OUR MASONIC ROOTS
Early Freemasonry in Grimsby

As with all good stories, we should start at the beginning and for Freemasonry in Grimsby we need to go back to around 1800. At that time there were two Masonic Grand Lodges in existence, one "The Grand Lodge of Freemasons of England" and the other "The Grand Lodge of the Society of Freemasons under the Constitution of England" - known as the "Ancients" and "Moderns". Both claimed authority and issued warrants until they were united in 1813.

Unfortunately records for the period are somewhat confusing but it appears that the first Lodge in Grimsby was already working under the name of the Spurn & Humber Lodge No:61 in the year 1802. Early Lodge meetings were held at the Crown & Anchor - an inn in Silver Street. Many years later, and following several name changes, the inn was rebuilt as the "Masons Arms" before being finally closed when the current shopping precinct was developed.

From those early meetings at an inn, the Brethren built a Lodge room behind cottages in Burgess Street, the first Masonic Hall in Grimsby, but they later returned to Silver Street in about 1811. Some time thereafter the Lodge ceased to meet and was erased in 1823. The warrant and Lodge furniture was sold to someone in York - the buying of warrants being quite usual in those days.

That Freemasonry continued to flourish in Grimsby was by reason of the fact that Dr. George Oliver bought, for the sum of 30/- (£1.50p), the warrant and furniture of St. James' Lodge No:510 Louth. The warrant had originally been issued to the Urania Lodge No:510 at the Angel Inn in Glanford, Brigg in 1792. In 1803 or 1804 this had been transferred to Louth and became the St. James' Lodge which assembled at the New Kings Head.

Dr. Oliver had come to the county to teach at Caistor and then became Headmaster of the Great Grimsby Free Grammar School in 1809. After buying the warrant of the St.James' Lodge in 1812 this was transferred to become the Apollo Lodge No:510 meeting at the Freemasons Arms in Victoria Street Grimsby (or Loft Street as it was then known).

Increasing membership, and a wish to have a more fitting meeting place, induced the Brethren to build a new Masonic Hall in Lower Burgess Street. The foundation stone was laid on Tuesday 25th August 1812, the dedication and opening taking place on Thursday 12th August 1813.

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The word "Apollo" had been carved in stone and placed in the gable of the new building - this is now, sadly, hidden beneath the office wall cladding, at Cleethorpes Masonic Hall having been recovered in 1939 - Dr. Oliver had remained as Master of the Lodge for some 14 years.

In July 1813 he was also granted a charter to form the Aletheia Chapter No:183. It was never taken up but the Chapter appeared to work up to 1820. Proof of this comes in the form of a gold medal and chain inscribed "Presented to Bro.The Rev. G. Oliver, by the Companions of the R. A. Chapter, holden in the Apollo Lodge, as a small token of gratitude for services rendered to Masonry in Grimsby A.L. 5820".

The Oliver medal was lost at some point but over 110 years later, in the 1930s, was found in Bristol by someone outside the Craft. It was addressed to the "Apollo Lodge, Grimsby" and fortunately delivered to the newly formed Apollo Lodge No:5471 in Cleethorpes. It was again lost and eventually found, again by someone outside the Craft, during a house clearance in the year 2000. It was acquired by Bro. Stewart. C. Oxborough of the Lord Worsley Lodge and shown to a friend, W.Bro. John Parker - Lecture Master of the Apollo Lodge, who identified it from this drawing in W.Bro. F. J. Chapman's "History of Freemasonry in Grimsby". Bro. Oxborough presented the Oliver medal back to the Master of the Apollo Lodge, W.Bro. Bill McCartney, for safe keeping at their Lodge meeting on 20th March 2001. It now takes pride of place in their Lodge Banner case in the Cleethorpes Temple.

Unfortunately, the old Apollo Lodge No:510 declined and in 1831 Dr. Oliver left Grimsby, taking the warrant of the Lodge with him. The warrant was finally surrendered to Grand Lodge in 1834, a year after the Brethren of Apollo Lodge No: 510 had last met to destroy all the records of the Lodge. The Lodge furniture was sold by auction on Friday July 19th 1833 at four o’clock in the afternoon.

There then followed a break in Masonic activity in Grimsby, for some thirteen years, until a Lodge of Instruction was formed in late 1846 prior to establishment of a full Lodge. A warrant was applied for, and granted on the 22nd. January 1847, to form Pelham Pillar Lodge No:783. However, the Master Designate, a lawyer from Hull, misappropriated the funds and later also committed forgery and died in prison!

Nothing therefore transpired until June 15th 1859 when the Pelham Pillar Lodge warrant was again issued but as No:1094 - later amended to No:792 as it remains to this day. The Lodge met at Chapmans Hotel in the Central Market until 12th September 1861 then moved to Bull Ring Lane - the old "Apollo" Hall being a dance room was no longer available to them.

