Distinguished Brethren

Over the years many distinguished Brethren have made Beauchamp Lodge their Masonic home; men who were not only eminent in Freemasonry, but also served their countries with great distinction. Let‘s briefly look at just three of them.

Lt. Colonel Clayton Beauchamp

Lt. Colonel Clayton Beauchamp, after whom the lodge is named, was born in India in 1842. He trained at the Addiscombe Military College in Surrey; and in 1865 as a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers he returned to India to be the District Engineer for Gurruckpore, where he was involved with relief projects during the terrible Orissa Famine of 1866. In 1870 he joined the staff at the Roorkee Engineering College, and rose to become Personal Assistant to its Chief Engineer. In 1881 he briefly returned to England, before being promoted to Major and returning to India to work with the Railways Board.

Beauchamp was a well-known figure in India; he wrote articles for the ‘Pioneer’ a leading Indian newspaper, which did sometimes bring him into conflict with his superior officers. His friends and colleagues described him as a ‘most genial companion’; a story told about him said that he had ‘pointing hand’ signs painted on the walls of his bungalow in Roorkee to guide him to bed if he came home late after one drink too many!

Beauchamp was Initiated into Freemasonry in 1870 at the Lodge of Hope in Meerut. An enthusiastic Freemason he was instrumental in founding the Beauchamp Lodge, but was unable to be its primus Master as he was not a Past Master. Beauchamp’s military duties would move him around India; and in January 1877 he made his last visit to the Beauchamp Lodge, when he was celebrated as its founder.

Beauchamp finally left India in 1884, and was stationed at Chatham on his retirement in 1886 with the honorary rank of Lt. Colonel. In March 1889 he died in poverty at Hastings when only 46 years old; sadly as he lay dying a letter seeking assistance for him was being read out in the Beauchamp Lodge at Roorkee.

Captain Frederick Barter VC MC

Captain Frederick Barter VC MC was born in Cardiff in 1891, and after leaving school he worked as a gas fitter. When the 1st World War broke out he was initially rejected by the army due to his slight build; but he persisted and by 1915 was serving in France as a Company Sergeant-Major with the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

In May 1915 at the Battle of Festubert he won a Victoria Cross for ‘most conspicuous bravery and marked ability’. His company had already advanced in to the German lines when Barter gathered together eight volunteers, and with them attacked the adjoining German positions with hand grenades. They captured a further 500 yards of the German line, taking three German officers and 102 men prisoner. Barter then went on to find and cut the leads to 11 landmines that the Germans had laid in an attempt to halt the British advance.

In 1917 he was seconded as a 2nd Lieutenant to the Gurkha Rifles; and in April 1918 whilst serving with them in Palestine he won a Military Cross at El Kefr. When ordered to attack Barter led his two platoons up a steep hill in order to turn the enemy’s flank; then placing one platoon to cover the enemy’s line of retreat, he led an attack with the other platoon, killing or capturing nearly the whole Turkish garrison.

In 1918 Barter transferred to the Indian Army; and in March 1922 whilst at Roorkee he was Initiated into the Beauchamp Lodge. Sadly his Masonic career with the lodge was cut short, as in September that year he was retired back to England with the rank of Captain. He went to work for a company that built London buses; but his military career was not quite over as during the 2nd World War he served as a Major in the Home Guard. He died in 1952; his nephew would remember him as ‘quite a lad’ but a ‘quiet gentleman’.

Lt. General Sir Harold Williams KBE CB

Lt. General Sir Harold Williams KBE CB was a very distinguished army officer, a respected engineer, and an eminent Freemason; yet he still found time to help start a children’s charity, climb mountains, and write a book about bird-watching in India!

Born in Ireland in 1897 he joined the army when he was 18. In 1936 he was appointed to the staff at the Roorkee Engineering College, where in 1945 he was made Commandant of the School of Military Engineering. After Indian independence he would remain in the Indian Army as its Engineer in Chief; and he put his many skills to good use surveying and constructing new access roads into the Himalayas, an area he frequently visited to climb and birdwatch.

Bro. Williams gave a lifetime of service to Freemasonry in India. A Past Grand Warden of Grand Lodge, and a Past Deputy Grand Master of Bengal; he helped prepare the way for creating the Grand Lodge of India, and was President of its first Board of General Purposes. He first visited the Beauchamp Lodge in 1921, and joined it that same year; he was Master of the lodge twice, and was instrumental in its move to Calcutta.

Harold Williams was described as a great character, very likeable, with a stature and calm bearing that commanded attention. He died in 1971 and was buried at Roorkee with full military honours, in sight of his beloved Himalayan Mountains.

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