Address by the MW The Pro Grand Master The Most Hon. the Marquess of Northampton, DL at the Quarterly Communication of the United Grand Lodge of England on 8 March 2006

Brethren, I would like to say something about the proposal to create ‘The Rulers’ Forum’ and why I believe such a body will have an important role to play in the future.  When the old Board of General Purposes was transformed into the new much smaller one, it was thought advisable to create a General Council, under the Chairmanship of the President of the Board, to retain that wealth of knowledge and experience which the former members had acquired over many years of service.  It did not succeed for a variety of reasons and is now a standing committee which has not met for some years.  The Associated Masonic Provinces is a much older body and although it has performed some useful functions for the Craft and has come up with many innovative ideas, it has struggled to be heard.  The Rulers’ Forum would in effect unite both the General Council and the Associated Masonic Provinces under the Chairmanship of the Grand Master.  Although it will have no powers, as such, it can not fail to have considerable influence comprising as it will the High Rulers, the President and Deputy President of the Board and the President of the Committee.  Of the remaining members two thirds will be elected to represent the Provinces and London while one third will be appointed by the Grand Master.  Its role will be to debate some of the issues facing us at this time, and to encourage brethren with good ideas to air them in a spirit of fraternal co-operation.  I am excited by the creation of such a representative body and hope its members will be enthusiastic and forward thinking with the best interests of the Craft at heart.

In fact, brethren, visiting lodges in London, our Provinces and Districts over the past year I have begun to sense a new optimism among our members and this is reinforced by the figures on page three of the paper of business.  We are continuing to lose members overall and lodges will go on closing when their numbers make them untenable, but the number of Grand Lodge certificates we issue each year appears to be holding up.  If we average out the drop in the number of initiates since the millennium it is less than 1% a year.  This surely means our efforts must be concentrated on retaining them and to do that we must educate them into the meaning and relevance of masonry in the 21st Century.

Brethren, as you will have read in the report of our last meeting, the Prestonian Lecture is entitled “The Victoria Cross – Freemasons’ Band of Brothers” and will be given by W Bro G S Angell.  I would like also to commend to you the exhibition currently on view in the Library and Museum to mark the 150th anniversary of the institution of the Victoria Cross in 1856.  The criterion for the reward is simple – conspicuous valour in the presence of the enemy – but its winners have been drawn from all sections of the armed forces, including some civilians under military command, and from all walks of life.  This exhibition is a tribute to those holders of the Victoria Cross who were also Freemasons and includes some of their stories.  They amount to over 10% of all the awards ever won which is a remarkable figure and one of which we can feel justifiably proud.