The Corinthian Lodge No. 1208

1918 - 1939

The Lodge mentioned the 1920 Festival in its minutes for the first time in December 1917. Our Provincial Grand Master was to preside over this festival for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution, and he asked for our support, with gratifying results. The Lodge also supported another fund at this time on behalf of those brethren whom Germany had interned.

The only reference to our Jubilee is in a letter from Worshipful Brother Smeeth apologising for his absence from that meeting. The war was at its height, which may be the reason. The Deputy Provincial Grand Master, Worshipful Brother John White, visited the Lodge in 1919 and 1921; we always welcomed him.

The brethren made an interesting use of the working tools when H.R.H Prince Arthur of Connaught laid the foundation stone of the Dover Patrol Memorial at St. Margaret's Bay. He used our level in the Ceremony, and the Lodge subsequently engraved a note to that effect on the level.

In April 1920, the Grand Master appealed for the Masonic Million Memorial Fund to provide a central home for Freemasonry and to commemorate the many Masons who had given their lives during the war. London led the response, and enthusiasm gradually grew in the Provinces. This effort resulted in our magnificent premises in Great Queen Street. To celebrate the return of peace, Grand Lodge held a special meeting on Friday, 27th June 1920, at the Royal Albert Hall.

The value of money was declining, and in 1920 we had to raise our initiation fee from 7 to 9 guineas. So far as one can see, this did not affect the flow of candidates. Emergency meetings were still frequent.

Modesty almost prevents us from mentioning the Lodge's unfailing charitable attitude, particularly towards widows and fatherless children. The Lodge never turned down a deserving case, and our minutes frequently record the recipients' gratitude. At the instigation of Worshipful Brother Sydney Ernest Board, the brethren formed a Life Subscribing Society in connection with the Lodge of Instruction in March 1922. This society was to enable members to obtain life votes in the Masonic Institutions. Later, in 1924, members formed a benevolent association in connection with the Lodge, the Chapter, and the Lodge of Instruction.

The years following World War I saw much masonic activity. Our Lodge held an irresistible attraction for schoolmasters, many of whom have occupied the Chair. The names of Everett, Whitehouse, Cooke, Burgess, Morrell, Twyman, Horrex and later Baxter, Langley, Wellden, Francis, Monks, Kendall and Brooshooft spring to mind.

Appeals for money were many. We supported the Million Memorial Appeal and promised to become a founding lodge of the projected Masonic Hospital. We also supported the Lord Mayor's relief fund for the disaster in Japan and made a generous donation to the Dover War Memorial Fund. We even sent a contribution to the Restoration Fund of St. Paul's Cathedral.

In 1925, Worshipful Brother Edward Mowll Worsfold resigned his office of Charity Representative after 12 years of service. The Lodge thanked him and succeeded him with Worshipful Brother Herbert Richard Geddes. Worshipful Brother Smeeth was ill this year, and at the Installation meeting, the Lodge sent him a message of remembrance congratulating him on the 57th anniversary of his initiation.