Incredible June 24 meeting

June 24 Meeting - A thoroughly enjoyable time was had by all who attended the West Kent Military Lodge meeting and our thanks go to all the Brethren for their continued support.

The June 24 meeting Salient Points:

The June 24 meeting was ‘Tyled’ shortly after 1730hrs with around 60 Brethren in attendance (attendance numbers being restricted due to the ceremony taking place). Of those in attendance there were; 1 x Entered Apprentice, 2 x Fellowcrafts, 6 x Master Masons, 2 x Ruling Masters & a host of Past Masters, so approx. 20% of those attending were light blues. There were also 3 Invicta Awards holders present and 6 Provinces represented viz., West Kent, East Kent, London, Sussex, Surrey and Cambridgeshire.

The June 24 meeting started with the current Master W Bro Daniel Unthank introducing a number of the visitors to the Brethren. Daniel then formally welcomed V W Bro Ian Gallehawk, Deputy Provincial Grand Master of West Kent.

Lodge business included balloting for 3 joining members, all of which were ex-service personnel; 1 x ex-Parachute Regiment, 1 x ex-Queenman & 1 x ex-Royal signals. All ballots proved successful and the 3 joining members were welcomed into the Lodge by the Master Daniel Unthank and issued with a set of Lodge By-Laws.

2 additional joining members; 1 x ex-Royal Engineer and 1 x Parachute Regiment recruit, who were due to be issued their Master Mason certificates, were acknowledged and will be welcomed into the Lodge by the Master at the next meeting.

3 further joining members details were read out along with 2 candidates for initiation. The joining members will be balloted for in October. It is hoped that the candidates for initiation will be initiated into the Lodge in October or at the January 2025 meeting (as suits the candidates).

We are extremely fortunate to have quite a number of further interested candidates (approx. 14) that have all expressed an interest in joining our ranks in either 2024 or 2025 and we look forward to them joining us. Of these numbers 4 are potential initiates, more details to follow.

The main event of the June 24 meeting was an initiation, which was conducted by the Master and the Lodge Officers with military precision, finesse and decorum.

V W Bro Ian Gallehawk then presented a Long Service Citation to W Bro Derek Hunnisett for his outstanding service to Freemasonry of 50 years. The presentation of the citation was well received by the Brethren in attendance and Derek received a standing ovation.

The Brethren then retired to the Mess Hall to enjoy an informal bbq/hog roast, a number of display tables had been erected, which included; weaponry, Lodge History and various military conflicts such as the Falklands War, Iraq and Afghanistan.

A second ‘special’ Raffle was held for a commemorative bottle of D-Day Limited Edition Special Reserve Port No.66 out of a limited edition of 80 (No.66 representing the 6th day of the 6th month, D-Day), both raffles were extremely successful raising a total of £735.

This June 24 meeting post has been created by the West Kent Military lodge for information. If you would like to now more about the Lodge contact us here