On 2 February 1971, many Brethren congregated at the Masonic Hall in Swansea, the number included the Provincial Grand Master at the time, Lord Swansea, who was to become the primus Worshipful Master. The event was the consecration of the second Installed Masters Lodge in South Wales, Eastern Division – namely, Swansea Lodge No. 8364.
One hundred and fourteen (114) names were on the petition sent to United Grand Lodge of England and most were in attendance on that day.
That was over 50 years ago. In the interim the Swansea Lodge has flourished, maintaining a membership of around 200 ever since. In 1991 the name was changed to Lord Swansea Lodge in honour of the Provincial Grand Master.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary, plans were made to hold a special meeting on the actual anniversary night of the consecration, but to paraphrase Brother Robert Burns, “the best-laid plans of mice and masons often go awry”!
The former Secretary and current Worshipful Master of the Lord Swansea Lodge, W. Bro. Julian Rees, continues the story:
“Discussions about the celebrations started in earnest about three years ago, but before they took place a suggestion was already formulating in my mind.
“In October 2017, I attended a ceremony in Penarth Masonic Hall where, as the representative of Swansea, I received a large poppy from the Western Front Association. This was presented by the Provincial Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Gareth Jones OBE. The aim was that each of the twenty-three Masonic centres in the Province would display it next to their commemorative plaque for fallen brethren.
“The problem was, as I was soon to learn, the current Masonic Hall in Swansea didn’t have such a commemorative plaque for fallen Brethren. After consulting with W. Bro. Edward Thomas, the past Secretary of the hall, it was concluded that the plaque would probably have existed in the Caer Street Masonic Hall in Swansea but was destroyed during the blitz.
“It was proposed at the next Committee meeting of Lord Swansea Lodge, that to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Lord Swansea Lodge would commission a plaque to commemorate the fallen Brethren in the Swansea area during the years of conflict. Various materials, wording and locations were discussed, and we eventually settled on a slate plaque to be placed in the alcove of the foyer, where the telephone used to be. This gave us a ready-made shelf to place a wreath every year around this time. Plus, the poppy I have stored since 2017 could be placed as a permanent tribute.
“A picture of the poppy doesn’t do justice to its appearance; it’s over a foot tall and made from hessian sack once used to make sandbags, together with wire representing the barbed wire defences.”
At the recent Lord Swansea Lodge committee meeting – the first face to face for over eighteen months – the Past Masters were the first to see the plaque before it was given to the Brethren of Swansea as a permanent reminder of the ultimate sacrifice given by so many of our brothers during our country’s conflicts.
