Life in the Fast Lane |
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21st October 2013 |
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| Monday the 21st October saw WBro Jeff Smith and I depart on a three day sojourn to London to do missionary work on behalf of West Lancs at Great Queen Street. We find journeys ‘south’ on the M6 and beyond are becoming more and more troublesome and now often travel the day before a demonstration and back the day after. That said, despite heavy rain for most of the way, the journey to London took just five hours. | |
| A good friend of mine, Bro John Hughes, an East Lancs Mason working in London, knew of our visit and invited us to join him at his club for dinner. We punctually arrived at the Royal Over-Seas League in St James at 6:30pm and following pre-dinner drinks (water) in the cocktail bar had a very enjoyable meal. As an after thought John informed us that it was in the cocktail bar that Frederick, the ‘Grand Old’ Duke of York, died in 1827. I am looking forward to staying at the ROSL next January when John will be installed into the Chair of King Solomon Mark Lodge No 385 at Mark Masons Hall, which is just around the corner. | |
| Tuesday was spent at Great Queen Street, initially preparing for then presenting the Temple Demonstration at Grecia Lodge No 1105 in Temple 8. Grecia Lodge was founded in Egypt in 1865 and the Lodge will celebrate its sesquicentenary in 2015. | |
| Freemasonry first appeared in Egypt around 1798, introduced by French Masons in Napoleon’s conquering armies, with many other Constitutions soon following. Freemasonry then becoming extremely popular, English Masons were not far behind the other nations. Between 1862 and 1871 they formed eight Lodges directly under the United Grand Lodge of England, one being Grecia No 1105 in Cairo, albeit ‘working’ in Greek. The District Grand Lodge of Egypt and the Sudan was formed in 1899 with Viscount Kitchener of Khartoum as the first District Grand Master. Lord Kitchener, who had been one of the founders of a ‘revived’ Grecia Lodge No 1105 in 1890 when it started working in English, was highly respected among Freemasons. Unfortunately, his army duties prevented him from remaining in Egypt and he was forced to resign his office in 1901. Of the English Lodges only Grecia Lodge No 1105 survived the Suez crisis and successfully re-established itself in London. | |
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| Wednesday morning dawned and we returned to Temple 8, packed away the model and headed north. Alas we had only travelled about 50 miles before the M1 ground to a sudden halt near Milton Keynes. We then spent almost three hours, stationary, in the fast lane following a serious road accident. The incident was about half a mile ahead, we were just a half mile past a junction. Eventually we escaped when a very well organised lady police traffic officer, who had methodically worked her way up the queue of stationary traffic, turned us round and sent us south on the north bound carriageway. Life in the fast lane? Well, I stood in the outside lane of the south bound carriageway and survived, see photo, then drove south in the fast last of the north bound carriageway. The journey home took eight hours but, as Jeff reminded me, it’s a hobby! | |
| Article Courtesy of Jimmy Rogers |
