grand Master

RW Bro P.G. Lowndes Deputy Grand Master

RW Bro D.K. William son Assistant Grand Maste r

RW Bro the Rt. Hon. Lord Millett, PC Metropolitan Grand Master for London

RW Bro T.R.R. Richa rds Provinc ial Grand Mas ter for Chesh ire

RW Bro A.D.J. Rosse r Provinci al Grand Master for Jerse y

RW Bro D.P. Cons Pro Provinc ial Gran d Mast er for Middle sex

RW Bro M.J. Price, CBE Provincial Grand Master for Warwickshire

RW Bro J.Mc A. Hodgs on Provincia l Grand Mast er for Shropshir e

RW Bro R.C. Smal lwood Provinci al Grand Master for Herefor dshire

RW Bro D.L. Jenkin s Provincia l Gran d Mas ter for Somers et

RW Bro M.H. Roalfe Provincia l Grand Maste r for Leice sters hire and Rutland

RW Bro T.S. Theo dossi ou District Grand Master for Cyprus

RW Bro R.J. Anderson

Provincial Grand Master for Yorkshire, North and East Ridings

RW Bro G. Pea ke Provinc ial Gran d Mast er for Isle of Man

RW Bro T.D.C. Lloyd, TD, DL Provincial Grand Master for Staffordshire

RW Bro B.C. Belling er Provincia l Grand Maste r for Ham pshi re and Isle of Wight

RW Bro C.F. Harris Provinci al Gran d Maste r for Hertfordsh ire

RW Bro M.J. Flynn Provincia l Gran d Master for Bristol

RW Bro J.M. Hooto n Provincia l Grand Maste r for Berks hire

RW Bro R.G.H. Godda rd Provincial Grand Maste r for Worces tershire

RW Bro I.B.J. Ross Provincia l Grand Maste r for Suffolk

RW Bro D.A. Fok District Grand Maste r for Hong Kong and the Far East

RW Bro M.R. Baile y Provinci al Grand Mast er for East Kent

RW Bro R. Reed Provincial Grand Master for Buckinghams hire

RW Bro J.G.R. Rudd, DL Provincial Grand Master for Derbyshire

RW Bro R.K. Wilson Provinc ial Grand Master for Nottin gham shire


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479 [September 10, 2008

wBro the Rev. J.D.R. Spriggs Assista nt Grand Chapla in

w Bro the Rev. D.B. Thoma s Assistant Grand Chaplain

w Bro A.R.P. Ullstein, QC Assistant Grand Registrar

w Bro A. Bunting Assistant Grand Registrar

VW Bro G.F. Redman, PGSw dB Assistant Grand Secretary

w Bro D.H.T. Henderson- Ross Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies

w Bro R.J. Ingham Clark Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies

w Bro A. Kelly Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies

w Bro G.R. Newson-Smith Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies

w Bro Dr. G.R.E. Shilson . Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies

w Bro W.G. Withers Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies

w Bro J.W Tritton Assistant Grand Sword Bearer

w Bro J.H. Wood Assistant Grand Sword Bearer

w Bro N.H. Matthews Assistant Grand Superintendent of Works

w Bro R.C. Bruc e Assista nt Grand Superin tendent of Works

w Bro A. Clark Grand Organis t

w Bro S.D. Miller Grand Standard Bearer

w Bro T. New man Grand Standard Bearer

w Bro J.H. Martin Assistant Grand Standard Bearer

w Bro J. Partridge Assistant Grand Standard Bearer

w Bro N.S . Springer Assistant Grand Standard Bearer

w Bro R.N. Howarth Deputy Grand Organist

w Bro C.G.J. Head Grand Pursuivant

w Bro G.S. Angell Assistant Grand Pursuivant

w Bro R.D. Till Assistant Grand Pursuivant

RW Bro J.S. Winpenny, ProvGM , West Kent Grand Stewardw Bro D.J. Thompson, PAGStB Grand Steward

w Bro S.V. Robbens, PSGD Grand Steward

w Bro M.A. Jackson Grand Steward

RW Bro I.R. Bryce, TD, DL, PDepGM Grand Steward

w Bro D.R. Metcalfe Grand Steward

w Bro R.A. Bates Grand Steward

RW Bro Maj. I.D. Bruce, TD, DL, PProvG M, Norfolk Grand Steward

w Bro N.J. Woods Grand Steward

w Bro M.J.M. Brett-Warburton Grand Steward

w Bro I.J. Yeldham, PAG DC Gran d Steward

w Bro M. Brooks, PAGDC Grand Tyler

A large num ber of Past Gran d Officers, qualified Past Gra nd Stew ards, a nd

the Masters, Past Masters, and Wardens of many private Lodges.


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September 10, 2008] 48 0

VISITORS

GRAND LODGE OF PENNSYLVANIA

RW Bro Stephen Gardner Grand Master

RW Bro Robert J. Bate man Junior Grand Warden

GRAND LODGE OF UTAH

MW Bro Glen A. Cook Grand Maste r

RW Bro John C. Liley, Jr., Junior Grand Warden

RW Bro Blaine H. Simons Representative of UGLE

GRAND LODGE OF GREECE

MW Bro Nico s Vourgidis Grand Maste r

RW Bro George Vassilogeorgis Deputy Grand Master

GRAND LODGE OF RUSSIA

MW Bro Andrey Bogdanov Grand Master

RW Bro Vyacheslav Smirnov Assist ant Grand Maste r

RW Bro Vladimir Nikitin, PSGW Grand Secretary

Grand Lodge was opened in ample form and with solemn prayer at 12 noon.

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES

The Minutes of the Quarterly Communicatio n of 11 June 2008 were taken as

read and confirmed.