These premises also eventually became unsuitable and it was decided to build a dedicated Masonic Hall in Osborne Street Grimsby. The foundation stone was laid on 2nd. August 1875 and the building was consecrated on 29th May 1877.

In June 1864 the Pelham Pillar Lodge No:792 elected W..Bro. Dr. George Oliver an Honorary Member in appreciation of his Masonic work in Grimsby. He earned a world-wide reputation through his Masonic publications and one of his dictates adorns the front of our own Lodge Summons to this day.

At a meeting at the Royal Hotel in 1869 a petition was signed for another new Lodge. The warrant was duly granted on 19th November, 1869 and the dedication of St.Albans Lodge No: 1294 took place on 3rd February 1870.

The next Lodge to be formed, Smyth Lodge No: 2284, followed a meeting at the Ship Hotel in 1888. The warrant was issued on September 26th 1888 and the Lodge was dedicated on 14th November 1888.

In 1899 the membership of Pelham Pillar Lodge had reached 182 and it was resolved at a meeting in the Masonic Hall, Grimsby in July to petition for another new Lodge. It was named in honour of the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master, the fourth Earl of Yarborough, who also graciously accepted to become the first Worshipful Master. The warrant was dated the 17th July 1899 and the consecration ceremony for the Earl of Yarborough Lodge No: 2770 was held on 16th November 1899.

Thus were the foundations laid for the first Lodge in Cleethorpes.

THE FIRST LODGE IN CLEETHORPES

The foundation of the first Masonic Lodge in Cleethorpes came about as the result of a meeting held in the Empire Theatre, Cleethorpes, on Nov. 2nd, 1903. On that day members of Pelham Pillar Lodge No:792, Smyth Lodge No:2284, and the Earl of Yarborough Lodge No:2770 met and it was proposed to form a lodge in the town. Those present were:
W.Bro. J. Carter White (in the Chair), and Bros: E. J. Brockway, E. J. Stream, E. Rushton, J. W. A. Collinson, and G. R. Cook.

On November 4th 1903, a deputation led by W.Bro. Geo. Doughty, P.P.G.W., met with the Provincial Grand Master - The Earl of Yarborough - to solicit support to their petition, and his consent to the Lodge bearing the name of his eldest son, Lord Worsley. He was at the same time invited to become the first Worshipful Master of the proposed Lodge, and he gratified the deputation by graciously assenting to their request.

The petition was signed by the following Founders: The Rt. Hon. the Earl of Yarborough, W. Bros.: Geo. Doughty, Markham Cook, T. C. Moss, F. Moss, J. Carter White, Richard Atkinson, and Bros.: E. J. Brockway, G. R. Cook, E. Rushton, E. J. Stream, J. W. A. Collinson, W. E. Lacy, and A. C. Pailthorp. The Earl of Yarborough was named Master, W.Bro. Markham Cook - Senior Warden, and Bro. E.J. Brockway - Junior Warden.

A warrant, dated the 18th December, 1903 and numbered 3017, was duly granted by Grand Lodge which authorised the Lodge to meet in a room at the Empire Theatre, Cleethorpes on the first Tuesday in the months of January, February, March, April, May, October, November, and December.

A room in the building was suitably prepared and decorated by W.Bro. J. C. White and the Founders presented the necessary furniture, working tools, jewels, etc.. The ground floor was a cinema and theatre but upstairs there was a room that was adequate for a Lodge room which the Lord Worsley Lodge duly used, and next to it was another room which was available as a clubroom. The ready availability of the Empire Theatre was no doubt due to the fact that W.Bro. J. Carter White was also the proprietor.

The Consecration ceremony, which was held on the 11th February, 1904 at 3.00p.m., was performed by the Rt. Hon. the Earl of Yarborough P.C., D.L. - Provincial Grand Master for Lincolnshire, assisted by W.Bro. W. Harling Sissons - Deputy Provincial Grand Master, and Provincial Grand Officers in the presence of a distinguished company. W.Bro. the Rev. E. Lauderdale - the Provincial Grand Chaplain delivered an eloquent oration on the Principles of Freemasonry. The Deputy Provincial Grand Master then installed the Earl of Yarborough as Worshipful Master, and the Officers were invested for the ensuing year as follows:-
W.Bro. Geo. Doughty - I.P.M.,W.Bro. Markham Cook - S.W., Bro. E. J. Brockway - J.W., W.Bro. T. C. Moss - Chaplain, W.Bro. J. Carter White - Treasurer, Bro. G. R. Cook - Secretary, W.Bro. Fred Moss - D.C., W.Bro. R. Atkinson - Lecture Master, Bro. E. Rushton - S.D., Bro. E. J. Stream - J.D., Bro. J. W. A. Collinson - Organist, Bro. W. E. Lacy - I.G., and Bro. W. Martín - Tyler.

