Brilliant - A home away from home

Freemasonry - A home away from home

A home away - Visiting other lodges has always been a key element of Freemasonry, especially for military Brethren who are often stationed far away from home. We know that military Brethren would often form their own lodges in prisoner-of-war camps; and during the Seven Years’ War (1756-63) and Napoleonic Wars there are records of French prisoners-of-war being welcomed as visitors to English Lodges.

The minutes for the meeting of the Lodge of Economy No.76, at Winchester in November 1810, record that they welcomed as visitors nine French officers and three French merchants, all of them prisoners-of-war on their way to Portsmouth to take ship to a prison in Scotland.

The Whittington Lodge No.862, who meet in Great Queen Street, is an excellent example of the warm welcome and assistance that lodges have always given to visiting servicemen. During the 2nd World War they entertained military Brethren from Canada, India, USA, China, the Netherlands, Norway, and Czechoslovakia.

The lodge also Initiated, Passed and Raised candidates for some Canadian and American lodges; the first was a Sergeant in the Royal Canadian Air Force who they Initiated in 1943. After the war the lodge went on to establish fraternal links with over fifty lodges, most of them overseas. In 1962 their Lodge Secretary ‘Reg’ Easton received the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry for his services to International Masonic relations. Brother Easton was the first Brother who was not a Past Master to receive an OSM.

WHITTINGTON LODGE
(Original Sources: The Whittington and Lodge of Economy Lodge Histories)

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