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Formation
of Mozart Lodge
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Before the First World War, for some two or three years, a strong desire
had been expressed by a number of Brethren in Birmingham,
for the formation of a daytime Lodge, which would be largely for the benefit of
members of the Musical Profession. By reason of their engagements they were
unable to attend Lodges held in the evening.
A number of Brethren in the Warwickshire
Province held meetings to discuss
the formation of such a Lodge, the first recorded meeting being held on
October 30th. l913.
Unfortunately, a full list of Brethren attending that meeting is not to be
found, but in the Chair was W. Bro. F. J. Penn, of the Bedford Lodge No. 925,
and other Brethren present who were mentioned in the Minutes, were, W. Bro.
L. H. Boocock, Bro. S. Simms, Bro. H. Suck, Bro. S. N. Purchase, and possibly
W. Bro. J. J. Gittings, W. Bro. S. Higgins; and Bro. H. W. Stratton, Bro.
Boughey, Bro. L. Smith and Bro. W. H. Millard.
At that meeting it was proposed that a musical member should be the first
Worshipful Master of the Lodge. After some discussion, it was decided to
offer the position to W. Bro. Dr. G. R. Sinclair.
Should he decline, then W. Bro. F. J. Penn offered to take the position.
When the second recorded meeting took place on December 30th, 1913, it was
decided that the Lodge meetings be held on the third Friday of the month,
Friday being a day off for musicians, free from matinees and rehearsals, and
this would enable them to attend their Lodge meetings, and still follow their
business in the evening.
Although the motive behind the formation of the Lodge was as has just been
stated, membership was never limited to musicians.
Looking through the list of Founders and some of the early applications for
membership, there are a wide range of professions stated who are not apparent
as musicians. Not apparent that is as professionals but they may have been
semi professional or amateur as indeed we know that some of them were.
Job titles such as: -
Doctor Clerk
in Holy Orders
Merchant
Timber Merchant
Stocktaker
Theatrical Manager
Gentleman Actor
Vocalist
Motor Agent
Telegraphist
Police Inspector Assurance
Superintendent
Licensed Victualler Chartered Accountant
Grinding Wheel
Demonstrator & Advisor and many more
There were of course many musicians, and some with such grand titles as: -
Musical Director of
the Harrogate Corporation
Conductor Birmingham Symphony
Orchestra
along with several
other Professors of Music.
Interesting to note that one of the early Professors of Music who applied to
join Mozart Lodge on January 19th,
1917, was Walter Aden Heard, the Grandfather of one of our Past
Masters W. Bro. D. L. Heard.
On looking through some of the early ‘Application To Join’ forms,
a letter of support for one of the candidates makes interesting reading. The
letter from the referee is dated November 29th. 1915, and reads: -
“I only wish that half the Gents proposed for Masonic Lodges were half
as good morally or financially as Mr. B………….. I note
your Lodge is a young one and that will perhaps account for you not enclosing
the usual stamped envelope when sending out enquiries, like yours, this is a
fixed rule in all old Lodges.”
The writer was the owner of a factory and the reply was on the Company
letterhead. Postage at that time was one old penny.
At the next Preliminary Meeting, held on February 18th. 1914, it was decided
that each officer would provide his own collar and jewel. It is recorded
later that these cost 17 shillings and 6 pence for each officer.
Five meetings would be held, in the months of October, November, January, February
and March.
The following fees were also decided upon:
Founders fee £3-3s (including jewel)
Subscription £2-2s (5 shillings of which would be for the Benevolent Fund)
Initiation fee £8-8s (£2-2s of which was for the Benevolent Fund)
Joining fee £2-2s (10 shillings and 6 pence for the Benevolent Fund)
It should be noted that the subscription included luncheon after the mid-day
meetings, and the Installation banquet.
The bank selected for the Lodge was to be the Metropolitan.
When a further meeting took place on May 20th. the venue for the Lodge
meetings was discussed which was to be either the Masonic Hall in New
Street, or the one in Severn
Street. It would appear that no firm decision
had been made for the venue by the time the petition was presented to the
Grand Lodge Secretary and he stated that the petition could not be accepted
without it stating where the meetings were to be held. The Brother presenting
the Petition had to make a snap decision and chose the Masonic Hall, New
Street and details with that place would have to
be sorted out later.
Later on, when the new Temple was
built in Broad Street, in
1925-26, meetings were transferred to there.