On completion of the remaining Lodge business, the Brethren adjourned to the nearby Dolphin hotel where the Worshipful Master afterwards presided at a banquet, when the usual toasts were observed with due ceremony and enthusiasm. Thus ended the dignified ceremonies which ushered Freemasonry into Cleethorpes, with bright prospects for its future happiness and prosperity as expressed by the R.W. Provincial Grand Master in a Provincial Lodge at Sleaford, on May 19th, 1904, where he stated...."Recently, I have consecrated a Lodge at the rising watering-place of Cleethorpes. Many Grimsby Brethren reside there, and during the summer months there is an influx of visitors, some of whom will be members of the Craft. To them I hope the new Lodge will prove a pleasant attraction.

The accommodation being limited, I did not summon Provincial Grand Lodge on the occasion of the consecration. The arrangements in connection with the ceremony were excellently carried out, and the new Lodge Room is one of the most artistic and attractive in the Province."

From the Treasurer’s Report it will be seen that the Rt. Hon. the Earl of Yarborough and W.Bro. (later Sir) George Doughty M.P. were listed as honorary members, the other 12 Founders paid a fee of £8. 0. 0d each, the five Initiates paid seven guineas (£7.35p) each, two Joining Members £3. 3. 0d each, and an annual subscription was set of 30/- (£1.50p). The Poor Box realised £2. 1. 0d..

The rent for the Lodge was £20.00 per annum including heating, lighting, and cleaning. An organ was purchased at a cost of £5. 5. 0d. and the Lodge Furniture cost £40. 0. 0d from the Wellington Furnishing Co. Masonic regalia for the Lodge was £29. 5. 0d. and the Founders Jewels were £20. 12. 0d. The Charter fees were £14. 8. 6d. It seems that the poor Treasurer had the eternal problem even then, as there were outstanding subscriptions of £3. 17. 0d. from one Brother - which were paid the next year.

On May 4th 1904, the Rt. Hon. the Earl of Yarborough, the Worshipful Master, presented the Lodge with a banner on which his family crest is artistically woven. Added to this gift were photographs of himself and Lord Worsley.

Other gifts from members of the Lodge were made at various times in those early years including: on April 4th, 1905 three Tracing Boards from Bro. E. J. Brockway, then Worshipful Master of the Lodge; and the Board for the Roll of Past Masters was presented by the Treasurer, W.Bro. J. Carter White, on February 4th, 1908.

The rest as they say..."Is History".

OUR CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

On 3rd February 2004 The Lord Worsley Lodge No: 3017 celebrated 100 years in Freemasonry when it held its 800th Meeting. The Installation Meeting was attended by W.Bro. R. H. Adams, Assistant Provincial Grand Master, the official representative of the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master for Lincolnshire.

On Saturday the 28th February 2004, the Lord Worsley Lodge No: 3017 held its Centenary Celebrations at the Winter Gardens, Kingsway, Cleethorpes at 4.00pm.
The Provincial Grand Master for the Masonic Province of Lincolnshire, Right Worshipful Brother Gordon Wakerley Smith, honoured the Lodge by presenting the Centenary Warrant. He was accompanied by the Provincial Team comprising: Deputy Provincial Grand Master, V.W.Bro. R. P. Windsor; Assistant Provincial Grand Master, W.Bro. R. H. Adams; Provincial Senior Grand Warden, W.Bro. P. D. Mawer; Provincial Junior Grand Warden, W.Bro. V. B. Topliss; Provincial Grand Chaplain, Provincial Grand Secretary, W.Bro. C. A. Brocklesby; Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies, W.Bro. T. F. Dodds; Provincial Grand Sword Bearer, W.Bro. T. Tomblin; Deputy D C., W.Bro. J. R.W. Trafford.; Deputy D.of C., W.Bro. R. M. Holland. Unfortunately the Provincial Grand Chaplain, W.Bro the Revd. J. R. D. Scarborough was unable to attend and his place is taken by W.Bro. the Revd. T. J. Walker at short notice.

The Centenary Banquet Menu, held at the Winter Gardens, Cleethorpes 28th February 2004

 

A HOME OF OUR OWN

Cleethorpes Masonic Hall

The Brethren of the Lord Worsley Lodge had always been desirous of their own Masonic Lodge in Cleethorpes and had started to accrue funds from the very early days of the Lodge's existence for that purpose. Functions were held, including dances in the Cleethorpes Gas Company showrooms and the Empire Theatre. The Juvenile Ball in March 1905 at the Empire cost 3/6 for adults and 2/- for juveniles. Dancing was to Bro. Collinson's Band (the Lodge Organist) and started at 6.30pm, carriages at 2.00am! During the evening the Worshipful Master distributed chocolate to the juveniles.

In 1910 these funds became the Building Fund and from this small beginning over £7,000 had been accumulated by the time the present building was purchased in 1951. In 1917 it was decided to place the Building Fund in the hands of Lodge Trustees and subsequently a trust deed was executed which is still in being and under which the present trustees have their authority. During the period from January 1929 to January 1935 the sum of £1531 was raised.