REPORT OF THE BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES

On the Motion of the PRESIDEN T OF THE BOA RD OF GENE RAL PURPO SES

(RW BRO A.C. WILSON, PJGW), seconded by the DEPUTY PRESIDENT (RW BRO M.H.

LAWSON, PJG W) the following report of the Board of General Purposes was taken

as read.

To the United Grand Lodge of Antient, Free and Accepted Masons of England

BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES

Meetings in 2009

1. In accordance with the requirements of Rule 225 of the Book of Constitutions,

notice is hereby given of the dates up on which the Boar d of General Purposes will

meet in 2009:

10 February 21 July

17 March 15 September

12 May 10 Novem ber


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481 [September 10, 2008

ATTENDANCE AT LODGES UNDER THE ENGLISH CONSTITUTION

BY BRETHREN FROM OTHER GRAND LODGES

2. The Board consid ers it appro priate to draw attention to Rule 125 (b), Book of

Constitutions, and the list of Grand Lodges recognised by the United Grand Lodge

of England, which is published in the Masonic Year Book, copies of which are sent

to Secretaries of Lodges.

3. Only Brethren who are membe rs of Lodges under recognised jurisdictions

may visit English Lodges. They must produce a certificate (i.e. a Grand Lodge

certificate or other documentary proof of Masonic identity provided by their Grand

Lodge), should be prepared to acknowledge that a personal belief in

T. G. A. O. T. U. is an essential Landmark in Freemasonry, and should be able toproduce evid ence of their good standing in their Lodges. It is the Master 's

responsibility to ensure that the requirements of Rule 125 (b) are met.

4. It is particul arly noted that the hazard of admittin g a member of an

unrecognised constitution arises not only in connection with overseas visitors (or

individuals resident in this country who belong to an unrecognised constitution

overseas). Th ere are Lodges of unrecognise d constitutions meeting in England, and

care must be taken that their members are not admitted to our meetings.

ATTENDANCE AT LODGES OVERSEAS

5. The continu ing growth in overseas travel brings with it an increase in visits by

our Brethren to Lodges of other jurisdictions, and the Board welcomes this trend.

6. From time to time, however, Brethren become involved with Masonic bodies

which Grand Lodge does not recognise, e.g. in visiting a jurisdiction which, quite

legitimately so far as it is concerned, accepts as visitors Brethren from Grand

Lodges which are not recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England. In this

connection, Brethren are reminded that it is part of their duty as members of the

English Constitution not to associate Masonically with mem bers of unrecogn ised

constitutions, and should such a situation occur, they should tactfully withdraw,

even though their visit may have been formally arranged.

7. To avoid this danger, and potential embarrassmen t to hosts, Brethren should

not attempt to make any Masonic contact overseas without having first checked

(preferably in writing) with the Grand Secretary's Office at Freemasons' Hall,

Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ, that there is recognised Freemasonry in

the country concerned and, if so, whether there is any particular point which should

be watched.

8. The Board recomme nds that the terms of this warning should be repeated:

a. verbally in open Lodge whenev er a Grand Lodge Certificate is presen ted,

and

b. in print once a year in a Lodg e's summo ns.


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September 10, 2008] 482

9. Brethren should also be aware of the Masonic convention that

communications between Grand Lodges be conducted by Grand Secretaries. They

should therefore not attempt without permission to make direct contact with the

Grand Secretary of another Constitution. This does not preclude direct contact on a

purely personal level between individual Brethren under different Grand Lodges.

AMALGAMATIONS

10. The Board has received reports that the following Lodges have resolved to

surrender their Warrants:

(a) Finchley Lodge, No. 5031 in order to amalgamate with Arkley Lodge,

No. 7720 (Hertfordshire); and

(b) Waldron Lodge, No . 6919 in order to amalgamate with Justice Lodge,

No. 4763 (Cheshire).

11. The Board accordingly recommend s that the Lodges be removed from the

register in order to effect the respective amalgamations. A Resolution to this effect

appears at item 3 of the Paper of Business.

The Boar d of General Purposes regrets to record the death of the following

Present and Past Grand Officers reported up to 15 July 2007:

RW Bro Col. M. Jones, OBE, TD, DL, PProvGM, Monmouthsire

W Bro P.S. Walker, PS GD

W Bro F. Scott, PJG D

W Bro C. Botoulas, PJG D

W Bro C.J. Allison, PJGD

W Bro W.J. Stark, PAGDC

W Bro L.H.E. Thorn, PAGDC

W Bro D.F. Hill, PAGDC

W Bro G.G.F. Dell, PAGDC

W Bro R.G. Glazebrook, PAGDC

W Bro G.T.J. Lockett, PAGDC

W Bro M. Hollinshead, PAGDC

W Bro S.A. Swinden, PAGDC

W Bro W.D. Pittham, OBE, PAGDC

W Bro T. Marsh, PAGDC

W Bro A.T. Bennett, PAGSuptWksW Bro L . G G Jackson, PGStB

W Bro R. Leigh-Qu ine, PGStB

W Bro A.D.C. Ashley, PGStB

w Bro K.A. Lock, PGStB


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483 [September 10, 2008

ERASURE OF LODGES

12. The Board has received a repor t that fourteen Lodges have closed and have

surrendered their Warrants. The Lodges are:

Streatham Lodge, No. 2729 (London)

Thornton Heath Lodge, No. 2985 (London)

Cordiality Lodge, No. 3982 (East Lancashire)

Temple Lodge, No. 3990 (East Lancashire)

Unison Lodge, No. 4051 (East Lancashire)

Goodwill Lodge, No. 4358 (East Lancashire)

Welfare Lodge, No. 4780 (East Lancashire)

Zodiac Lodge, No. 5207 (East Lancashire)

Querna Corona Lodge, No. 5267 (London)Accrington Lodge, No. 6587 (East Lancashire)

Pro Juventute Lodge, No. 6999 (Middlesex)

Anselm Lodge, No. 7685 (Middlesex)

Grand Porchway Lodge, No. 8428 (Middlesex)

Attenborough Lodge, No. 9109 (Nottinghamshire)

13. Over recent years the Lodges have found themselves no longer viable.

The Board is satisfied that further efforts to save them would be to no avail and

therefore has no alternative but to recommend that they be erased. A Resolution to

this effect appears at item 4 of the Paper of Business.

