Installation Meeting – October 2018

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The Old Wellingtonian Lodge met for its Installation meeting on 11 October, 2018 to install our new Worshipful Master, W Bro Sidhartha Mallya. Assisted by friends and ruling Masters from the lodges of Repton, Charterhouse and Westminster, and the Secretary Designate of our mother lodge, Household Brigade,  our newly installed Master fluently and confidently appointed and installed his officers and paused to speak passionately and briefly about the importance of looking after our young members and of defending our craft in the face of ill-informed opposition, which he himself had faced only recently. We were also pleased to welcome guests from both Sir Thomas White Lodge and Chapter, Stowe, Onward Lodge No 5540, and Letchworth Lodge No 3505.

The Lodge was well represented with members and guests numbering over 30 on the evening, before repairing for some of the finest beef many had had at a festive board, organised by W Bro Start Bamford and courtesy of the East India, Sports and Public Schools’ club in St James’s. The bar hosted many of those present until closing.

College Meeting – May 2018

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The Lodge held its annual early summer meeting at Wellington College on 12 May 2018.

Although the weather proved against the cricketers playing Marlborough, it did encourage members of the Lodge and their guests to focus on matters masonic indoors, rather than lingering on Turf. We were privileged to welcome guests from sister PSLC Lodges: the Old Uppinghamian Lodge, the Old Rugbeian Lodge and Cholemeley Lodge (Highgate School), as well as masons from the Lodge of St George in East Sussex and from Coventry Foundation Lodge in Warwickshire, together with a member of the College Team, a regular guest and member of Be Prepared Lodge in Berkshire.

These meetings are high prized amongst OW Masons, giving us the chance to revisit College and catch up on the physical development of College which seems to come on leaps and bounds every twelve months, and to meet up with members of staff, current Wellingtonians, and of course Potts. This meeting was particularly special as we had the honour of welcoming a new member to the Lodge; An initiation of an OW at Wellington is always special, for the officers and members of the Lodge as much as for the candidate. The Ceremony was carried in fine style by this year’s Worshipful Master W Bro Peter Draper, formerly of Senior Common Room, ably assisted by his IPM, W Bro Derek Barrett, known to so many OWs from the rackets court.

We dined afterwards in the Senior Common Room Dinning Room, joined by a number of members’ and guests’ partners and friends, and by members of the OW Community including Potts and the Worshipful Master’s guests former SCR Colleague Jim Price and his wife Ceri. We were truly sorry neither the Head Boy or Girl could join us, but we appreciate that it is exam season (as it almost always seems to be for students these days?). A wonderful evening, with perhaps the only cloud being the recent demise of the Waterloo Hotel and the resulting longer journeys  home in place of the familiar amble down past the Talbot (and now the Beresford of course) to the bar, especially for the Old Talbotians. Maybe we are all getting a little old to be still climbing that fence anyway…?

We were delighted to make a small contribution to Potts’ forthcoming challenge to walk two legs (or was that to walk on two legs?) of the  London Brighton challenge for Cystic Fibrosis Trust. If anyone else would like to support him he has a Just Giving page, which worth a visit if only for the Knobbly Knees winning photo of the great man himself.

We look forward to returning next year, and would welcome any members of the College Community, OW masons who are not members of the Lodge, members of PSLC Sister lodges, and our frequent and infrequent visitors to join us. Please do not hesitate to contact the Secretary (secretary@owl3404.org) or contact us via College. We will try an ensure the dates and details are posted in the usual College, OW, and Masonic places.

Honorary Worshipful Master

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The President of Wellington College, His Royal Highness, The Duke of Kent, KG, GCMG, GCVO, ADC and Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England has graciously accepted the position of Permanent Worshipful Master of the Old Wellingtonian Lodge No.3404. As Grand Lodge required him to be physically installed he was proclaimed as Honorary Worshipful Master in the meantime.In 1909 the great, great uncle of the present Grand Master, HRH the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn KG etc, became the Worshipful Master of the Heroum Filii Lodge at its consecration, later to be renamed the Old Wellingtonian Lodge. He remained in that office until his death in 1942 – one of the longest periods a Worshipful Master has ever stayed in an office in any lodge, and outstripped only by the Duke himself.

A century later,  as the Old Wwellingtonian Lodge celebrates it centenary year, the Master and Brethren of the Lodge are indeed privileged to be honoured by the present Grand Master, who is perhaps better known to us as the President of Wellington College, becoming  Honorary Worshipful Master of the Lodge.