Over the years various attempts were made to purchase land in Cleethorpes. One of the sites looked at as a possible place for the Masonic Hall before the war was the triangular piece of land that is just to the side of the present Council House in Cambridge Street, which is now a car park. It is believed that this land was actually purchased but within a few months the decision was made that it was too small and was re-sold.

In order to make provision for a permanent income to the fund, a part of every initiate's fee was transferred to the trust fund, and this to a great extent enabled the trustees to build up the fund. This same principal was commenced when the Apollo Lodge was founded in 1934 and their accumulated funds were also used. In 1952 the two trusts, Lord Worsley and Apollo, became the Cleethorpes Masonic Hall Limited. It should be remembered that the Lord Worsley Lodge had moved to the Grimsby Masonic Hall in 1926 and Apollo Lodge, our first "offspring", was actually formed as the second Cleethorpes lodge while meeting in Grimsby.

The Lord Worsley brethren had continued to try and find a site in Cleethorpes so as to move back to their home town, but were not able to do so until 1951 when, along with the Apollo Lodge Brethren, came the opportunity to purchase the present building.

The current Masonic Hall was originally built as a house, "Southlands", in 1905 by Sir Thomas Robinson - the well-known trawler owner. His daughter, Jessie, was twenty at that time and married from the house in 1912. On the death of Sir Thomas Robinson in 1927 Jessie's husband, Mr. Hartington Adams, moved into the house.

Mr. Hartington Adams, known more familiarly as Hart, was a joining member of the Lord Worsley Lodge and served for 20 years as Secretary - making an exception for 2 years as he went through the Chair in 1921. Hart and Jessie’s son, John Robinson Adams, followed this tradition by also becoming Master (in 1964) and, as his father, serving as Secretary for 20 years. It is by this good fortune that we know so much of the history of the grand building and we are much indebted to W.Bro. John Adams for collating this information.

Sadly, in 1946, Hart Adams died but Mrs. Jessie Adams continued to live in the house for the next five years. Originally the house "Southlands" was the very last property on the Kingsway and there was nothing from there as far as the eye could see.

In 1914 Sir Thomas' son, the late Mr F. Robinson Senior, built the next big house called "Summerfields" which is now 4 flats and has in its gardens more residential flats. The Kingsway finished at the house and continued as two cinder tracks with a grass verge in between. Cromwell Road in those days was also cinder and some little sand dunes.

In 1951 Mrs Jessie Adams got the opportunity to move to another house in Lindum Road and put the house up for sale. The estate agent was one W. Bro. Coote Green. He went to see Mrs. Adams and valued the property, bearing in mind it was freehold with an acre and quarter of land in 1951, at £12,000. The other houses in Cromwell Road were built in the Thirties and were, at that time, making round about £3000 for a four bedroom semi-detached. The day after Mr Green had been to see Mrs. Adams she went to a coffee morning in Grimsby at the house of a lady called Mrs Alma Forge whose husband, Roy Forge was managing director of Hewitts Brewery. She happened to tell the ladies present that she was going to sell. At two o'clock on that afternoon Roy Forge had rung Mrs. Adams and asked to see her, he duly came down and Mrs. Adams stood at the front door and greeted him. She knew him quite well. "Mr Forge", she said, "if you are thinking of buying this house and turning it into a public house you are on a wasted journey". She knew that Hewitts Brewery had already obtained licensing permission for an establishment on the Kings Road but couldn't get the land. They had wanted to transfer the license to "Southlands" but Mrs. Adams refused saying she would never let this become, in her words, a pub or licensed premises as such.

As Mrs. Adams was moving in the September of 1951, Mr. Coote Green eventually persuaded her to let him put up a "For Sale" board outside. She agreed on one condition, she would only allow it - "after the August bank holiday when all the crowds had gone."

After the following weekend there were two interested parties. One was a family from Chesterfield who thought they would like to buy it for their daughter as a home and a little kindergarten school. It was agreed that representatives making the second offer should come and meet Mrs Adams on the Saturday morning and W.Bro. John Adams offered to be with her. Mrs. Adams declined saying "Oh no, Mr. Green has told me that I’m to see whoever it is in private with nobody else". W.Bro. Adams recalled that he was somewhat upset about it - after all he had looked after his mothers affairs since the death of his father.

The gentlemen who came to see Mrs. Adams that morning, as far as can be recalled, were W.Bro. Herbert Crampin, W.Bro. Ted Rudkin and W.Bro Stanley Willis. As a result of that visit the Brethren decided to purchase the house to make it into a Freemasons Hall. The original valuation on the house was £12,000, but this had been reduced in the summer. The offer from Chesterfield was £6,500 and the Masons offered £7,000. This was accepted and the house was duly sold for £7,000. When the legal fees and estate agents fees were added it took all the £8,000 Building Fund monies that had been accrued up to that time - leaving no funds to convert the house.

