Freemasons from each of Lincolnshire’s 75 Lodges gathered to witness the Consecration of its 76th – the Armed Forces Lodge of Lincolnshire.
Its first ruler, Bob Chalklin, a former RAF Regiment member, has promised it’ll be a place of friendship and welcome – but with a sprinkling of good-natured banter as befits a Lodge which will draw its membership primarily from serving and former Armed Forces members.
After the Consecration at Grimsby’s Masonic Centre, led by Provincial Ruler Dave Wheeler, Bob said he felt relieved it had gone well. The run-up to the creation of this Lodge had been just the same as the day of the Consecration itself, succeeding through the combined efforts of many people, to whom he was effusive in his thanks. Those thanks included a special mention for Peter Hegarty, APGM for the Province of East Lancashire, who had assisted by providing equipment worth about £3,500 – all of which will retain references to the Lodges it came from.
The new Lodge will be peripatetic, meeting around the Province of Lincolnshire, though its nominal base will be Sleaford, home of Daedelus, its Mother Lodge.
At the festive board, the Provincial ruler Dave Wheeler presented the Lodge with a framed reminder of the basis for its existence, with crests from the Navy, Army, and Air Force – though he pointed out that the framer had put them in the wrong order, and had to rearrange them before the presentation could be made. He said he thought it was important that the Lodge had something to display at its meetings.
Dave Wheeler said:
“The Armed Forces Lodge of Lincolnshire is part of the county’s long association with the Armed Forces, and it is fitting that we, as Freemasons and members of one of the oldest fraternal bodies in the world, should help sustain that tradition. The oration by our Provincial Chaplain Brian Roberts during the Consecration told an important story, which is deserving of our thanks.”
Provincial Chaplain Brian Roberts said:
“Servicemen have found that our values of integrity, friendship, respect, and charity are a natural fit with their values, and many ex-servicemen have commented that the camaraderie they find in a Lodge is similar to that they experienced whilst serving. Indeed, the Core Values in each of the Services, in many ways, replicate our values as Freemasons. Our charities and individual Lodges have a long history of supporting the armed forces.”
