STRATFIELD MORTIMER LODGE No. 8239

PROVINCE OF BERKSHIRE

UNITED GRAND LODGE of ENGLAND

LODGE HISTORY SINCE CONSECRATION

The History of Stratfield Mortimer Lodge No 8239.

In the spring of 1967 two Master Masons who were both domiciled in Mortimer had a dream of forming a new Lodge from that area; they were Bro. Frank James of Morland Lodge & Bro. Reg Robinson of Enborne Lodge.

They approached W.Bro. James Bignal. Who was the Prov Grand Director of Ceremonies. He liked the idea and advised them to make contact with more senior brethren.

Frank James approached me on the evening of my Installation as Master of Morland Lodge. About a month later there was a meeting of what was the nucleus of the Lodge at a room in the Hinds Head in Aldermaston. John Newlands a past master of Aldermaston Lodge was appointed Chairman and Sidney Miles Senior Warden of Grey Friars Lodge secretary to record the minutes.

One point discussed was that we did not want Past Masters to occupy the Masters chair for the first 5 or 6 years and it was agreed that both the Senior & Junior Wardens both must be Master Masons. It would therefore be necessary that the Senior Warden be already well experienced with Masonic Ritual.

Now as it so happened that at my next meeting as Master of Morland Lodge was to be an Initiation ceremony and that a certain Bro. Arthur Dewar was going to give an explanation of the First Degree Tracing Board. I therefore invited several members of the committee to the meeting. After the meeting they were unanimous that Arthur was the right person for the job of Senior Warden. I drove Arthur home that evening and invited him to attend our next meeting, but I did not tell him of his intended position but intimated he might get a Steward or maybe Inner Guard. That would have suited Arthur for he was something like sixteen years from the chair in Morland Lodge

At that meeting at the Hinds Head the principle officers were discussed and I was offered the office of Master, as I was at that time the Master of Morland I declined the offer. Bro Bert Blake was then given the option but also turned it down as he was also in the chair at Aldermaston Lodge.

It was then agreed on a proposition from the Chairman Bro. John Newland. That W. Bro Ashley Shute a Past Master of Aldermaston Lodge be invited to become our founder and first Master. Among other offices agreed at that meeting was Arthur Dewar as Senior Warden. Frank James as Junior Warden. J. E. Craig. As Chaplain. Bert Blake as I.P.M.  John Newlands as Treasurer. Sidney Miles as Secretary, and myself as D.C, an office which I was pleased to accept. The rest to the Lodge offices were too discussed at a later date.

We had another meeting at the suggestion of Jimmy Bignal the Provincial D.C. who attended along with Bert Jefferys the Provincial Grand Secretary. They pointed out that Grand Lodge would most probably insist that the Senior Warden be a past master and they suggested that Bert Blake move from I.P.M. to S.W. and that we invite Alec Carter who was D.C. of Aldermaston Lodge and also a Grand Officer to be I.P.M.

Ashley Shute agreed to become the first master, Alec Carter accepted the invitation to become a founder and act as I.P.M. Bert Blake  agreed to move to S.W. and Arthur Dewar to J.W. Frank James moved to S.D. Ernie Mathews J.D. W. Bro H. Gill accepted the office of A.D.C. W.Bro G. Paice. Assistant Secretary. W.Bro. F. Falkner. Inner Guard. Stewards were. Bro’s. T. S. Wharton. T. H. Whitelam. E. R. W. Barrett and A. Barlow. Other founders present were Bro’s R. J. Robinson, H. Williams, A. W. Blewdon, S. Bolland and R. Mason.

Out of the first crop of officers. Ernie Mathews Became Master and then on to Secretary. Frank Faulkner became Master but not long afterwards moved away from the province and settled in Suffolk where the last I heard he had become the Assistant Provincial Grand Master of that province. Alan Barlow took the chair and later took the Treasurers office for a number of years. Bro’s Tommy Wharton and Tommy Whitelam became masters.

Stratfield Mortimer was concreted in December 1968 at the Masonic Centre in Grey Friars Road Reading by the Provincial Grand Master Rt Worshipful Bro Brigadier Flavell, assisted by W.Bro James Bignell Assistant P.G.M. W. Bro J. Wilder S.W. W.Bro. J. Ward. J.W.  W. Bro Rev. O. Skipwith. Chaplain. W. Bro. H. Jefferies Secretary. W Bro. H. Fielding. D.C.  W. Bro. O.Wilkinson Deputy D.C. and W.Bro L. Burfitt. Deputy D.C. and W. Bro G. Thake the Prov. Pursuivant.

Among the aforementioned Brethren, several progressed to more senior posts. The PGM served about another 12 years, his assistant James Bignal became a Deputy P.G.M. The Rev Skipwith was promoted to Grand Chaplain. Bro. Bill Filding became the assistant P.G.M. The S.W Bro Tim Wilder was awarded the rank of Deputy G.D.C. and then assistant P.G.M. and the P.G.M. and finally W. Bro. Charles Wilkinson became P.G.M. of the Mark Masonry.

When you look at the list of founders and consecrating officers it now reads like the Who’s who of masonry.

On the third rising, the named Mr J Seward and J Palmer were proposed as candidates for Initiation.

The Lodge progressed over the next ten years, but unfortunately the two brothers who had the original pipe dream. Bro James & Bro Robinson both resigned from the Lodge. And also the first two Initiates did not stay members very long.

Incredibly Bro Palmer the second candidate was a fellow officer of the Duke of Kent in the Life Guards and I believe he was a founder of one of the elite London Lodges.

At the first Permanent Committee meeting the business for the ensuing year was discussed plus any future candidates or joining members. Bro Sidney Purvey, who had not been a Master Mason long enough period to become a founder, became a member. At this meeting Bro. James said he had a candidate but did not have a seconder so he was withdrawing the candidate’s name. I asked Bro James the name of the candidate in case someone on the committee knew him. He said the name of the candidate was Mr Geoffrey Cooper; I informed Bro James and the committee that I was at school with Geoff and played football with him and would be delighted to second him into Masonry. This was one good member which nearly got away.

At this time Bro Sydney Miles was the master of Grey Friars Lodge and on his visits around the province he made several new friends among the reining masters and he persuaded 5 of them to become joining members. Now this was a big lift for a new Lodge. Three of them in particular became very supportive.

W.Bro Jimmy Evans of Ellington Lodge took the chair when the Lodge was in a spot of bother. He was also founder and first D.C. of the Codogan Lodge. Gordon Preece of Reading Old Boys Lodge also became master for a similar reason. John Rowe and W.Bro Phil Reese of the Prince Arthur of Connaught Lodge a regular at tender and stood in at various offices at a minute’s notice. Phil went on to be a founder and first master of the Codogan Lodge.

The third & forth initiates were Jack Wardle & Geoff Cooper who became the first initiates to become Master of the Lodge.

At this time we started to have a steady influx of initiates from AWE Aldermaston, they brought strength & stability to the Lodge, and a good percentage of these brethren went on to be become master and then onto other offices.

When the lodge was formed, Grey Friars Room could not accommodate the new Lodge. So until the new centre at Sindlesham became available we had to meet at the village hall in Aldermaston and dine at the Old Mill. That was the reason until recently that we dined at the Old Mill at our June meeting.

The rest of the Stratfield Mortimer Masters are as follows:-

And so Brethren, we look forward to the future with optimism, and I hope that the present and future Brethren enjoy their association with this Lodge as much as I have.

T.C. Hutchins.

Founder

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