Last Wednesday saw Buckinghamshire install their new Provincial Grand Master, RW Tim Anders.  A very important event for any Province as it only occurs once every 7~10 years.

Over 500 Freemasons from Buckinghamshire and across the country assembled in the Grand Temple of Freemasons Hall London to welcome the PGM Designate and his Provincial Officers.  The Past Assistant Grand Master was there to oversee and lead the ceremony with his Grand Officers. 

While the ceremony was taking place, a small group of newer Buckinghamshire Freemasons had a private tour of the museum, building and various temples within, something that has never been carried out before.   As a province we are proud to try something new, but also involve as many as we can in special events like this.

Once the ceremony was completed, everyone attended the Grand Connaught Rooms for a formal Lunch, a dining room packed with members celebrating the day and the start of a new Provincial Grand Masters tenure.

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

Today Buckinghamshire install their new Provincial Grand Master – WBro Tim Anders.

Over 500 Buckinghamshire Masons will be attending the grand ceremony at Freemasons Hall to witness this once-in-a-masonic-generation event, happening every 7~10 years.

Not only will there be a new PGM, but also a new Assistant PGM, WBro Bill Smithson being promoted at this fantastic event.

In true Buckinghamshire style, something different is organised for today, with newly admitted Masons attending the day, but as they cannot be part of the ceremony in the Grand Temple, a private tour has been arranged for them to include the museum, various temples throughout the building and the hall itself, before joining all for lunch in the Grand Connaught Rooms to greet the newly installed Provincial Grand Master.

Tomorrow morning, Buckinghamshire Freemasons will see the provincial leadership handed over from John Clark to Tim Anders.
We would like to thank John for his seven years of dedication to the Hallstone Province of Buckinghamshire. John has led us with pride and experience, fostering unprecedented growth and innovation in Freemasonry. During his tenure, our membership in Buckinghamshire has grown significantly as more people discover the joys and benefits of Freemasonry.

John's demonstrable commitment to moving ideas forward into action has forged a sense of resilience, hard work and vitality in our province. John encouraged us to create memorable Masonic experiences through initiatives like Project Transform, BIG 100, BIG 1-2-3, 12DX, and the Festival Fortnights. These events will be cherished by many young Freemasons as their first incredible step into Freemasonry.

John reminded us of the importance of preserving the traditions and values passed down by our founders as we move forward. The four guiding principles of integrity, friendship, respect, and service are the foundations upon which we stand. At the same time, John encouraged us to reinterpret these traditions courageously in the context of the modern era.

Mission accomplished, Skipper.

The Buckinghamshire Royal Arch membership event BIG RED 2 has just been completed.

It is the second time that the members, or Companions, of many Chapters across the Province have taken part in multiple Exaltations, which is the term used for the joining ceremony in the Royal Arch.

The ceremony is an essential part of Freemasonry where information thought to be lost at the end of the Craft’s Third Degree ceremony is dramatically rediscovered.

Membership of the Royal Arch qualifies a Mason to join other Companion Orders and thereby increase their knowledge of Freemasonry and to continue their Masonic Journey.

From the start of the event in January at Bourne End Chapter in Marlow to the end in March at Sunnymeads Chapter in Slough, there were 40 new members and joiners in 22 Chapters, giving a 2% increase of membership in just 3 months.

The Province of Buckinghamshire, under the inspirational leadership of the Grand Superintendent Graham Dearing, has a strong tradition of innovative initiatives such as BIG RED and ensures all meetings, known as Convocations, are fun for all the Companions.

The way the Buckinghamshire Province is thriving in all the separate Orders of Freemasonry and the huge amount of enjoyment felt by the members is a testament to all the hard work put in by everyone involved.

Being a Freemason means something different to everybody, and it's unique to those who join. Freemasonry provides a feeling of togetherness and belonging. There is more that brings members together than separates them. Freemasonry offers friendship, formality, ritual, curiosity, and the opportunity to learn more every day. Freemasonry teaches tolerance and acceptance of all others as brothers. Its members come from all walks of life and many different backgrounds.
Freemasonry is still incredibly relevant to people’s lives today, bringing people together in a fractured society. Freemasonry has evolved to meet the age in which it lives and continues to evolve today. Freemasonry is a great leveller, where everybody there is your brother. Join today!