RECOGNITION OF A FOREIGN GRAND LODGE

The Regular Grand Lodge of the Kingdom of Morocco

14. The Regular Grand Lodge of the Kingdom of Morocco was formed on

15 June 2000 from three Lodges meeting in Morocco under the Grande Loge

Nationale Francaise. Having shown that it is a descendant of a duly recognised

Grand Lodge and that it conforms to the Basic Principles for Grand Lodge

Recognition, the Board, having no reason to believe that it will not maintain a

regular path, recommends that it be recognised.

15. A Resolu tion will be moved accord ingly and appears at item 5 of the Paper of

Business.

CONDITIONAL RECOGNITION OF A FOREIGN GRAND LODGE

Ghana

16. The Grand Lodge of Ireland currently has twenty Lodges meeting under its

Provincial Grand Lo dge of Ghana, two of which meet in Togo. The Grand Lodge

of Scotland has twenty-eight Lodges meeting under its District of Ghana.

17. It is the intention of the Grand Lodges of Ireland and Scotland , following

consultation with this Grand Lodge to constitute from their Province and District

respectively a Grand Lodge of Ghana, on 7 and 8 of December 2008.

18. To date none of the fifty-seven Lodges under our own District of Ghana has

indicated a desire to participate in the formation of this new Grand Lodge, but


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nevertheless the Board of General Purposes has agreed that an English deputation

should accept an invitation to go to Ghana in order to lend support to the Irish and

Scottish Grand Lodges.

19. By the time this Grand Lodg e meets in December, the Grand Lodge of Ghana

will have already been constituted. The Board would prefer that the new Grand

Lodge be recognised from the moment of its creation, rather than after a delay, even

if it is only a matter of days.

20. A Resolution appears at item 6 of the Paper of Business to recomm end that

recognition of the new Grand Lo dge, cond itional upon its being constituted, be

granted prospectively.

REPORT OF LIBRARY AND MUSEUM TRUST

21 . The Board has received a report from the Library and Museum Charitable

Trust which appears as Appendix A.

EXPULSIONS

22. As required by rule 277 (a) (i) (B) and (D), Book of Constitutions, Appendix B

shows Brethren recently expelled from the Craft.

FREEMASONS' HALL, LONDON (Signed) A.C. WILSON

15 July 2008 President

PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES: MW Pro Grand Master and

Brethren, there is a small typographical error in the Board's Report, and also in the

Resolution at item 4 in the printed Paper of Business. The list of Lodges for erasureshows Goodwill Lodge as No. 4351. The number should in fact be 4358.

Apart from this I believe that the Board's Report speaks for itself and needs

no further explanation from me. Nevertheless, Appendix A contains an extract from

the Annual Report of the Council of the Library and Museum Charitable Trust.

Over the years since its creation much has been done to improve the Museum,

displays and exhibitions and the access to the Library, and I would like, on your

behalf, to extend our thanks to the Director, Diane Clements, and her staff for their

hard work, enthusiasm and achievements in this area.

I would also like to mention that the programme of major works to the

building continues. As you have seen we are now embarking on the replacement of

the fire escapes. The majority of the work will be in the courtyards, but there will

be some structural work within the building itself to increase the number of accessareas to the fire escapes. I am told that apart from the occasional distant noise of

hammering during the daytime there should be no interruption to meetings at

Freemasons' Hall. It is anticipated that the work will be completed by next March.

Finally, Appendix B to the Paper of Business lists Brethren w ho wer e recently

expelled from the Craft, and I now ask the Grand Secretary to report the offences

for which they were expelled.


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THE GRAND SECRETARY (VW BRO C.N.R. BROWN) announced the reasons for

the expulsions.

PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES: MW Pro Grand Master and

Brethren, I move that the Report of the Board of General Purpo ses be adopted and

entered in the Minutes.

The Motion was seconded by the DEPUTY PRESIDENT and was agreed to.

MW PRO GRAND MASTER: Brethren, the Board's Report lists the names of

those Grand Officers whose deaths were reported up to 15 July. I am sorry to have

to report, in addition, the death on the 12 August of RW Bro Sir Kenneth Newton,

Bt, OBE, TD, Past Senior Grand Warden, a valued member of the Board of GeneralPurposes for over thirty years, and its President for six years. I now call on you to

stand in memo ry of those depar ted Grand Officers and other memb ers of Grand

Lodge.

The Brethren stood in silence.

RESOLUTION FOR THE GRAND LODGE

AMALGAMATIONS

TH E PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES moved the removal from

the register of the Grand Lodge of the following Lodges:

Finchley Lodge, No. 5031 (London); and Waldron Lodge, No. 6919(Cheshire).