The Brethren of the Lord Worsley and Apollo Lodges were asked to make donations or interest free loans in order to provide funds for the building alterations which were needed to turn the house into a Masonic Hall. The alteration were duly started about Christmas in 1951, and of course the building was consecrated in 1952, but it wasn't complete.

The old billiard room, now the bar, acted as a temple for a year. W.Bro. John Adams recalls being initiated in the billiard room in March 1953. He was led by Brother Sid Wilkes who was the I.G. at the time, from the dining room into the billiard room where there were two steps onto the main floor. Bro. Wilkes said "Mind the step". Mr. Adams (as he was then) said "who are you telling me to mind the step, I’ve been in and out of this place a few times". The temple was brought into use for the Apollo Lodge Meeting in September 1953 and the dining room was finally used in the early part of 1954.

In 1954/55 it was found that there was too much land for the Masonic Brethren to cope with and so they decided to sell off a plot and it was purchased by W.Bro. Heckford, a Grand Lodge Officer, who was then Grimsby Town tax inspector for No. 2 District.

The exterior of the building is to all intents and purposes exactly how it was built. The frontage facing the sea is exactly the same as it ever was, the only alterations that have been made are to the entrance coming in from Cromwell Road, and to some extent the kitchen area to incorporate, what was the kitchen, the coal house and outside toilet and the wash house. The existing car park was, nearest the end of the club room, a big orchard with apple trees while the far end was a kitchen garden. The bowling green was in the old tennis court. The present dining room was made up of the old dining room and another room. In addition to the old dining room and morning room there was also a drawing room. This faced the garden and is now the Rudkin room. There was also a big kitchen, which is approximately at the entrance door into the present kitchen, and there was a pantry on either side, a butler's pantry and a food pantry.

The Temple occupies space that was once a number of bedrooms. W.Bro. Adams always used to inform people that the W.M. sat in the fireplace of what was his mother's bedroom. The Temple included another bedroom with a seat in the bay window where W.Bro. Adams used to sit watching the crowds in the summer on a Sunday evening, after church, parading past the boating lake.

At the far end of the building, which is now the office, was a big double bedroom which the maids used with twin beds. When a resident caretaker, Bro. Ted Johnson, was appointed a flat was provided for him, and an extra bedroom was made so he had two bedrooms a bathroom and what was the maids bedroom was his lounge. A little kitchenette was built over the present kitchens.

On Saturday 30th December 1989, a substantial extension and internal alterations to the Cleethorpes Masonic Hall were officially opened, very appropriately, by W.Bro. John Robinson Adams. The extensions comprised of a complete new front entrance and entrance hall, together with Ladies and Gentlemen’s toilet and Cloakroom facilities, covered access to a new rear entrance to the kitchen, and internal access to the snooker room accommodated in the old garage block.

W.Bro. Adams was invited to perform the opening ceremony by the Board of Directors of Cleethorpes Masonic Hall Limited in recognition of the fact that, not only had it been his family home, he had also been secretary for Cleethorpes Masonic Hall Limited for 21 years and, as his father before him, secretary for the Lord Worsley Lodge for 20 years.

W.Bro. John Adams now lives in the house his mother moved to in Lindum Road and, after 50 Years in Masonry, continues his service to the Lord Worsley Lodge as Lecture Master.

LORD WORSLEY - THE MAN BEHIND THE LODGE

A history compiled by W.Bro. Stewart Oxborough, Master of Lord Worsley Lodge No.3017

Freemasons Lodges are variously named to commemorate worthy individuals, events, Masonic tenets, etc.. The founding Brethren of the Lord Worsley Lodge No:3017 in 1904 continued a strong local Masonic custom by linking its name with the family of the Earl of Yarborough - the then Provincial Grand Master for Lincolnshire and first Worshipful Master of the Lodge.

Despite their sagacity, they were not to know what an inspired choice they had made in naming the Lodge after Charles Sackville Pelham, the then sixteen-year-old eldest son of the 4th. Earl, who traditionally takes the title of The Lord Worsley.

Lord Worsley in 1904

As we shall see, Lord Worsley's life was a shining example of those qualities we profess and strive to maintain, both in action and word, in Freemasonry.

A shy boy throughout his early years, Charles, had an endearing passion for horses which he never lost and was, just like many other young men brought up in the country, being a fine rider, and keen about sports.

Lord Worsley on his Charger at Brocklesby

He was devoted to his mother and had an intense love of home. He possessed a very loveable and affectionate disposition, and was always cheerful and happy. These qualities, along with the natural courtesy of his manners, could sometimes hide from strangers a strong depth of character. He was a particularly sensible young fellow and considered in advance of many of his own age.

Lord Worsley was educated at Eton and then abroad before taking the entrance examination into the Military College at Sandhurst. He had determined to join the Royal Horse Guards "the Blues" and was posted as a 2nd. Lieutenant into the Regiment on 5th. October 1908 - just a short time after attaining his majority on August 14th. 1908.

