Feel Good Friday

Stoke Mandeville Spinal Research Charity Number 1183744 was founded in 2006, (SMSR) is an independent, national charity seeking to promote quality of life in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) through research. Our vision is to enable people with spinal cord injury to have life after paralysis without the setbacks of debilitating health complications. They work closely with the National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC) and other healthcare settings to help deliver the best research outcomes that will improve the quality of life for those living with SCI.

BMCF have donated £1,000 towards new equipment for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) functions controlled by the cerebral cortex and have recently received the following Testimonial:

The research team is using ‘transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)’, a non-invasive medical procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain in order to determine how well TMS can assess the extent of damage to the neural pathways. The upgraded equipment for which Stoke Mandeville Spinal Research has been raising funds will allow them to do this in greater depth and with greater accuracy, thus helping them tailor activity-based rehabilitation to each individual’s need . We are most grateful to the Trustees of the Buckinghamshire Masonic Centenary Fund for their interest and support of our efforts to improve the quality of life for people living with spinal cord injury. Your generous gift of £1,000 has gone towards the purchase of new equipment for a study involving 44 patients with tetraplegia at the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke.

The Photos include Dr. Paul Sutton and Rowan Boyles both of Imperial College London

Karen Favell    

DID YOU KNOW HE WAS A FREEMASON ?

NAT KING COLE

In 1944, Nathaniel Adams Coles (A.K.A Nat King Cole) joined Thomas Waller Lodge No. 49 in California, a Prince Hall lodge named after jazz musician Fats Waller. He later became a Scottish Rite Freemason and a 32nd Degree Mason. 

Cole's commitment to bringing people together through his music demonstrated his Masonic values. When criticized for playing to segregated audiences as a young man, he said, “I may be helping to bring harmony between people through my music”

Cole was born in Montgomery, Alabama on March 17th, 1919. When he was four years old the family moved to Chicago, Illinois where his father became a Baptist minister. His mother, who was the church organist, began teaching Cole how to play the organ. Shortly after he gave his first performance of Yes! We have no bananas. He began formal lessons at the age of 12. He eventually learned gospel, jazz and Western classical music. He attended Wendell Phillips High School in Chicago. At night he snuck out to listen to music outside clubs.

It was in the 1930's Cole began his performing career. He also adopted the stage name of Nat Cole. His older brother eventually join Cole's band. It was during this time Cole added King in his name. It is believed it was reinforced by the nursery rhyme of Old King Cole.

His recording of "The Christmas Song" still receives airplay every holiday season, even hitting the Billboard Top 40 in December 2017. In 2020, Cole was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame

In 1991, Natalie Cole recorded a new vocal track that was mixed with her father's 1961 stereo re-recording of his 1951 hit "Unforgettable" 

If you would like to be part of a global community that has and still has so many famous members, that has its roots firmly in the ground in Buckinghamshire, please join us by following this link:

https://buckspgl.org/join
After filling in the short form, our Membership Team will be in touch. 

Son Helps his Father Join the Freemasons!

Lodges in Buckinghamshire have delivered the Gift of Freemasonry to six wonderful people this week! A warm welcome to you all!
Our centres in Newport Pagnell, Stony Stratford, Little Kimble, Marlow, and Slough all celebrated 12DX (the Twelve Days of Christmas) in style.
There were many amazing highlights, including Bro. Robbie acting as Junior Deacon to escort his father, Bro. Gordon, around the lodge and be the first to welcome him into Freemasonry! We extend our heartfelt congratulations to both Bro. Gordon as a new Freemason and Robbie on his newfound status as a Lewis!

In total, Buckinghamshire Freemasons will present the gift of Freemasonry to 65 people during the season. Over 40 lodges are participating between now and the 19th of December. 

For general enquiries about joining:
If you are based in Buckinghamshire, please use this link: https://buckspgl.org/joinFor people elsewhere in the UK and around the world, please use this link: https://www.ugle.org.uk/.../find-your-nearest.../lookup-area

One Step Beyond the Craft

You may not realise that Freemasonry is made of a number of different 'Progressive Orders'. This series will explain these various Orders and how they are linked.

