W. Bro. Arthur Crosswell, senior London grand rank, was called to the Grand Lodge above shortly after our summer meeting.
Arthur tyled for us for almost two decades and many brethren will recall his professional approach to ensuring that “his” candidates were always properly prepared. He ensured that an initiate knew just enough to make the OW officers perform well but not enough to spoil the pleasure of the ceremony for the candidate. It was not without reason that he was appointed SLGR.
Arthur was an intensely private individual with both fine war and post war records in the Royal Air Force. On leaving the service he transferred his engineering skills to the Rank Film Studios at Denham where his expertise made life easier both for film directors and performers. He was at Denham during the heyday of the Doctor films that included such stars as Dirk Bogarde & Brigitte Bardot where Arthur and his crews made them look even better actors than perhaps they were.
And did he ever talk about it to any of us? No he did not.
He was a remarkable man who was part of the tyler team for Grand Lodge and tyled for several PSLC lodges but when forced to give up his other PSLC commitments through illness chose to be tyler for us, the Old Wellingtonian Lodge, until the very last day of his active Masonic career. He had, he said a soft spot for Wellingtonians. We had a great respect for him and we missed him both then and now.
JRB