My journey through Freemasonry – W Bro David Stevens PProvJGW
WBro David Stevens suggested for our September 2022 meeting he could talk about his journey through Freemasonry which would provide “a gentle return into the new season where everyone would be able to listen to the ramblings of an old man”. This escalated a little with a private visit by the area APGM WBro Mark Davis accompanied by the District Chairmen and visitors from the Manchester Level Club and members of the Young & New Masons Social.
Brethren, I started my journey in freemasonry nearly 50 years ago in 1977. One of my caving friends had joined freemasonry and thought it would suit me. The next thing two gentlemen came to the boat (I lived on a houseboat in Weybridge, Surrey) to interview me! Then I was invited to an interview with the lodge committee at Great Queen Street in London (Portcullis Lodge No 6085). Very impressed with the building and rooms I had to wait in a lounge with leather chesterfields and big portraits of famous Freemasons, very much like a gentleman’s club! I knew little about freemasonry except they gave a lot of money to charity but did it privately, this appealed to me as I see charitable giving a very personal matter and if I give to an individual/charity I see this just between them and me. Unfortunately, this attitude worked against freemasonry in general as if asked did we rape vestal virgins we would say no comment; likewise if asked do we give millions to charity we would again say no comment. The media and the general population took this mean we were a secret society.
The day of my initiation (Friday 25th March 1977) the lodge tyled at 3-30 and they then passed a brother and around 4-30 they called off and had a comfort break! They then called back on and initiated me and another brother. This brother and I shared all three ceremonies (I was expecting the chair of King Solomon to be a settee! If you are in London I can recommend a visit to the museum and a guided tour (it’s free and open to anyone - so you can take your wife/partner).
Dining at the Connaught rooms was and is an expensive affair but convenient as the hall and the Connaught rooms are adjoined. Nearly 50 years ago the dining cost was about £20 plus drinks!
Due to work I was moved up to Northwich in Cheshire and I became office based. One of my colleagues was a gentleman I had met many times at sales meetings - Vic Carlisle. An Irish man who hadn’t kissed the Blarney Stone he swallowed it! Vic knew I was a Mason and insisted I visited his lodge in Manchester where he was a deacon and that was my first introduction to the Lodge of Friendship 44. In no time I was being taken throughout the province
by one Lawrence Crosby Titterton (Philip’s father) and for the benefit of the level club , he too wore a bow tie! Lawrence was lovely man but did not understand the word no! “Oh you must come to such and such lodge” and off I would go and all this time Anita would be taken out by Eida, Lawrence’s wife and Philip’s mother. This gave me a great insight into how other lodges work and how they differ from Friendship No 44, yes the story is the same it’s like, if you read a book and then go and see the film the plot’s the same but the words are different! I strongly recommend visiting other lodges. How can you say your lodge is the best if you’ve never visited another lodge? Join the level club who visit different lodges most months (you don’t have to go to them all) and by the way thank you for coming tonight. Y also meet new brethren and make new friends.
Whilst I enjoyed my London masonry, I didn’t really understand it! (A good explanation of this could be that I enjoy the company of ladies but don’t always understand them but then I’m only 78 so there’s still time to learn). Moving to East Lancashire was like watching a film in colour as opposed to black and white! Still I had not really got the message of freemasonry at this stage. Freemasonry is not instant, it takes time for that light bulb moment. I still remained a country member of Portcullis. Back in Friendship the lodge was lucky to have a steady trickle of candidates and I did every floor office covering all three degrees. I have held every office in Friendship 44 apart from Almoner and secretary. It was only after I learned the long version of the second working tools with the bit “for everyone who is placed on the lowest spoke of fortune’s wheel is equally entitled to our regard” that the penny dropped what freemasonry is all about (in my eyes) helping your fellow man. I became more interested in the ritual and this aroused my interest in other orders. I was taken to Stone of Ezel Friendship Chapter 287 by Lawrence, Bill Officer (DC of the lodge and of Stone of Ezel 287) and Barry Nield and it was taken as read I would join. Stone of Ezel is the oldest chapter in the oldest province (Cheshire). I was by now I think senior deacon in Friendship 44, young and knew it all! During third ceremony in craft something dramatic occurs, (as there are fellow crafts and entered apprentices here I cannot go into details!) Suffice to say the storyline continues on from that into royal arch ritual. During my progress in 44 I had learned and delivered the second tracing board and part of the ritual it says “they were formed hollow the better to serve as the archives of freemasonry” this I thought would be the basis of Royal Arch masonry ritual and this would form part of the ceremony, WRONG! In those days the work wasn’t shared as it is now in Royal Arch, but mainly just between the First Principle (WM) and the Principal Sojourner (SD). I just stood there gob-smacked as the two brethren delivered a remarkable lengthy pieces of ritual which is a beautiful story. A point of interest is in Royal Arch the members are referred to companions and not brothers! Companion to me means friend and or someone who accompanies you on the journey and joining Royal Arch is certainly a journey.