ERASURE OF LODGES

THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES moved the erasure from

the register of the Grand Lodge of the following Lodges:

Streatham Lodge, No. 2729 (London); Thornton Heath Lodge,

No. 2985 (London); Cordiality Lodge, No. 3982 (East Lancashire); Temple Lodge,

No. 3990 (East Lancashire); Unison Lodge, No. 4051 (East Lancashire); Goodwill

Lodge, No. 4358 (East Lancashire); Welfare Lodge, No. 4780 (East Lancashire);Zodiac Lodge, No. 5207 (East Lancashire); Querna Corona Lodge, No. 5267

(London); Accrington Lodge, No. 6587 (East Lancashire); Pro Juventute Lodge,

No. 6999 (Middlesex); Anselm Lodge, No. 7685 (Middlesex); Grand Porchway

Lodge, No. 8428 (Middlesex); and Attenborough Lodge, No. 9109

(Nottinghamshire).



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RECOGNITION OF A FOREIGN GRAND LODGE

On the Motion of the GRAND CHANCELLOR, seconded by the PRESIDENT OF THE

BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES, the following Resolution was adopted:

"That the Regular Grand Lodge of the Kingdom of Morocco be recognised."


CONDITIONAL RECOGNITION OF A FOREIGN GRAND LODGE

On the Motion of the GRAND CHANCELLOR, seconded by the PRESIDENT OF THE

BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES, the following Resolution was adopted:

"That subject to the constitution on or after 1 December 2008 by the Grand

Lodges of Ireland and Scotland of a Grand Lodge of Ghana the said Grand Lodge

be recognised immediately upon its constitution."

MW PRO GRAND MASTER: Brethren, we are now to receive a talk to mark the

75th anniversary of Freemasons' Hall, and I call on VW Bro J.M. Hamill, PGSwdB,

to address this Grand Lodge.

A FITTING MEMORIAL

VW BRO J.M. HAMILL, PGSwdB: MW Pro Grand Master and Brethren, on the

18 July 1933 some 6,299 Brethren gathered at the Royal Albert Hall for an especial

Grand Lodge meeting. The MW The Grand Master, HRH The Duke of Connaught,

a younger son of Queen Victoria, presided, accompanied by no less than four Royal

Princes: HRH The Prince of Wales (later The Duke of Windsor), HRH The Duke of

York (later King George VI), HRH Prince Arthur of Connaught (the Grand Master's

son) and the young Prince George, later to be Duke of Kent, our Grand Master and

the father of our present Grand Master. The purpose of the meeting was twofold: to

welcome the forty-three delegations from sister Grand Lodges who had come to

take part in the celebrations for the completion of the present Fre emaso ns' Hall, and

to invest HRH Prince George as Senior Grand Warden.

The following day some 5,353 Brethren filled this Grand Temple and all the

Lodge rooms within this building to again welcome the Grand Master and the

Royal Princes. The Grand Master solemnly dedicated the new Masonic Peace

Memorial, as it was then known, to the service of God and to Freemasonry. To

enable the Brethren not in the Grand Temple to take part in the ceremony, the new

fangled radio was used and links were established between the Grand Temple and

each of the Lodge Room s. At the end of the ceremon y the MW The Grand Master

toured the whole building , stopping in each of the Lodge rooms to greet the

assembled Brethren.


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The two meetings were the highlights of a whole week of celebrations for a

project that had taken some fourteen years to achieve. In June 1919 an especial

Grand Lodge had been held, again at the Albert Hall, to celebrate the coming of

peace after the grea t cataclysm of the First World War, and to take into

consideration how best to commemorate the almost 3,000 Brethren of the English

Constitution who had given their lives in the service of King and Country. The

Duke of Connaught had intended presiding at the meeting but fell victim to the

Spanish flu epidemic then sweeping through Europe. He sent a message, however,

in which he suggested that the most fitting and permanent memorial to the fallen

Brethren would be to build a new home for the "Mother Grand Lodge" in what he

described as "the Metropolis of our Great Empire". The idea was taken up with

alacrity, not least, I suspect, because the Grand Master insisted that the project befunded not by a levy on the members but by voluntary donations.

As is usual, a special Committee was set up to get the project going. The

Masonic Million Memorial Fund was instituted to raise one million pounds, the

projected cost of the building. To raise funds a series of special jewels were

designed. The most famous, still to be seen today, is the Hall Stone jewel and

collarette which was to be presented and w orn in perpetuity by the Masters of those

Lodges which contributed a minimum often guineas per subscribing member to the

fund. The presentation of the jewel s to the Masters of qualifying Lodges was to be

a regular feature of Quart erly Comm unications until the fund was finally closed in

1938.

The first problem the Special Committee had to face was where the new

building would be. Grand Lodge had been gradually acquiring property to the west

of the then Freemasons' Hall, with the intention of extending the existing building

as a memorial to King Edward VII who, as Prince of Wales, had been Grand Master

from 1874 until he succeeded Queen Victoria in 1901. Various groups within Grand

Lodge wanted to take the opportunity of movin g away from Great Queen Street.

Sites on the Adelphi, at Kings Cross, Paddington and Euston and even in the

suburbs were lo oked at. A very emotional debate was h eld in Grand Lodge in 1922

during which it was powerfully argued that we should stay in Great Queen Street

where we had been since 1775 and where sufficient property had been acquired to

fulfil the Grand M aster's w ish of having a suitable and com modiou s building to act

both as the headquarters of English Freemasonry, and the principal meeting place

in London for Lodges and Royal Arch Chapters.

The next step was to consider designs. In 1925 through the Royal Institute ofBritish Architects an international architects' competition was announced, with Sir

Edwyn Lutyen s, not a Freemason, as the Chairman of the assessors. Ov er one

hundred architects from around the world submitted preliminary designs. Of these,

ten were selected to be worked up as plans and scale drawings. The main problem

for the architects had been the irregular shape of the site and the desire to have the

Grand Temple at the centre of the building on an East-West axis. Another problem

was the sheer size and weight of the inten ded structure and the fact that London is


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formed on clay, which even at that time was drying out as the water table dropped.