These early years in the service of his country were filled with good times both in the service and at home, and it was during this time that Lord Worsley became a family man. He had known The Honble. Alexandra Vivian, a young lady of charming manners and great attraction, for some years and in the autumn of 1910 they became engaged. They were married on January 31st. 1911 and the honeymoon, necessarily short due to his military service demands, was spent in Rome where Lady Worsley's father had once been British Ambassador. Lord Worsley was 23 and his bride just under 21.

The following year a daughter was born, but to the grief of themselves and their families, it was stillborn, and there was no other child of the marriage. The married life of these two young people, which was destined to be so soon cut short was, however, blessed with much happiness despite this early tragedy.

Lord Worsley had followed his father into Freemasonry - thought not initially into the Lodge which bore his name. On the 6th May 1913 this was rectified and he was balloted for, and accepted into the Lord Worsley Lodge No:3017 as a joining member. The Lodge and the man were at last united.

Later that same year the couple went on a big game expedition in East Africa. Returning via Egypt and reaching England in January 1914, the young couple moved into their newly refurbished residence in Little Brocklesby, Lincolnshire. Lord Worsley himself was only to spend a few days there - intensely happy days for him and his wife in that Spring of 1914, before he had to go back to his regiment. As it turned out, they were the only days he lived there.

At the time war was declared, Lord Worsley was approaching 27 years of age. His first brother, Sackville George Pelham, who was born in 1888, was to serve in the Great War with the 11th Hussars. Another brother, Marcus Herbert Pelham born in 1893, served in the Lincolnshire Yeomanry and subsequently the 1st Life Guards. Both these brothers survived the Great War and left the Army. A third brother, Darcy Francis, had been born in 1892 but survived only a few days.

In the summer of 1914, and although in a cavalry regiment, Lord Worsley was sent on a machine gun course and on his return to the Regiment was placed in charge of the Machine Gun Section.

Two squadrons of the Royal Horse Guards, including Lord Worsley's unit were sent to Ludgershall Camp on Salisbury Plain for many weeks training.

Lord Worsley, front left, at Ludgershall, October 1914

Lady Worsley travelled there and took lodgings with other officers wives. On Saturday 26th September Lord and Lady Worsley went up to London to their house in Great Cumberland Place. The following day they went with their parents to morning service at Grosvenor Chapel in Great Audley Street. They all then had lunch and remained in conversation until Lord and Lady Worsley motored back to Salisbury Plain. That was the last time on which his parents saw him.

Soon afterwards, on 6th. October, the Regiment embarked for Ostend. Throughout that October the Regiment was moved backwards and forwards around Passchendaele, Zonnebeke, Ypres, Mount Kemmel, and Zillebeke - names well known to those who study the Great War. These manoeuvres often resulted in spending 17 hours in the saddle, a few hours rest, and then a further period in the saddle. On October 23rd. 1914 the "Blues" were sent into trenches at Zandvoorde, relieving the "Royals" at daybreak and receiving a good shelling as a welcome.

Trenches at the early part of the war, particularly those at Zandvoorde, were very primitive and uncomfortable. The shelter they afforded against the enemy's H.E. shells was negligible. He wrote to his wife "I am still in the trenches...last night was the most miserable I have ever spent...the heavens opened and it poured and blew all night." In his last letter on October 27th he wrote that his brown charger "Bodmin" had been killed and closed with the words..."God keep you and me, and bless us both and our friends."

His words do not convey the heroism and endeavour shown by the "Blues" at that time. Field Marshal, Earl Haig speaking of the British Cavalry at Zandvoorde said...."British Cavalry were more than a match for the German Cavalry brought against them, their sound training and good shooting proving more than sufficient to counterbalance German superiority in numbers."

On the 29th October the "Blues" were relieved in the trenches by the 1st Life Guards under Lord Hugh Grosvenor. As he was coming out of the trenches, Lord Worsley was told that as the Life Guards only had one machine gun, it was necessary for him to go back and assist them. That was after seven consecutive days in the front line, with no relief as the other troops had had. No complaint was heard; to others he appeared cheerful, and when receiving orders to remain in the trenches he smiled and said it was "all in the day's work"; but it must have been a bitter disappointment when he was ordered back once more to face danger and discomfort - and death.

After an ominously quiet night, at 7.00am on the 30th October 1914 the enemy began a terrific barrage with high explosive and shrapnel from some 260 heavy guns on the Zandvoorde Ridge.

This terrible shelling lasted for one and a half hours. The trenches were exposed to full view of the enemy on three sides and by 9.00 o'clock were literally blown to pieces and one troop totally buried.

As the Germans advanced, the Brigade withdrew to the support trenches. Messages were sent to Lord Worsley's unit telling him to fall back, but it is not known if they ever reached him. Indeed, nothing is known with certainty what took place, because none of the officers and men in the remaining trenches survived and there were no prisoners; not a man came in to give any information as to what took place - they were all killed. An officer in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers trenches to the left of Lord Worsley subsequently described the defence put up that day as one of the finest feats of the War.