If you live in Buckinghamshire and are a man of 18 years or older, you can express your interest here: https://buckspgl.org/joinAfter filling out the short form, our membership team will be in touch.

There are two ways women can be freemasons.
The Order of Women Freemasons: https://www.owf.org.uk/join/
Freemasonry for Women (HFAF): https://hfaf.org/hfaf-official/how-to-join/

For anyone that does not live in Buckinghamshire, please follow this link: https://www.ugle.org.uk/become-freemason/join-freemasonry/register-your-interest

Today, we celebrate women's incredible achievements and contributions worldwide. From science and the arts to leadership and charity, women continue to inspire and shape our society for the better 👏

Did you know that Women Freemasons have been meeting in the UK for over 100 years? UGLE and the women's Grand Lodges follow the same rules and regulations and promote Integrity, Friendship, Respect, and Service 🤝
Join us in honouring the remarkable women who make a difference every day!
💙

🔗https://f.mtr.cool/ltftwuukfu


The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons

Yesterday,   welcomed Provincial Grand Charity Steward Mark Duncan, Captain Bill Holland and Volunteer Coordinator Ewan Gordon.

They saw the new cuddle beds, which are used in the Hospice Inpatient Unit

In the Summer of 2023 Buckinghamshire Freemasons organised a 50-mile walk across Pilgrim’s Way to raise funds for the Hospice. Forty incredible walkers battled torrential rain and strong winds during the walk.

Initially, the team set out to fund one cuddle bed, but through generous donations and the commitment of the walkers to their fundraising, the walkers raised £31,000, enough to buy two beds !

Mark, Bill and Ewan were warmly welcomed by the Charity's CEO, Jo Turner and IPU Ward Sister Tracey Batt, who showed them how they worked and talked about their impact. The beds arrived in December, and the Hospice has already seen the wonderful difference they make to the patients, their families and pets, offering a place to cuddle up as a family in their precious final days together.

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

When a new Brother is Initiated into a Craft Lodge, he is invested with an apron during the ceremony. When a new Companion is Exalted into a Chapter, he is invested with a different apron and also has an additional jewel and sash to wear.

The ribbons and the background to the Royal Arch logo on the apron change from white to red then blue as the Companion progresses in the order.

Buckinghamshire Freemasons now have a TiKTok account, we are hoping to grow this channel along with our others. 

Please find our account here:

https://www.tiktok.com/@buckinghamshire.f?_t=ZN-8tt5XtGniKs&_r=1

Happy Valentines Day to our NHS

100 Doctors and Nurses at Stoke Mandeville Hospital received Chocolate Hearts or Chocolate Roses courtesy of Buckinghamshire Freemasons.

Bill Smithson, a member of   went on a shopping spree across Bucks from Milton Keynes to Aylesbury to buy the chocolates ready for Valentines Day.  Bill said “ In an overstretched NHS the staff don’t stop caring and neither should we”

The chocolates were donated to Elaine at the Hospital’s Acts of Kindness Team, for her to distribute, and later this morning she wrote “Thanks again Bill, I have shared them with A&E, the Medical Doctors team, the same day emergency assessment department, and wards 15,16,17 & 18….They were delighted !”

A further 20 gifts were left by Bill for The   staff to let them know they are always close to our hearts in Freemasonry.

 

The Officers in a Royal Arch Chapter have different names to those in a Craft Lodge but have equivalent roles.

A Chapter is conjointly ruled by the Most Excellent Zerubbabel, Haggai and Joshua and are called the Principals whereas a Lodge is ruled over by the Worshipful Master. They each carry a sceptre and wear colourful robes.

Scribe Ezra is the equivalent of a Secretary and Scribe Nehemiah is like the Inner Guard. The Janitor outside the door is the same as a Tyler.

A Chapter has 3 additional officers called Sojourners. They are an integral part of the joining ceremony which is known as an Exaltation.

The remaining officers have the same names as their Craft counterparts: Treasurer, Director of Ceremonies, Almoner, Charity Steward, Assistant Director of Ceremonies and Stewards.

