The Corinthian Lodge No. 1208

The First World War Years

WW1 Years

Image of Fred Whithouse — Bro. Fred Whitehouse
Worshipful Master 1914

In February 1914, the Lodge installed Brother Fred Whitehouse as Master. The Right Worshipful the Provincial Grand Master, Worshipful Brother Fiennes Stanley Wykeham Cornwallis, and the Provincial Grand Treasurer honored the occasion with their presence. The brethren duly carried out the customary ceremony for receiving and saluting our distinguished visitors.

Image of FSW Cornwallis — Worshipful Bro.
Fiennes Stanley
Wykeham Cornwallis

That same year, the Lodge mourned the loss of Worshipful Brother William Wood Burkett, who had rendered many valuable services to the Lodge during his 31 years of membership.

Image of W W Burkett — Worshipful Bro.
William Wood Burkett

A cursory glance through the Lodge minutes for the years 1914-1918 would incline one to say that we carried on as usual. We did continue to initiate, pass, and raise candidates, but we also accomplished much more.

Numerous local, provincial, and national appeals for funds arose, and it is pleasing to record our ready response in all cases. The amounts may seem small today, but we had not yet experienced serious inflation.

In 1914, the Masonic community proposed establishing a Masonic Nursing Home with Grand Lodge's approval. The brethren eagerly accepted this proposal, which led to our Fulham Road Nursing Home, soon to give place to the Royal Masonic Hospital.

In April 1915, Grand Lodge notified the brethren of amendments to the Book of Constitutions. These amendments provided that no Lodge should exclude a brother on active service because his subscriptions were in arrears.

The following year, Worshipful Brother Edward Wilfred Barclay left Dover. The Lodge decided to mark their appreciation of his service, particularly his contribution to music.

Meetings often ran very late, with 8 to 10.30 pm being common. Suppers were rare, though the brethren occasionally 'Called Off' the Lodge for refreshment. We did not grow appreciably during the war years, and the minutes mention resignations at many meetings.

Our Roll of Honour names four of our members: Brothers Joseph Bertie Friend (Jnr), Stephen Thomas Godden, Edward Kelsey Richards, and Arthur Oswald Sherren. The minutes also record that the Lodge passed resolutions of sympathy for the parents whose sons made the supreme sacrifice.

The Brethren who occupied the Chair during the war years were successively Worshipful Brothers Fred Whitehouse, Philip Theodore Hart, Arthur James Worsfold, William John Peppin, and Charles Wilson. It is interesting to report that in spite of many wartime appeals, we were able to send ten guineas to our local hospital. A communication from Grand Lodge declared it necessary that Brethren of German, Austrian, Hungarian, or Turkish birth should refrain from attending Lodge for the war's duration. This was wise, perhaps, but rather sad.