Lord Worsley and his Machine Guns, October 1914

Lord Worsley was last seen directing his gun as enemy shell fire exploded all around him. In front of his position was a mound of dead Germans - mute testimony to the work of his Machine Gun Section throughout that morning. His gun was heard chattering before an ominous silence settled over the Zandvoorde Ridge. Despite the apparent loss of our Brother, the cost to the enemy had been heavy, and valuable time had been gained for the British Command. Field Marshal, the Earl Haig was doubly distressed at this grim news as Lady Worsley was his sister-in-law.

The War Office telegraphed on November 7th 1914 that Lord Worsley was "missing" but with no assured notice of his death he was subsequently promoted to the rank of Captain on November 15th 1914. On January 11th 1915, however, the sad news was received that the latest German list of British killed showed the name of Lord Worsley. It was also stated that he had been buried south of Zandvoorde. Thus, after more than two months of intense anxiety and doubt for his young wife, his parents, and relatives and friends the worst was announced.

The Worshipful Master of the Lord Worsley Lodge called an emergency meeting on the 19th January 1915 and the sad news was passed to the Brethren that their Brother Mason had given his life in the service of his country.

Lord Worsley's parents made enquiries which resulted in a map of the location of his grave and return of Lord Worsley's identification disc. The Imperial War Graves Commission followed up on this and came across a report of the battle. A German cavalry officer and aristocrat, Oberleutnent Freiherr von Prankh, interested to know who had held out so valiantly against him inspected the trenches. There he found the body of Lord Worsley, removed the identity disc, and had him properly buried and a cross placed on the grave.

Unfortunately, von Prankh was killed a few days later and the personal belongings never recovered. The identity disc did, however, survive and was returned to Lady Worsley.

A friend of Marcus Pelham, Col. A. W. H. James, was entrusted with a copy of the map of Lord Worsley's grave and endeavoured to find it. The first attempt failed but on a second visit in December 1918 proved successful. Taking bearings outside the village of Zandvoorde, due North 100m to one road and due East 100m to another, he walked to the spot indicated on the map. At the exact spot they found the upright of a cross. There was no sign of the cross piece or any other grave.

He placed some large pieces of stone around the upright before leaving. In the village where he was billeted he then had a simple wooden cross made which was inscribed with the words:

"R. I. P. Lord Worsley, R. H. G. Oct. 30th, 1914."

The next visit to the grave was by Sackville Pelham and Col. James. They collected the new cross and made their way to Zandvoorde. On arrival at the grave they found a patchy osier fence growing near the grave running East to West. They took cuttings from this and several of these plants now grow in the grounds at Brocklesby. Park. At the grave they dug down six inches and amazingly found the cross piece of the old German Cross. It was remarkable as the area had been under constant shellfire since the original grave had been dug. The new cross was put in place and the old German one removed. This now hangs over Lord Worsley's sword in Brocklesby Church. They reported what they had done to the War Graves Commission who put up a sign prohibiting anyone from touching it.

It was the policy of the War Graves Commission to exhume the body of those soldiers in isolated graves and put them in suitable cemeteries so they may be properly attended. However, they would also honour any wish of the family in this delicate matter. Lord Worsley's family considered it wise and right to move the grave and the Chaplain of the Naval depot at Immingham, the Reverend R. S. Swann-Mason, representing the family, attended the exhumation at Zandvoorde, on September 8th 1921.

The body was properly identified, reverently placed in a coffin and covered with the Union Jack. Then, along with the wooden cross, conveyed in a covered van at a stately pace to a mortuary near the town of Ypres.

Lord Worsley's coffin is carried into the Ypres Cemetery

The burial took place the following morning at 10.00 am Friday September 9th 1921 in the Military Extension No. 291 of the Ypres Town Cemetery, just outside the Menin Gate and beyond the cross-roads of the Menin Road which leads to the infamous "Hell Fire Corner". A short, simple service followed and two small bunches of marigolds were placed on the coffin - one for Lady Yarborough and one for Lady Worsley.

Reverend R. S. Swann-Mason at Worsley's Re-burial

After committal and prayers, the grave was then closed and the wooden cross from Zandvoorde placed at its head.

There the cross remained until 1923, when the new War Graves Commission erected the now familiar headstone used at all military cemeteries. The wooden cross was carefully removed and returned to Lord and Lady Yarborough. This cross now also hangs in Brocklesby Church - opposite Lord Worsley's sword and the original German Cross from Zandvoorde.

The headstone bears the monogram of the Royal Horse Guards at the top; above the Cross are the words:

LIEUTENANT
LORD WORSLEY
ROYAL HORSE GUARDS
ZANDVOORDE
30TH OCTOBER 1914, AGE 27

Below the Cross:

HE DIED FIGHTING FOR GOD
AND RIGHT AND LIBERTY
AND SUCH A DEATH IS IMMORTALITY

The grave is set out as one of four in a row amongst others in the Military annexe of the town Cemetery.