The winning architects were the partnership of H.V. Ashley and Winton Newman.

Know ing of the problems involved, before begin ning their designs they had

travelled to America to study the construction of skyscrapers in New York and

Chicago. They came up with a design based on a steel frame which would spread

the load and lessen the amount of stone which would be needed to construct a free

standing building. Freem ason s' Hall thus becam e one of the first major steel framed

buildings to be erected in this country.

The 1920s were a period of economic uncertainty, leading to the General

Strike in 1926, and the collapse of the world eco nomy in 1929. After the initial

enthusiasm the fund raising began to flag. Taking the lead from the Masonic

Charities, it was decided in 1925 to have a major festival to boost the funds. On

Saturday 8 August 1925, over 7,200 Brethren joined the Grand Master for lunch at

Olympia in West London. The event still stands in the Guinness Book of Records

as the largest ever sit-down meal held in the British Isles. For the five course lunch

five miles of tables were laid with 50,000 plates, 30,000 glasses, 30,000 knives,

37,000 forks and 15,000 spoons. An army of 1,250 waitresses served the diners

with salmon, lamb cutlets, chicken dressed with tongue and York Ham followed by

strawberries and cream. The courses were accompanied by Amontillado sherry,

sauternes, champagne and brandy, and liqueurs.

At the end of lunch the Grand Master was delighted to announce that

825,000 had been paid into or promised to the Masonic Million Memorial Fund.

That gave the Grand Secretary a problem. He had only a small staff whose time was

fully taken up with administering the Craft and the Royal Arch with no time to take

on the managemen t and huge amoun t of paperwor k involved in the fund raising. He

was authorised to take on five new temporary staff to admini ster the fund. They

were all boys who had recently completed the commercial stream at the Royal

Masonic School for Boys. Temporary does not do justice to their service to Grand

Lodge. They were all kept on when the new building was completed and each of

them served Grand Lodge for forty-nine years and I had the privilege of meeting

them as they were the senior management in the Grand Secretary's office when I

joined the Grand Lod ge Library staff in 1971.

By 1927 the plans had been agreed, the whole site had been acquired, finance

had been assured and work could begin. On 14 July the Royal Albert Hall was again

pressed into use, and an especial Grand Lodge was held to lay the foundation stone

of the new building. By means of an electrical relay as the Grand Master laid themock stone on the stage of the Albert Hall the actual stone was duly laid on the

corner of the building. The event in Great Queen Street was witnessed by the

Masters of the Lodge of Antiquity No. 2 and the Royal Somerset House and

Inverness Lodge No. 4 who then jumped into a waiting taxi and sped to Kensington

Gore to inform the Grand Master that the actual stone had been well and truly laid.


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The business of Grand Lodg e had to continue and Lod ges meetings in the old

Hall had to continue to have a meeting place. The decision was therefore taken to

keep the old Hall going as long as possible. Th e propertie s to the west of the Hall

were demolished and the steel work for the tower, Grand Temple and Wild Street

and Wild Court areas began to rise. By 1931 the west end of the building was

complete and the Grand Secretary's office was moved into what is now Lodge

Room No. 10, Lodges and Chapters began to meet in the new Lodge rooms and

demolition of the old Hall began to enable the east end of the building to rise.

A problem arose over the original Grand Hall designed by Thomas Sandby in

1775. It was on the site of what is now the Balmoral Room in the Connaught Rooms

and it was hoped that it could be incorporated in the new building. In 1883,

however, Sandby's Hall had been severely damaged by fire. Although it was

reconstructed the work hid more than it repaired. When the local authority

surveyors looked at it in 1931 , when the rest of the old Hall was bein g demo lished

around it they stated that it was structurally unsound and that it would have to be

remedied were it to survive. That would have involved huge expense which Grand

Lodge could ill-afford as nothing changes Brethren construction costs were

proving greater than the original estimates. After debate in Grand Lodge it was

agreed that Sandby's Hall which had served Grand Lodge since 1775 had to be

demolished but was kept in use until 1931.

Work went on apace and was completed to enable the great celebrations to

take place in July 1933. The new building was a stunning success as an example of

the latest technology and building practices. It was written up in all the architectural

and building journa ls and was given great coverage in the national and international

pres s. I t was to be know n as the Masonic Pe ace Memor ial, for it is not jus t the

memorial shrine that commemo rates those who died on active service but the whole

building itself is the memorial, something that occasionally gets forgotten. It was

only with the outbreak of the Second World that the building rever ted to being

called Freemasons' Hall, although our rates demand from Camden Council, they

being rather slow, still comes in addressed to the Masonic Peace Memorial, Great

Queen Street.

Although conceived of as a memorial the building did not become a

mausoleum. It has been a very living building and has shown itself capable of

adaptation as times change , despite the restrictions of being a Grade 2* listed

building both inside and out. Over the years various changes have b een made to the

building, expanding the areas available for formal meetings. In the last few yearsthe Hall has been an almost permanent building site, with work going on to remove

asbestos, and the major project to convert storage and filing areas in the lower

ground floor area into modern offices so that the national Masonic Charities could

be co-located in this building and work more closely together. Once other minor

work is completed we look forward to welcoming the Metropolitan Grand Lodge


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September 10, 2008] 49 0

of Lond on's staff and volunteers back into the building. Th e observant among st you

will have noticed scaffolding in the courtyard and some hoardings on the first and

second floors - part of the necessary work to replace the original fire escapes to this

Grand Temple.

In recent years we have been developing non-Masonic activity in the building

to increase revenues. This was thought by some to be a revolutionary idea but, as

so often in Freemasonry, it was a re-inventing of the wheel as the original

Freemasons' Hall built in 1775 had been very much a public as well as a Masonic

building. We are justifiably proud of what has become recognised as a jewel of Art

Deco architecture and design and are delighted to be able to share it with the

community as a whole.