All officers wear collars with the jewel of their office appended but are coloured red.

When Initiated into a Lodge, a Brother joins Craft Freemasonry. The Supreme Degree of the Royal Arch is a continuation of his Masonic Journey which has an indissoluble link to the Craft. The Joining Ceremony for the Royal Arch is called an Exaltation. The members are called Companions and they meet in Chapters.

Chapters, like Lodges, are grouped into Provinces, based on old County boundaries, with the Supreme Grand Chapter overseeing all of the Provinces.

Joining the Royal Arch is the natural progression from the Craft as the Ceremony addresses the missing knowledge from the events described in Third Degree Ceremony. Membership of the Royal Arch is also a gateway into joining many other Orders within Freemasonry.

The Members of Inglefield Lodge, with friends and family, all came together to celebrate Albert Joynson 'Kip' Griffiths' 50 year Long Service Award at the Slough Masonic Centre on the 29th January 2025.

Kip was initiated 50 years ago to the very day! Assistant Provincial Grand Master, Matthew Eaton, gave a brief history of Kip's life, as well as his extensive Masonic career.

Kip's partner, daughters and son-in-law were invited to attend and they surprised Kip when they, along with all the other guests, were invited into the Lodge room to witness this very special occasion.

A superb meal after the meeting, known as the Festive Board, finished off the evening with another presentation to Kip by way of a cake made by Bev Harfield.

Well done to everyone involved in organising this fantastic celebration event.

November 15th 1943 was the day seven Freemasons created a Masonic lodge while imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp and in recent times 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.

ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ 

Today 27th Jan, is Holocaust Memorial Day, the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest and most infamous of the Nazi’s death camps.
A chance for all to remember the millions that have lost their lives just because of their differences. 

—-

The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe, around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population.

Deaths: Around 6 million Jews
Start date: 1941
End date: 8 May 1945

Olney Masonic Club - Making Dreams Come True!

What started as a simple conversation led W Bro Eugene Matthias, our 'Freemasonry in the Community' coordinator, to the Cowper & Newton Museum in Olney and became something extraordinary.

The museum had long dreamed of a new kitchen and a beautifully redecorated shop to enhance the visitors' experience. Unfortunately, rising costs made those dreams seem unattainable.

But dreams do come true! The Olney Masonic Club stepped in, teaming up with Bathrooms by Harpers (Ed & Mario) to bring this dream to life. 

The museum needed £600 to reach its goal, and we were proud to cover the shortfall. Ed and Mario went above and beyond to ensure everything was perfect.

To celebrate this special occasion, the museum staff and OMC (Freemasons) marked the presentation in style, dressing up to commemorate the moment.

The Olney Masonic Club is proud to  support our local community.

Stay tuned for updates on the shop’s transformation!

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 Order of Scotland 
Authentic documentary proof in the archives of the Grand Lodge gives rise to the popular assertion that the Royal Order of Scotland is senior to every other Masonic system, except for the Craft. The Grand Lodge is recorded as having first met in 1769. 

From the earliest written recordings of meetings, the Order claimed that the King of Scots was the Hereditary Grand Master, and a seat is always kept vacant for him at every meeting of each Provincial Grand Lodge, and all meetings of Grand Lodge. The Order is administered from Edinburgh. 

Membership of this elite Order is highly prized, admission is by invitation only to Master Masons of 5 years and upwards, by two current members of this Order.

You can read more about them here: https://www.royalorderscotland.org/

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

Pilgrim's Walk Benefits Florence Nightingale Hospice.

Buckinghamshire Freemasons, under the banner of Freemasonry in the Community, made a 50 mile Pilgrim's Walk in aid of the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity.

The Hospice wished to purchase new Cuddle beds, which are Hospital-style double beds, enabling partners to sleep in the same bed as their loved ones during their final days and hours, to create an endearing and loving memory.

Just before Christmas, Tracey Batt, IPU Ward Sister said;
Here at the Hospice we never underestimate the power of touch and a hug. We see all the time how being near loved ones, offers comfort when it is needed most and we are so thrilled to have been given the opportunity to purchase two Embrace Cuddle beds which were installed this week.