Members of his family visited the grave at Ypres, so carefully tended and in the spring bright with English flowers - the last resting place of our dear departed Brother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Lord Worsley's original grave at Zandvoorde was located, Lady Worsley at once took steps to buy the ground in which her husband lay. The task was long and tedious , but the land was eventually purchased. The money required was raised by the wives and parents of those who died on 30th October 1914. This land was eventually conveyed to the Imperial War Graves commission by Lady Worsley and it was there that the Household Cavalry decided to erect a memorial to commemorate the sacrifice of the three regiments who perished on the Zandvoorde Ridge.

The memorial is in the form of a 21 feet high column, which is surmounted with a cross. The names of the glorious dead are inscribed on the front of the column, and on the base is the following inscription:

"To those of the 1st and 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards who died fighting in France and Flanders, 1914. Many of them fell in defence of the Ridge upon which this cross stands."

The memorial was unveiled by Field Marshal Earl Haig, Colonel of the Royal Horse Guards, also representing the King, on May 4th 1924. The three regiments were present along with a large number of the relatives of those who were commemorated.

Earl Haig gave an impressive address. There then followed two minutes silence between the "Last Post" and "Reveille." The service ended, wreaths were placed by officers of the three regiments, and they were followed by the relatives - among them were Lord Worsley's family - his parents, Lady Worsley, and Lord Worsley's two brothers.

Our founding Worshipful Master must have had a heavy heart that day but could take great consolation in the knowledge that his eldest son, Lord Worsley, had enforced by example and precept the tenets of Freemasonry even to the point of his own death.

As he wrote to the Lodge... "I beg you to convey to the Brethren of the Lord Worsley Lodge the grateful thanks of Lady Yarborough and myself and Lady Worsley for their kind expression of sympathy on the death of our dear son. You and the Brethren who were privileged to know his noble character can measure the depth of our grief, and the loss we have sustained. It is however some consolation to know that we can always look back with pride to the fact that he did his duty and died like a Hero."

OUR HISTORY RE-VISITED

Brocklesby Today

Memorials to the 4th Earl of Yarborough and his son, The Lord Worsley, are in Brocklesby Church and are fitting tributes to these two Freemasons who are so close to the heart of the Lord Worsley Lodge members.

The 4th Earl was the Provincial Grand Master of Lincolnshire from 1895 to 1936 - a remarkable record of 41 years which our current Provincial Grand Master said (in his address to the Lord Worsley Lodge's Centenary Meeting in 2004) he had no wish to emulate.

On the memorial to the 4th Earl of Yarborough, the Square and Compasses can be seen in the oval tablet to the left of the Earl's likeness and Lincoln Cathedral in that on the right.

The memorial to Lord Worlsey is a wall mounted high relief in alabaster and marble and shows him, in uniform, kneeling at prayer. The memorial is by the sculptor Charles Sargeant Jagger (1885-1934) who has produced many magnificent memorials to the Great War.

Jagger also sculpted Sir Ernest Shackleton, another famous Freemason, and this stands in a niche on the Exhibition Road side of the Royal Geographical Society.

The memorial to Lord Worsley is finished in a 17th century style and bears, in a roundel above the frame, the buckle logo of Lord Worsley - a likeness of which has been adopted in tribute by the Lord Worsley Lodge of Masonic Instruction.

 

 

The Household Cavalry Memorial at Zandvoorde today.

Once in the centre of a field in the village of Zandvoorde, the memorial is now behind modern houses and is acessed by a gate and path between them. A Book of Remembrance is placed at the gate for visitors to sign.

The photograph is taken along the line of the trenches that Lord Worsley commanded. The Germans attacked from the left - trying to break through to Ypres and the sea to the right.

The Memorial stands on the site of Lord Worsley's original grave - where he was killed - his name is engraved on the base of the Memorial hidden by the small hedge.

The Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium today.

The British Memorial to the Missing was built to commemorate those who were killed around Ypres between 1914 and 1917 but have no known grave - it bears the name of 54,896 soldiers.

Every evening at 8.00 p.m. the traffic is stopped and members of the Ypres Fire Brigade sound the Last Post. In a simple, moving ceremony the silver bugles ring out in tribute to those who died. On a still night the fanfare can be heard from Lord Worsley's grave in the small Ypres Town Cemetery Military Extension, only just beyond the Menin Gate - past the cross roads and houses which can just be seen through the archway.

Lord Worsley's Grave, Ypres Town Cemetery today.

Lord Worsley's grave is the first of the row of four. He is buried next to an unknown soldier and two double graves. So it is that all distinctions, save those of goodness and virtue, cease when death, the grand leveller of all human greatness, reduces us to the same state.