At the dedicat ion of the building on 19 July 1933 the Grand Chaplain , the

Bisho p of Guildford, in his oration said of the building: " It stands in its dignity, its

beauty of proportion, its harmony of mass and line, its warmth and restraint in

colour and lighting, its suggestion of strength and durability, and the aptness of its

planning. It represents the dream of a real architect, made substantial by

experienced builders and craftsmen; all alike giving of their best." He went on to

say: "that which we joyously acclaim today is not the close of a great work, but the

finish of its preface. The volume that is to follow is not yet written but will slowly

develop in the ages to come." Seventy-five years later we can echo what he said.

The opening chapters of the volu me are now comp lete but the story, we ho pe, will

have no ending and this great Masonic Peace Memorial will continue to house our

Craft and be the physical embodiment of those principles and tenets which are

fundamental to our Brotherhood, for generations to come, [loud applause]

MW PRO GRAND MASTER: Brethren, on your behalf I would to thank Bro

Hamill very much for that enlightening and humorous paper on the origins of this

wonderful building, [applause]

PRO GRAND MASTER'S ADDRESS

Brethren, I have had the great privilege of being Pro Grand Master since

March 2001 and before that I was Assistant Grand Mas ter for five years in charge

of London. I have decided that the time has come for me to step down in March and

give someone else the chance to steer the Craft for the next few years.

These past eight years have continued a process of great change for English

Freemasonry, helping it to come through one of the most difficult periods in its

history.

As the Grand Master pointed out recently, we are entering a period of

consolidation, and if we continue to build on the foundations of openness we have

laid for the 21st century there is every chance that we will start to grow again. I

welcome an increase in our numbers as long as we continue to maintain the highest

standards and concentrate on the quality of our candidates.


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491 [September 10, 2008

I am pleased to tell you that the Grand Master has appointed RW Bro Peter

Lowndes, Deputy Grand Master, to succeed me. He will be installed as Pro Grand

Master at the Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge in March. He will be

succeeded as Deputy Grand Master by RW Bro Jonathan Spence, Grand Director

of Ceremonies, and he in turn by W Bro Oliver Lodge, Past Deputy Grand Director

of Ceremonies. I am pleased to say the Assistant Grand Master will be continuing

in office. I shall be presiding at Grand Lodge for the last time in December.

I wish Bro Lowndes every success in his new important role and have every

confidence that the Craft will be in very capable hands. For my part I shall continue

to enjoy my Masonry, albeit at an easier pace and with less direct responsibility.

I look forward to helping in any way I can to ensure the future good healthand happiness of English Freemasonry. It has been an honou r to serve the Craft.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MW Pro Grand Master: Brethren, I h ave to announce that the MW The Grand

Master has made the following appointments:

VW Bro Norman Eric Heaviside, PGSwdB, as Provincial Grand Master for,

and Grand Superintendent in and over, Durham in succession to RW Bro Derek

Richmond, who died on 22 February. Bro Heaviside was installed by me on 4

September;

RW Bro Captain Sir Norman Lloyd-Edwards, KCVO, RD, RNR, PJGW, as

Provincial Grand Master for South Wales, in succession to RW Bro Hywel Davies,who retired on 30 June. Bro Lloyd-Edwards was installed on 24 July;

W Bro Norman James Thompson, PAGDC, to be Provincial Grand Master

for, and Grand Superintendent in and over, Cumberland and Westmorland, in

succession to RW Bro John Hale, who retired on 23 July. Bro Thompson will be

installed on 25 September;

W Bro Harry James Duggan, PSGD, as District Grand Master for South

Africa, Western Division, in succession to RW Bro Peter Duckworth, who retired

on 25 July. Bro Duggan was installed the following day;

W Bro Chief Moses Oghenerume Taiga, PSGD, to be District Grand Master

for, and Grand Superintendent in and over, Nigeria in succession to RW Bro Adediji

Adedoyin, who retired on 31 July. Bro Taiga will be installed on 20 September; and

W Bro Edward Thomas Wibrew, PAGDC, as Grand Inspector of the Malta

Group of Lodges and Chapters, in succession to VW Bro Barrie Parsons, who

retired on 11 March.

In his capacity as First Grand Principal, the MW the Grand Master has

appointed E Comp Anthony Strong, PGSoj, as Grand Superintendent in and over

KwaZulu-Natal, in succession to E Comp Christopher Delderfield, who retired on

18 July. Comp Strong was installed the following day.


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September 10, 2008] 492

WELCOME

MW Pro Grand Master: Finally, Brethren, I would like on your behalf to

welcome some distinguished Brethren from overseas who are with us today.

From the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, the Grand Master, RW Bro Stephen

Gardner; he is accompanied RW Bro Robert J. Bateman, Junior Grand Warden;

from the Grand Lodge of Utah , the Grand Master , MW Bro Glen A. Cook; he

is accompanied by RW Bro John C. Liley, Jr., Junior Grand Warden, and RW Bro

Blaine H. Simons, Past Grand Secretary, who is also our Representative at that

Grand Lodge;

from the Grand Lodge of Greece, the Grand Master, MW Bro NicosVourgidis; he is accompanied by the Deputy Grand Master, RW Bro George

Vassilogeorgis; and

from the Grand Lodge of Russia, the Grand Master, MW Bro Andrey

Bogdanov; he is accompanied by an Assistant Grand Master, RW Bro Vyacheslav

Smirnov, and another Brother.