Order of the Secret Monitor
The full title of this Order is The Grand Conclave of the Order of the Secret Monitor or Brotherhood of David and Jonathan in the British Isles and its Districts and Conclaves Overseas.

Meetings are held in Conclaves.

Qualification for joining is that a candidate must be a Master Mason. The joining ceremony is called ‘Induction’.

The regalia consists of a breast jewel of the degree held with the higher two degrees also having a sash.

The Order is based on upon the principles of self-sacrifice, mutual trust, watchful Brotherly care, warning in time of danger, solace in time of sorrow and skilful and effective friendly advice in every circumstance of life

Next time we will introduce you to the Ancient Masonic Order of the Scarlet Cord. If you are interested in joining this order within Buckinghamshire, please message us.

Next time we will introduce you to The Scarlet Cord

We have delivered the Gift of Freemasonry to five more people this week!

12DX (the Twelve Days of Christmas) was celebrated in our centres in Marlow, Winslow, Slough, and Beaconsfield. There were many amazing highlights, including the visit from a familiar character of the season joining members of New Urban Loadge at their meeting in Winslow.
In total, Buckinghamshire Freemasons will present the gift of Freemasonry to 65 people during the season. Over 40 lodges are participating between now and the 19th of December. 

For general enquiries about joining:
If you are based in Buckinghamshire, please use this link: https://buckspgl.org/joinFor people elsewhere in the UK and around the world, please use this link: https://www.ugle.org.uk/.../find-your-nearest.../lookup-area

DECEMBER DIARY OF MEETINGS

Buckinghamshire has 117 lodges that meet at 16 Centres across the county throughout the year.

This is the diary for the coming month.

Our 12DX season is well under way!

In the last week, 8 lodges have held ten initiation ceremonies in Marlow, Stony Stratford, Beaconsfield, Slough, Bletchley, and Aylesbury. There were many great highlights, including the standard bearer from the Royal British Legion joining members of Chenies Lodge for the last post at their meeting in Beaconsfield.
In total, Buckinghamshire Freemasons will present the gift of Freemasonry to over 60 people during the season. Over 40 lodges are participating between now and the 19th of December. 

For general enquiries about joining:
If you are based in Buckinghamshire, please use this link: https://buckspgl.org/joinFor people elsewhere in the UK and around the world, please use this link: https://www.ugle.org.uk/.../find-your-nearest.../lookup-area

On this day seven Freemasons created a Masonic lodge while imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp and in recent times a a sculpture commemorating them was unveiled

Liberté chérie (French for "Cherished Liberty") was a Masonic Lodge founded in 1943 by Belgian Resistance fighters and other political prisoners at Esterwegen concentration camp. It was one of the few lodges of Freemasons founded within a Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War.

The lodge was created on November 15th, 1943 inside Hut 6 of Emslandlager VII and located in Esterwegen, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Paul Hanson was elected master. The brethren met for lodge work in Hut 6 around a table, which was otherwise used for cartridge sorting. A Catholic priest stood watch, so that the brethren could hold their meetings, and protected their secrecy.

The seven Freemasons who created the lodge were:

Paul Hanson, Luc Somerhausen, Jean Sugg, Franz Rochat, Guy Hannecart, Amédée Miclotte, and Degueldre.

One Step Beyond the Craft

You may not realise that Freemasonry is made of a number of different 'Progressive Orders'. This series will explain these various Orders and how they are linked.

Allied Masonic Degrees
The full title of this Order is The Grand Council of the Order of the Allied Masonic Degrees of England and Wales and its Districts and Councils Overseas. It is more familiarly know as the ‘Allied Degrees’.

Meetings are held in Councils.

Qualification for joining is that a candidate must be a Mark Master Mason and Royal Arch Mason.

The regalia consists of five breast jewels, one for each degree.

The Order is based on a collection of orders that had no central authority. The five degrees give various moral lessons including integrity and fortitude, humility, the danger of hasty judgement and the importance of truth.

If you are interested in joining this order within Buckinghamshire, please message us.

Next time we will introduce you to the Order of the Secret Monitor

12DX Launch Evening at Hughenden Lodge for Craft Beer and Real Ale Appreciation!

