Calcutta & Wilmington

Indian independence was now imminent, the British Army presence in India was winding down, and the political situation was very volatile. This unrest was reflected within the lodge, with increasing friction between elements of the diminishing British membership and the Indian members; and in 1947 these tensions would come to the fore in an acrimonious dispute over the choice of a Master Elect.

The Senior Warden, a native Indian, was a worthy candidate and the lodge committee supported him, but some members wanted a Past Master to contest his election; eventually a Past Master did put his name forward and he was elected. The Indian members were very upset; they felt that the vote had been swung by some younger members, who knew little about Masonic custom or of the contribution made to the lodge by its Indian members. Despite this the new Masonic year started well with applications from eleven joining members and Initiates, mostly native Indians; but much of the Indian members’ good will had been lost, and the lodge was generally not in a healthy condition.

It was around this time that the idea was mooted of moving the lodge to England; with a proposal being made that due to the difficulties of ‘the present changing conditions’ the lodge should move to Gillingham in Kent. The lodge committee felt it unlikely that this motion would be passed; so they put forward an alternative motion that basically just deferred making any decisions about a move, and this was passed.

However, dissension about the lodge’s future path continued, and meeting attendances remained very low. In October 1950 the District Grand Secretary came to see the situation for himself; he felt that the lodge should move to the army base at Fort William in Calcutta, where the Indian Army officers would hopefully support it. Three months later a proposal to move the lodge to Calcutta would be unanimously approved by the lodge.

The Beauchamp Lodge first met in Fort William on the 7th July 1951. This was where in 1730 India’s first lodge had met; but no lodge had met there for some years, so before the Beauchamp Lodge opened a consecration prayer was read. At the meeting a paper entitled ‘The Apron & the Sword’ was read, two Brethren became joining members, and the Deputy District Grand Master wished the lodge every success in its new home.

The lodge would meet at Fort William for over 20 years, receiving its centenary warrant there in 1972. However, it was then again suggested that the lodge should move to Kent; and in 1973 the lodge came here to Wilmington. At first it met by special dispensation, but in January 1975 the lodge officially joined the newly formed Province of West Kent.

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