Many other masonic orders required you to be a member of royal arch before you qualify to join. Royal Arch is a lot more relaxed than craft as you have already proved yourself and the fees are usually a bit less as you’re already registered with UGLE and the Province my only suggestion would be that if you wish to progress in masonry you join a chapter in the same province as your craft lodge as when it comes provincial honours etc in the craft they look to see if you’re a member of royal arch and if you were in a different province they wouldn’t know!
I eventually got installed into the chair (not a settee) in 1985 by Worshipful Brother James Dunsford Helmsley (Jimmy) who went on to the Provincial Grand Master of East Lancashire the second one from the lodge of Friendship 44 to become PGM of the province the first one being Sir Edward Rhodes (Friendship 44 also provided another of its members to become PGM of Surrey H.B. Longley). I was the first virgin WM for a long time and they had to relearn the installation ceremony. I will always remember being told on the night “you’re now worshipful master and you can do whatever you want, providing the D.C., secretary, treasurer and the lodge committee agree”! I was able to resurrect the ladies evening as previously it had been recycled past masters and the lodge just had a family meal for the members and their wives.
A regular visitor to Lodge of Friendship 44 was Godfrey Somech our then District Chairman and next door but one neighbour to Barry Nield. At this time Manchester had 8 districts later rising to 10! Godfrey must have thought something of me as the year after being IPM I was appointed a Provincial Grand Steward (I did realise at that time what an honour it is to be appointed Provincial Steward). At that time provincial meetings were held twice a year at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool when there were well over 2,500 members in attendance. On the day I had to report around 9 in the morning for a 3 pm start, we had to be trained to all stand at the same time pick up your wand and step forward, simple, I was fine; it was the 17 other stewards who were out of step! We were under the direction of Andrew Sykes who went on to be an APGM for Districts 1 and 3 of Manchester, and Paul Rink who eventually became the PGM of the Province. Part of the duties of a provincial steward was to serve the wine at the meal that followed which sounds easy, but you were given 3 bottles to cover a long table of about 25 brethren, not an easy task with the 25 brethren complaining I gave them just half a glass. I went on to become a joining member of the Provincial Stewards Lodge and the Provincial Officers lodge. Stewards lodge 8408 were responsible for the security at the provincial meeting (at this time the IRA were very active against the higher echelons of England which included many Freemasons) under direction of Worshipful brother Peter Topping (who was involved in searching Saddleworth moors for the bodies of the victims of Brady and Hindley) Peter was a man who took the duty of security very seriously.
We had to inspect all areas of the hall, my area was the wall which included the ladies loo! on examination in the loo I found one of the cubicle door was locked I could see under the door there was a sanitary bin but couldn’t examine it! I reported to Peter, who immediately clambered over the locked door to examine the bin (empty) but the vision of Chief Superintendent Topping climbing over a ladies loo cubicle door will live with me forever!
It was around this time that the Chapter of friendship was struggling and Barry Nield, Lawrence Titterton and myself became joining members. The chapter drew up De Grey and Rippon lodge along with Friendship 44. One of the De Grey and Rippon members was Roy Partridge. A group of companions were to form a new chapter whose interest was to raise money for charity and dine well and they invited me to become a founder of Commemoration Chapter (now known as “The Good Companions of Commemoration Chapter. I was now a member of three chapters.
My love of Royal Arch soon got me appointed as a Provincial Grand Steward in two provinces- Cheshire and East Lancs at the same time. I was in bed one evening just about to drop off to sleep and the phone rings; “Hello is that David? , It’s Jack Price speaking” Jack was then an assistant to the grand superintendent (East Lancs) I immediately leapt to attention with my wife saying ‘who the hell is calling at this time out night?’ I tried explaining who it was and got not exactly words of praise from a sleepy wife! but Jack went on to offer me the position of DORA (none this RADO nonsense) and I immediately said yes! This got me onto the district team. The then district chairman said on my first meeting “I wouldn’t have chosen you!” He also thought only he could visit lodges and if he thought fit would take one of the team and they were definitely not to speak as that was his job! The only time this could be broken was at Friday night meetings as he didn’t go out on a Friday evening. The job then of a DORA was not only to visit and support the chapters in the district but to go to the craft lodges and promote the Royal Arch. If I wasn’t allowed out and not speak how was I to do my job? So I learned the full explanation of the grand certificate 6 pages and roughly 8 minutes long, waited until I saw on lodge summons that a certificate was going to be presented and told the chairman (in front of others) I was going to present it to the brother and then talk about the Royal Arch “have you any objections?” He couldn’t really refuse and that’s how I started my district career. As Manchester lodges were increasing we did get up to 10 districts at one time and I served under more agreeable chairmen like our current lodge secretary Colin Firth, Bill Porter, and Gerry Young as deputy chairman.