Last night saw the first initiation of Bro Neill at a wonderful kick off meeting.
In total, Buckinghamshire Freemasons will present the gift of Freemasonry to over 60 people during the season. Over 40 lodges are participating between now and the 19th of December. 
At last night's meeting, we enjoyed a superbly delivered ceremony in a beautiful lodge room. This was followed by an incredible dining experience which culminated in fine speeches and a dessert of Crème Brulé paired with a Bad Kitty dark porter by  
The star prize in the raffle was some of The Master's Brew, which dates back to 2019! Rare and exquisite beyond belief.
Hughenden Lodge meets in Marlow, Bucks, and is always looking for new people to join them..
If you live in the Buckinghamshire area and share the lodges' appreciation for craft beer and real ale, why not follow in Neill's footsteps and join the lodge? You can contact the lodge here: https://hughendenlodge.org.uk/

For general enquiries about joining:
If you are based in Buckinghamshire, please use this link: https://buckspgl.org/joinFor people elsewhere in the UK and around the world, please use this link: https://www.ugle.org.uk/.../find-your-nearest.../lookup-area

DID YOU KNOW HE WAS A FREEMASON ?

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Prominent scientist, inventor, and civic activist, the United States founding father Benjamin Franklin is perhaps one of the most famous Freemasons. Alongside his duties as Grand Master of Pennsylvania, Benjamin Franklin formulated theories of positive and negative electrical charges and invented the lightning rod and bifocal glasses.
Franklin lived to be eighty-five years old. Sixty of those years as a Freemason; he lived and wrote and practiced the principles of the Order.

Franklin was initiated into Masonry in 1731; probably at the February meeting of St. John’s Lodge in Philadelphia. The esteem in which he was held is evidenced by the fact that he was elected Grand Master just a few short years later in 1735.

According to Old Masonic and family traditions, the cornerstone of the Statehouse in Philadelphia
(Independence Hall), built while Franklin was Grand Master, was laid by him and the Brethren of St. John’s Lodge.

If you would like to be part of a global community that has and still has so many famous members, that has its roots firmly in the ground in Buckinghamshire, please join us by following this link: https://buckspgl.org/join?

After filling in the short form, our Membership Team will be in touch. 

One Step Beyond the Craft

You may not realise that Freemasonry is made of a number of different 'Progressive Orders'. This series will explain these various Orders and how they are linked.

Royal and Select Masters
The full title of this Order is The Grand Council of the Order of Royal and Select Masters of England and Wales and its Districts and Council Overseas. It is more familiarly known as the ‘Cryptic Degrees’.

Meetings are held in Councils.

Qualification for joining is that a candidate must be a Mark Master Mason and Royal Arch Mason.

The regalia consists of a triangular apron with a crimson edge and a triangular breast jewel.
 
The Order is based on the history of the first Temple at Jerusalem. The four degrees throw light on a sequence of events and demonstrate the essential link between the degrees of Master Mason, Mark Master Mason, and Royal Arch Mason. 

If you are interested in joining this order within Buckinghamshire, please message us.

Next time we will introduce you to the Allied Masonic Degrees

Join the Freemasons this Winter at 12DX 2024

Ready to be part of something extraordinary? Our annual 12DX (Twelve Days of Christmas) membership event returns this winter. Our lodges will be welcoming over 60 new Brothers into Freemasonry across November and December! There are still plenty of Lodges in Buckinghamshire ready to welcome you in as part of 12DX.
Why Join Now?
• Be part of a centuries-old tradition
• Join a global brotherhood of like-minded people
• Discover personal growth and development
• Make lifelong friendships
• Support charitable causes

Who Can Join?
Men aged 18+ who are interested in:
• Personal development
• Making a positive impact
• Building meaningful connections

With 116 lodges across Buckinghamshire, you'll find the perfect fit for your journey into Freemasonry.
✨ Take the first step in your Masonic journey this winter ✨

Interested in learning more?
Contact our Membership team today to discover how Freemasonry can enrich your life.
If you are based in Buckinghamshire, please use this link: https://buckspgl.org/joinFor people elsewhere in the UK and around the world, please use this link: https://www.ugle.org.uk/.../find-your-nearest.../lookup-area

Special Interest Lodge Bring A Friend Event

Twice a year we hold a Bring a Friend event, where current Buckinghamshire Masons can bring a friend / colleague / family member to find out more and ask questions.