Being able to now offer patients and those they love, the opportunity to lie side by side, to snuggle children up with parents or grandparents is simply wonderful.

Within hours of installing these new adaptable beds, we were able to use them to their full advantage when a couple stayed overnight together in the bed. We witnessed the emotional impact and benefit of being able to spend precious time, when time is short, hugging closely together and it provided us with an insight into how valuable these beds will really be to the care we provide to our patient and families.

We are so grateful to all those who walked many miles on the Pilgrim's Walk, through awful rainy conditions, to raise funds to enable us to purchase these beds, without them, it simply would not have been possible. Thank you to Buckinghamshire Freemasons for making this possible.

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

 

PRINCE PHILIP, DUKE OF EDINBURGH

Prince Philip started his life in Freemasonry in 1952, at the age of 31. He was initiated into Navy Lodge No. 2612, on 5 December.
On 6 March 1953, Prince Philip progressed to the Second Degree of Freemasonry, before advancing to the Third Degree on 4 May 1953. The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) issued his Grand Lodge Certificate on 7 May that same year and he has remained a member until his death.

The Duke of Edinburgh was born in Corfu on 10 June 1921, the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg. He therefore also held the title Prince of Greece and Denmark.
Prince Philip joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1939, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Prince Louis, who was Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord. He had a long and successful career in the Navy and rose to the rank of Commander.
Prince Philip was also a qualified pilot and was the first member of the Royal Family ever to fly out of Buckingham Palace in a helicopter.

He was known to drop into meetings at his Freemasons Lodge almost unannounced. Navy Lodge has a storied past and an amazing roster of luminaries appear upon its membership roll. The Lodge prides itself on being the premier Naval Lodge in the world, with an unparalleled history that includes four monarchs as past members – King Edward VII, King Edward VIII, King George VI and King George II of the Hellenes.

The former Duke of Edinburgh was patron or president of some 800 organisations, with special interests in scientific and technological research and development, the encouragement of sport, the welfare of young people, and conservation and the environment.

Freemasons can also count other members of the Royal Family among their number, including HRH The Duke of Kent, who is the longest-serving Grand Master of the UGLE.

As well as members of the Royal Family, Navy Lodge can proudly name three winners of the Victoria Cross among its past and present members; numerous Admirals, Generals, Vice-Admirals and Senior Officers; as well as other notables such as Sir Ernest Shackleton, Robert Scott – known as ‘Scott of the Antarctic’ – and many more.

Elsewhere, there is also a Duke of Edinburgh Lodge, No. 1182, Liverpool, which was issued a warrant on 2 July 1867 and was consecrated on 1 August 1867. The Lodge was named after Prince Alfred Ernest Albert, who was then Duke of Edinburgh. He was born on 6 August 1844, the second son of Queen Victoria.

In addition, there is a Duke of Edinburgh Lodge in London, No. 1259, which was consecrated on 4 May 1869. The Lodge was also named after Prince Alfred Ernest Albert, who became Duke of Edinburgh in 1866.

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. 

Dagmar Rugby Lodge and MK Alliance Project.

The annual Buckinghamshire Provincial membership scheme, the 12 Days of Christmas (12DX) this year included Dagmar Lodge, which is a Special Interest Lodge with a rugby theme.

At their 12DX meeting, the members and visitors of Dagmar Lodge donated to support the MK Alliance Project, a school and community-based initiative to improve access to high quality rugby in Milton Keynes and the surrounding areas for children of all backgrounds.

It currently involves over 16 Schools and around 70 players, giving both new and experienced players the opportunity to be given free coaching and play competitive rugby. All the coaches and first aiders generously give their time for free.

The donation from Dagmar Lodge enables the players to be provided with a warm meal after games. This also helps them build new bonds and friendships, allowing them to grow their social skills and improve their confidence.

The Alliance is also a 'Safe Place' which gives players the opportunity to share any issues or problems they might have outside of the game in confidence, knowing it is safe to do so.

This is an example of grass roots rugby at its finest and with the help of Dagmar Lodge and Buckinghamshire Freemasons, the Alliance will help to grow the love of the game in its basic format and make a huge difference within the local community.

If you would like to be part of a global community 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.