Lodge History
Family Tree
The Commercial Temperance Lodge No 3144 provided most of the founders but there are two more from other lodges Harry Amphlett and EW Clark of Tamesis Lodge No 2926 and J Turner of Etonian Lodge of St John No 209. Amphlett was the first Master and Turner became acting WM when Amphlet had to do military service in 1917. Now these guys had to get a sponsor Lodge which was Ellington No 1566 and so became the Mother Lodge. There are six Sister Lodges
W.Bro Dennis Preston
Formation of the Lodge
Early in the year 1917 a few members of the Commercial Temperance Lodge No 3144 met together and discussed the formation of a new lodge. They were Bros R Jewry Harbert, E T Bowyer, J R Johnson, H Langley, R Cross, L R Thomas and W T Groom.
It was felt that we should get greater support if we could get the the Provincial Grand Secretary (W Bro Theodore White) to assist us in the formation of the Lodge. he was eventually interviewed by Bros Harbert and Bowyer and welcomed the idea of forming a lodge bearing his name, but at this time it was extremely difficult to name a Lodge after a living person unless they were of very high rank. He consented however and a petition was put forward, and as expected, not at first favourably received because of its suggested name.
The difficulty was eventually overcome. Whilst negotiations were in progress W Bro Theodore White passed to the Grand Lodge above, but we know that had it been possible he would have been proud to attend its consecration on 22nd September 1917. The Lodge has the distinction of being the last Lodge to be allowed to adopt "Temperance" as part of its name, although other Lodges with the same principles have been formed since. The Lodge was consecrated by W Bro John Thornhill Moreland, Provincial Grand Master of Berkshire. The names of the founders and Offices are shown in the By-laws
B T Scott WM
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