From our own Constitution we have, from Cyprus, the District Grand Master,

RW Bro Theodosios Theodossiou; he is accompanied by W Bro Andrew

Theocharous, District Junior Grand Warden;

from Hong Kong and the Far East, the District Grand Master, RW Bro David

Fok; he is accompanied by the Deputy District Grand Master, W Bro Paul

Whitmore, PAGDC, and another Brother;

from South America, Northern Division, the District Grand Master, RW Bro

Colin Foster;

from East Africa, RW Bro Sir 'A nd y' Chand e, KBE, OSM, Past District

Grand Master; and

from Nigeria, RW Bro Edward Akindele Leigh, an Assistant District Grand

Master.

I have had no notice of any other distinguished visitors from overseas.

However, I extend on your behalf a very warm welcome to all Brethren who have

travelled a long distance to be with us today.

The Grand Lodge was Closed in ample form and with solemn prayer. At the

close of the proceeding s, the first verse of the National Anthem was sung .

The meeting closed at 12.41 p.m.


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493 [September 10, 2008

LIST OF NEW LODGES FOR WHICH WARRANTS HAVE BEEN GRANTED BY

THE MW THE GRAND MASTER SHOWING THE DATE FROM WHICH

THEIR WARRANTS BECAME EFFECTIVE

DATE OF WARRANT/ LOCATION AREA

No. AND NAME OF LODGE

12 March 2008

9840 Blue Lamp Lodge Chepsto w Monmou thshire

1 May 2008

9842 Gates of Heaven Lodge Sarah and Abrah am London

Lopes Dias Hall

RECORDED ATTENDANCE AT THE GRAND LODGE

Grand Officers (including Present Grand Stewards) 351

Masters, Wardens and Past Masters 240

Visitors 10

Total ...601


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September 10, 2008] 494

APPENDIX A

THE LIBRARY AND MUS EUM OF FREEMA SONRY

The following is an extract from the Annual Report of the Council of the Library

and Museum Charitable Trust for the year ending 31 January 2008.

The major areas of activity for the Library and M useu m are exhibition s and tours,

cataloguing and conservation, acquisitions, the pro vision of resources for research

either by visitors in person or by staff responding to enquiries and raising awareness

of the collections.

Achievements and Performance

EXHIBITIONS AND TOURS

The Library and Museum has maintained its policy of free access and is open from

10am to 5pm Mon day to Friday. Staff prov ide up to five daily, free tours o f the

ceremonial rooms of Freem ason s' Hall with pre-boo ked tours on Saturdays.

The 2007 summer exhibition Tokens of Unwritten Lives - the Folk and Popular Art

of Fraternity was held at Freemasons' Hall, London from 2 July to 28 September

2007. It celebrated the creativity of ordinary people who chose to mark their

membership of local and national groups and societies by the creation and display

of objects signifying that membership . A free exhib ition guide was available to

visitors. The changing series of exhibitions in the Library and Museum itself

included an exhibition about the sheet music collection to mark the completion of

its cataloguing and Squaring the Triangle - Freemasonry and Anti-Slavery, an

exhib ition to mark the 200th Anniversary of the aboli tion of slavery. On display in

this exhibition were some of the documen ts catalogued with grant monies awarded

by the Pilgrim Trust/Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Cataloguing Grants programme

relating to masonic lodges in the West Indies and American colonies (later the

United States) from the eighteenth and nineteenth centu ries. At the end of the year

the exhibition Recognising London marking the centenary of London Grand Rank

was opened by Russell Race, Deputy Metropolitan Grand Master.

CATALOGUING AND CONSERVATION

With funding support from the Supreme Grand Chapter of England, workcommenced on cataloguing the print and photograph collection. Further funds for

this project were also received from the London Grand Rank Association Heritage

and Educational Trust.


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49 5 [September 10, 2008

ACQUISITIONS

The London Grand Rank Association Heritage and Educational Trust also

supported the acquisition of an important miniature painting by Henry Spencer of

William Wix, Provincial Grand Mas ter of Essex, which w as purchased tow ards the

end of the year.

Donations of regalia, books and artefacts have continued to enable the Librar y and

Museum to expand its collections and the Council is grateful for the generosity of

all donors.

PROVISION OF RESEARCH RESOURCES

Increasing use is being made of the Library and Museum as a research resource

with 238 new read ers registered during the year (2006: 193). The issue of books and

documents has continued to increase steadily. Many enquiries are dealt with by mail

or increasingly electronically. Family history is an increasingly popular hobby and

over 2000 such enquiries were an swered during the year. In October the Library and

Museum organised a Family History Study Day for family historians to provide

guidance on the use of Masonic reso urces.

RAISIN G AWARENESS OF THE CO LLEC TION S

Library and Museum staff undertook a programme of lunchtime talks in Spring

2007 which were free and open to all. The response was again positive. Members

of staff also spoke at Masonic Lodges around the country and at meetings of family

history societies and local and specialist history groups. The Curator delivered a

paper to the Decorative Art Medals Society on "Symbolism Made Metal - three

centuries of Masonic Medals" and later a paper at the Social History Curators

Group conference in Leeds, entitled "Where's the Goat? Potential and Pitfalls in

Curating Masonic Collections". (The conference entitled "Too hot to handle?" was

on the theme of controver sial subjects in muse ums and had international

attendance.)

Following the exploratory grant awarded in 2006, the Library and Museum was

awarded a grant of 22,325 by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council in

March 2007 to develop the Subject Specialist Network on Fraternal and Friendly

Societies and Associations. During the year work was completed on visitor surveys

and exhibition development. The project will be completed during 2008. The

Library and Museum also received 2,500 in May 2007 from the London Museums

Hub to assist with publicity for Museums and Galleries Month. The commissioning

of exterior signage, funded with part of this grant, has been of significant longer-

term benefit to the Library and Museum by raising visitor awareness.


