United Services Lodge 3813
The formation of the two ‘Officer’ Lodges of Connaught and Letchworth before WWI did nothing to alleviate the increasing demand for with regard to other ranks in the British Armed Forces. The number of military personnel expanded rapidly because of the Great War but local lodges were unable to cope with demand.
The Lodge of Friendship despite difficulties in attracting more members remained exclusively officer-oriented and declined to accept candidates from the junior ranks. The only Lodge within the English Constitution that offered military personnel the opportunity to join the Craft was the Inhabitants’ Lodge but this lodge was primarily for civilians rather than military-orientated. It was clear however that a lodge exclusively for serving members of the Armed Forces was required to alleviate the burden on the Inhabitants’ Lodge and to provide the Army and Navy rank-and-file with a lodge of their own.
The New Lodge Is Formed
The new Lodge was Consecrated on the 21st of November 1917 and named the United Services Lodge No. 3813. Although the Founders had decided that membership should be confined to members of His Majesty’s Army and Navy, certain individuals, all Installed Masters, not belonging to the military were invited to become Founders. Three were admitted because they were retired army personnel; two were invited because of their Masonic rank – one being the District Grand Secretary and the other the President of the Board of General Purposes. Lastly the first Master of the Lodge, WBro. Charles George Bourne had been invited to join because he had personally recommended the formation of the United Services Lodge to the Grand Lodge. Another reason for inviting these Brethren to form part of the foundling lodge was that as permanent resident members, the Lodge would not suffer from the want of Past Masters during the early years of the Lodge’s formation.
The Consecration of the United Services Lodge took place at the Masonic Hall, Gibraltar in the presence of two hundred Brethren. The Masonic Hall at the time adjoined the Assembly Rooms, which would later become the Queen’s Cinema.
The District Grand Master, Major T. F Cooper, RA, PGD attended by Bros W. Stevens, DDGM, PGD, J. Cunningham, W. Lequich, PDG Wardens, W. A. Adams DGSW, L. J. Lockwood DGJW, Rev. H. Dalzell DG Chaplain and other District Grand Lodge Officers. As the District Officers entered the Temple the Grand Organ pealed an especially composed march joined by a choir of Service Brethren who had taken part in other consecrations in England and had been invited for this occasion.
After the ceremony, the Brethren sat down to dinner in the Assembly Rooms adjoining the lodge, which had been beautifully decorated for the event. In true military fashion, the band of the Royal Artillery was in the Orchestra, under the baton of Bro Band Sergeant-Major Newman, while the after-dinner concert was left in the hands of Bro Herbert Richards. During the evening’s celebrations, a special cablegram was dispatched to the Grand Secretary Bro P. Colville Smith, sending greetings to the Grand Master on behalf of the founding members of the newly consecrated United Services Lodge.