Our most recent event was held at the Slough Masonic Centre and focused on some of the province's special interest lodges.

Dozens of brethren arrived at the centre to begin the setup as early as 7 am!  

The teams got to work setting up their promotional tables for the afternoons event, but at approximately 9 am work ceased and the brethren Moved upstairs to the temple for an early meeting of the Buckinghamshire classic car Lodge featuring the fantastic project transform in all its splendour.

Upon completion of the ceremony and Lodge closure, the brethren then retired downstairs to finalise any tables that required setting up but also tuck into a hearty hot buffet style lunch and were able to meet and greet the guests who had began arriving at noon. The guests had time to casually walk around each of the Lodge displays and engage in conversation with the brethren,  the Special interest lodges had set up their tables with promotional information, photographs and videos to provide a visual representation of what their lodges had to offer around the edges of the hall.

At 1 pm, everyone assembled in the main dining hall, which was laid out like a theatre, for the presentation to begin. John King, one of the provincial executives opened the day greeting the guests and brethren before handing over to Lee Buckingham & John Palman who look after the communications and membership side of the province.  Matthew Perkins then delivered a detailed explanation of the charity side of Freemasonry, covering International, National and Provincial aspects of what we do.

On completion of the presentation carried out band an open question & answers session the guests were then taken up into the temple for a insight into what happens inside a meeting with a further question and answer session. 

Once this was over they returned back downstairs and continued conversations with the numerous lodges that were on display with the event finally drawing to a close at around 3 pm.

A lot of work went into delivering this day, the reward being a lot of the guests signing up to take their enquiries further.

Absolutely fantastic when @Freemasonry2day share the story about our BIG event

On June 29, Buckinghamshire Freemasons held their BIG 1-2-3 event at Freemasons' Hall 👏

Over 650 attendees witnessed 75 Initiations, 36 Second Degrees, and 39 Master Masons being Raised in one (very organised) day 🤯

Fourteen months of meticulous planning went into this one day to ensure every detail was perfect. Despite the scale of the event, there was no compromise on quality or impact. Each ritual was performed with the same care, precision, and dedication, ensuring every Candidate experienced the full significance of Freemasonry's timeless traditions 🤝

Read all about it on our blog⏬
🔗https://i.mtr.cool/dzckkmnnnr

DID YOU KNOW HE WAS A FREEMASON ?

BRAM STOKER

Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula.

Stoker is shown in Grand Lodge records as having joined only one Lodge: the Buckingham and Chandos Lodge, No. 1150, which was formed by Officers and Sergeants of the 1st Middlesex Artillery Volunteers. 

Stoker gave his occupation as author and, although his work Dracula had not yet achieved the renown it would gain in later years, he did write other novels whilst continuing with his daytime job. Initiated in February 1883, he remained a mason for only six years according to records available and appears not to have taken office. 

The Legacy of Dracula:

Despite his close working relationship with his colleague and brother Freemason, Irving, the biographers intimate that Stoker held a secret and latent resentment against Irving which may have contributed to the development of the character Dracula, which was his Magnus Opum.

Undoubtedly Irving was a success story and Stoker may have seen himself very much a side act in the scheme of things.

In this way the possible harboured resentment had conjured an image of Irving as someone who “drained the creative life out of all those around him”, a suitable caricature of a blood feeding creature.

Not only was Irving a friend of Princes and Prime Ministers, he may have had his amours especially as he was estranged from his wife.  In some respects Stoker may have seemed unequal to Irving given his popularity.

As a possible result of this enmity, Stoker has left a remarkable legacy as the creator of Dracula, although there had been other “vampire” creations before him.

The Dracula name may have had its origins in the Gaelic phrase “dhroch fhola”, pronounced “druck ulla” meaning of bad blood. Equally, it may have its stem in the historical name from South Eastern Europe of Vlad Dracul.