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September 10, 2008] 496

The Library and Museum hosted the Annual conference of Archives for London

("AfL") in November 2007.

Financial Review

As at 31 January 2008 the consolidat ed net assets of the Library and Museum

Charitable Trust were 2,819,927 (2007: 2,536,839).

The activities of the Library and Mus eum are funded by donation s, fees charged for

genea logica l research and bookin g fees for Saturday tours. The Friends of the

Library and Museum established in 2001 enables individuals (whether Freemasons

or not), Lod ges and Chapters to support the Library and Museum by w ay of an

annual subscription. Friends receive regular Newsletters and can attend special

events. The Friends scheme is open to all those interested in developing their

understan ding of the varied collections of the Library and Mus eum and wh o wish

to contribute to their development and care.

The Library and Museum's trading subsidiary, Letchworth's (Freemasons' Hall,

London) Limited ("Letchworths"), made a Gift Aid contribution to the Library and

Museum of 52,000 (2007: 60,000).

Plans for Future Periods

Plans are already in hand for the exhibition programme during the year which

include two exhibitions: Women and Freemasonry and Square Meals: Three

Centuries of Masonic Dining.

Copies of the full Report and Accounts are available upon written application from

the Director of the Library and Museum.


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497 [September 10, 2008

APPENDIXB

EXPULSIONS FROM THE CRAFT

The following list shows Brethren expelled from the Craft on 2 June 2008

with the Lodges (Chapters) of which once a member.

Name

Peter Jon Foster

Timothy Neville Hill

David Mark McDonnell

Gary James Norman

Alan Michael Price

Robert William Price

Lodges

(Chapters)

L516

LI 799

L4569

L7006L8899

L9266

L9584

L9755

LI 244

L6249

L2825

L7514

L8614

(C2420)

L469


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499 [September 10, 2008

examined the poten tial usefulness of BOL D fMRI to map cerebral blood flow and

measure the cerebrovascular reserve.

The key finding from this project has been the successful development and

implementation of a novel and new advanced MRI scanning technique for patients

of carotid artery disease, which is currently being used for clinical assessment of

patients on a research basis.

Mr Adnan Sheikh

Cross-talk between pancreatic cancer cells and stromal monocytes (General)

Division of Surgery and Oncology, School of Cancer Studies, University of

Liverpool

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with a more often than not fatal

outcome. Owing to its very aggressive nature and potential to spread rapidly it is

often at a very advanced stage by the time it presents symptoms to the patients, at

which time the cancer is often inoperable. This accounts for less than 20% of

patients being able to receive a curative operation.

High levels of monocytes (a type of white blood cell) bearing two proteins

S100A8 and S100A9 have been discovered within pancreatic tumour stroma

surrounding the cancer cells. Cancer cells may be regulating the productio n of these

proteins in the white blood cell by a process described as 'Molecular Cross-Talk':

a means by which cells communicate with each other. The aim of this research hasbeen to unrave l the mech anis ms behind this interaction, and study the role of these

proteins in pancreatic cancer spread and invasiveness.

Key Findings:

1. Pancreatic cancer stroma (the surrounding supporting cells) contain varying

number of white blood cells called monocytes.

2. The presen ce of monoc ytes varies from tumou r to rumour, and their

expression of S100A8 and S100A9.

3. Pancreatic cancer cells enhance the expression of S100A 8 and S100A9

indicating a potential 'Cross-Talk' channel between the cancer and its surrounding

cells.

4. Both prot eins were seen to significantly increase the motility and growth rate

of the cancer cells, highli ghting their role in contr ibutin g to the invasive potential

of this disease.


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September 10, 2008] 500

Mr Matthew Tait

Role of the water channel AQP4 in Spinal Cord Injury

Academic Neurosurgery Unit, St George's University of London

Spinal cord injury is a devastating condition that affects mostly young

patients. At present there are no treatments to improve neurological outcome after

injury. The aim of the study is to investigate the role o f a protein called AQP4 in

spinal cord injury. The aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of water pores found on the

surface of cells throughout the body. At least ten aquaporins have been identified in

mammals. AQP4 is the predominant AQP in the central nervous system, where it is

primarily found at the borders between the cerebrospinal fluid and major fluidcompartments. It is generally accepted that AQP4 is vital to the control of water

content of the brain and spinal cord.

Outcomes after spinal cord injury in normal mice vs. mice that are genetically

engineered to lack the AQP4 protein have been compared. From preliminary

experiments, a markedly improved outcome in the AQP4-null mice was predicted.

The research may demonstrate potential novel treatment options, using AQP4

inhibitors, to improve outcome for extremely disabling diseases.

Key Finding:

1. The different responses of the mice give vital information about the role of

AQP4 in the disease being studied. Recovery following cord injury was shown tobe significantly improved in the mice which lack AQP4.

The grant from the Fund to the College in 2007 amounted to 145,500, which

brought the total amount granted by the Fund to the College since the inception of

the Fund to 3,514,808.

The grant approved by the Trustees for 2008 is 145,500.

The Patron of the Fund is MW Bro HRH The Duke of Kent, KG, Grand

Master, and the Trustees of the Fund are: RW Bro Gavin Purser, PSGW,

(Chairman); RW Bro the Rt. Hon. the Earl Cadogan, DL, PDepGM; RW Bro

Anthony Wilson, PJGW, President of the Board of General Purposes; VW Bro

Anthony West, PGSwdB; VW Bro Jonathan Spence, GDC; W Bro Bernard Ribeiro,

FRCS, CBE, PSGD, and W Bro David Rosin, FRCS, PSGD.

The Secretary to the Trustees is W Bro Richard Bate, PSGD.

qc minutes sep 2008

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