Whilst at Commemoration chapter there were a number of companions who were members of a Mark Lodge in Middleton who said if you like Royal Arch you will love Mark and the ritual will suit your sense of humour!!
Barry Nield from 44 and Stone of Ezel definitely said you should join but… you must wait until I’m in the chair, so I waited (wrongly)! The candidate in Mark plays a big active part in the ritual and yes there is humour during the ceremony. As I said earlier in the third ceremony something dramatic happens and the Royal Arch follows on from that but some 500 years later but the Mark it’s the following week! (If you want to know what, join!). You should join both but I’m not telling you in which order (in some constitutions you must be a Mark Mason before you can join the Royal Arch).
The post of DORA is a unique office to East Lancs so there’s a bond between fellow DORA’s to that extent a Chapter was formed just for DORAs and again I was fortunate to be a founder of that chapter!
I was getting around district and Manchester quite a bit when I was invited to represent the district by sitting on the committee of benevolence of what was then the ELBI. Without question this has been my best experience in freemasonry having served on that committee for around 8 years, many of those years being under the direction of the chairman being none other than our current APGM Mark Davis. Being able to help my fellow man was why I became a freemason. I spoke several years later to the current incumbent and I asked him if he was enjoying the position and he said ‘I rarely attend the meetings as it’s just a rubber stamping job!’ I was horrified as it’s far from that. I was often able to persuade the committee to make interim grants. I was once asked to deliver a cheque on behalf of the boys and girls trust to the parents of three girls as a representative of the trust was able to go in the immediate future. The family had recently been moved from a 3 bedroom house to a 5 bedroom house as they now looking after the both sets of grandparents, I could immediately see the that they had try to cover the house with the carpet from the original house with the old carpet being cut up into bits to cover the main bits of the floor! Seeing an obvious need I was able to visit them again in six weeks with a cheque for £8,000 and make them beneficiaries of the ELMBI. At the regular monthly meetings there was Provincial grand almoner of the mark degree, Keith Clayton and regularly while we were discussing a case whether we should send the case onto London (they do have more money than East Lancs) and await their decision or to make an interim grant for the beneficiary to tide them over, Keith would comment saying he had visited the beneficiary bought them a new television and given them a grant as he had his allocated money from the Mark PGM, this reinforced my decision about joining the mark degree.
In 2005 I organised a special event to celebrate the lodge’s 250 birthday. The hall in those days had an assistant manager called Della who, at a price would decorate the room creating a special atmosphere (this could take up to 2 or 3 days to prepare. I had been to one organised by Roy Partridge with the theme of Once in a Blue Moon!
The room was darkened by erecting something like a marquee in the room being lit with low lighting a candelabra and a moon hanging down from the ceiling, truly amazing and atmospheric. Ideal for the lodge 250 birthday. I was the lodge DC at the time so booked and just told the members that a lodge 250th was a once in a blue moon occasion and kept repeating this at every meeting leading up to the evening. I arrived that evening and was not allowed into the room! DC’s are not used to being told what they can and cannot do! As I had ordered it, booked and arranged it I was not a happy chappy ! The staff went and got Hans Reidlesberger who was the general manager of the hall who explained that the room was to be a surprise for everyone, I asked had it been decorated with the blue moon? Only to be told no!….. now definitely far from happy demanded to see it. The room (the one in between the library and the museum) had the marquee dimly lit………..in the library the members and their wives were waiting in anticipation of what was in the room……. I was now a happy chappy. I announced that I had reached for the moon but overshot and gone to the stars…… threw open the doors and hanging down from the ceiling were flying saucers with little Martians looking out and down on us, dry ice at the corners of the room and on the table lots of optic fibre lights, unfortunately I have no photographs of it; everyone was truly gob smacked and it was AMAZING. I have forgotten what the menu was but the whole evening lived up to a lodge 250th and was a once in a blue moon occasion. We do have a 300th coming up in 33 years time so you youngsters had better start thinking!
My proudest moment in freemasonry was not receiving grand honours in the Royal Arch but being Father of the Lodge of Friendship No44 but sad that it’s dead man’s shoes that you fill and Brethren such as Barry Nield, Fred Shore, Charles Peers and Beau Simpson have had to pass on for me to receive this honour. I have been fortunate to have occupied the chair of every order I’ve been in including Royal Ark Mariner, twice in Lodge of Friendship No44 and been D.C. for around 10 years previously.
Brethren I’ve prattled on far too long but it’s the duty of any father to pass on advice and my advice is, visit other lodges, join the Royal Arch and the Mark (but I’m not saying in which order), don’t rush and join every order thereby spreading yourself thinly; think about your family, work and finances. Don’t forget Freemasonry is not instant it takes time but get involved with district, charity, your lodge and attend rehearsals and social events where possible.
To finish I would like to quote Jack Price, “love one another, support one another and God bless you all”
Worshipful Master and Brethren, ‘ thank you’.