Adding the letter “a” to Dracul gives it the meaning “son of”, thus Dracula.

The novel, which is in the public domain, has been adapted for film over 30 times, and its characters have made numerous appearances in virtually all media.

If you would like to be part of a global community that has has hand and still has so many famous members, that has its roots firmly in the ground in Buckinghamshire, please join us by following this link: https://buckspgl.org/join?

After filling in the short form, our Membership Team will be in touch. 

NOVEMBER DIARY OF MEETINGS

Buckinghamshire has 117 lodges that meet at 16 Centres across the county throughout the year.

This is the diary for the coming month.

Tomorrow is our Provincial "Special Interest Lodge" Bring a Friend event

We will be showcasing some of our special interest lodges to prospective new masonic members, giving a chance for an open Q&A session in a relaxed environment and an opportunity to meet freemasons of Buckinghamshire.

Shooting, Camping, Real Ale, Fine Wine, Aviation, to name but a few.

One Step Beyond the Craft

You may not realise that Freemasonry is made of a number of different 'Progressive Orders'. This series will explain these various Orders and how they are linked.

The Red Cross of Constantine
The full title of this Order is The Masonic and Military Order of the Red Cross of Constantine and the Orders of the Holy Sepulchre and of St John the Evangelist.
 
Meetings are held in conclaves.
 
Qualification for joining is that a candidate must be a Royal Arch Mason and believe in the Trinitarian Faith. The joining ceremony is called ‘Installation’.
 
The regalia consists of a purple sash and a red cross breast jewel.
 
The Order is based on the conversion of Emperor Constantine to Christianity after seeing a sign from heaven in the form of a special cross. He directed that this cross should be worn on the armour of Christians in his army. A conclave of the knights of the order was formed whose members were the bodyguard of the sovereign. The candidate is admitted and obligated then made a Knight Companion where the history of the Order is detailed. There are two appendant ceremonies where the aims of Freemasonry are revealed.

You can find out more about this order here: https://www.markmasonshall.org/orders/red-cross-of-constantine

If you are interested in joining this order within Buckinghamshire, please message us.

Next time we will introduce you to Royal and Select Masters.

DID YOU KNOW HE WAS A FREEMASON ?

OSCAR WILDE

Brother Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland on October 18, 1854. A literary prodigy at a young age, Wilde won the highest honour awarded by receiving the Royal School Scholarship at Trinity College. Soon after enrolling in Trinity College, he was admitted to the Magdalen College in Oxford and moved his life and career to England.

At Oxford, Wilde was a popular student admired by his peers. It was one of his most privileged friends at the time, Prince Leopold, the sixth son of Queen Victoria, that would incite his interest in Freemasonry. Brother Leopold was already an active Freemason at the time and encouraged Wilde to join the university’s prestigious lodge, Apollo University Lodge No. 357. The Apollo Lodge holds the same esteem to this day.

Brother Wilde’s interest in Freemasonry was also likely a result of his father, Sir Wiliam Robert Wills Wilde, who had been an active Mason in Ireland.

Wilde was proposed to the Apollo University Lodge on February 16, 1875 and was initiated soon after on February 23.  Being under age Oscar was initiated by special dispensation, this is because the Oxford and Cambridge University Lodges, Apollo University and Isaac Newton respectively, enjoy blanket dispensation to initiate candidates under the age of 21.

In 1876, Wilde joined a second lodge, the Churchill Lodge No. 478 and became a Junior Deacon in 1877. Unfortunately, his Masonic journey ended following his four years in school where he separated himself from Roman Catholicism and active participation in Freemasonry. He was dropped from Apollo University Lodge in 1878 for “non-payment of dues” (NPD) and was similarly removed from the Churchill Lodge in 1883.
While his participation in Freemasonry may have been short lived, much of his life’s work and philosophies share similarities with the values and interests of Freemasons.

If you would like to be part of a global community that has and still has so many famous members, that has its roots firmly in the ground in Buckinghamshire, please join us by following this link: https://buckspgl.org/join
After filling in the short form, our Membership Team will be in touch.