Design of the banner was left to the decision of a sub-committee, and a
design was submitted by W.Bro. F. J. Penn. The bar of music which was to
feature on the Banner was decided at that meeting of May 20th.
Being named after the great composer, who of course was a Freemason, it was
very fitting to display the fact on the Banner, and so the music chosen was
taken from his aria, “Within These Hallowed Walls”, which was
part of the “Magic Flute”.
A motto displayed thereon is, ‘Commit thy work to God’.
The cost of the banner was estimated at £15-15s.
Messrs. Kenning & Son were given the order for the banner finally and it
was specified that the photograph of Mozart was to be removable so that it
could be kept flat. .
 Founder
Members would receive a jewel, and several of these are still in circulation,
and are in possession of some of the Past Masters and worn as Past
Master’s Jewels.
Consecrating officers at the ceremony were to be presented with a Founders
Jewel and were also to be appointed Honorary Members of the Lodge. They were
of course, the Provincial Grand Master of Warwickshire, Rt. W. Bro. George
Beech, assisted by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, W. Bro Lt. Col. W. F.
Wyley.
Bro. A. Heydon had applied to be the Tyler
of the Lodge and he was accepted.
Bedford Lodge No. 925, were to be
given the honour of petitioning for the new Lodge, although only two of the
Founder members were from that Lodge. The main force behind the project seems
to have been W. Bro. F. J. Penn. who was a member of Bedford Lodge, so that
was as good a reason as any for them being asked so to do.
The Petition to Grand Lodge to found the new Mozart Lodge, containing the
names of 38 Founder members, was signed on April 20th. 1914, by the
Worshipful Master, and the Senior and Junior Wardens of Bedford Lodge, in
open Lodge assembled.
Below are listed the names of the 38 Brethren referred to: -
George Robertson Sinclair, Palladian Lodge - 120, Doctor of Music.
Fredrick James Penn, Bedford
Lodge - 925, Retired Engineer.
Edward Larkham, Arter Lodge - 2654, Agent.
John Headon Boocock, St Paul’s
Lodge - 43, District Manager.
Joseph James Gittings, Temperance Lodge - 739, Manufacturer.
Reginald Charles Foort, Beneventa Lodge - 2380, Musician.
Ernest Edward Colley, Marmion Lodge - 1060 Colliery Agent.
Vernon William Heeley, Elkington
Lodge - 1016, Merchant.
Arthur Hands, George Beech Lodge - 2897, Manufacturing Jeweller.
Frank Clifford James, St Laurence Lodge -2724, Motor Agent.
Samuel Higgins, Lodge of Israel
- 1474, Glass Manufacturer.
Henry Simms, Harmonic Lodge - 252, Surgeon.
Frederick Mountford, Forward Lodge - 1180, Manufacturer.
Gerald Collier Forty, Grosvenor Lodge - 938, Piano Merchant.
Heinrich Johannes Carl
August Suck, Tudor Lodge - 1792, Professor of Music.
Charles Edward Gittings, Machen Lodge -1782, Hardware Manufacturer.
Harry Wymark Stratton, Tudor Lodge - 1792, Professor of Music.
William Charles Westbury, Athol Lodge - 74, Manufacturer.
William Hen Millard, Lechmere Volunteer - 1874, Gentleman.
Turner Meggson, Lechmere Volunteer - 1874, Stocktaker.
Christian Gustauresheilsen, Forward Lodge -1180, Agent.
William Hastaway Buxton, Agricola Lodge - 1991, Manager.
Sydney Nelson Purchase, Stechford Lodge- 3185, Manager.
Percy Leonard Dyche, Tudor Lodge - 1792, Professor of Music.
Charles Henry Twinn, Tudor Lodge - 1792, Professor of Music.
George Thomas, Faithful Lodge - 473, Surgeon.
William Charles Hook, Forward Lodge - 1180, Licensed Victualler.
Walter Thomas Owen, Bedford Lodge
- 925, Chartered Accountant.
Samuel Simms, Faithful Lodge - 473, Professor of Music.
Henry Groves, Arter Lodge - 2654, Manufacturer.
Ernest Osborne, Athol Lodge - 74, Surgeon.
William Henry Barnard, George Beech Lodge - 2897, Merchant.
Hancel Timperley, George Beech Lodge - 2897, Professor of Music.
Richard Hanson Griffiths, Holte Lodge - 124, Manufacturer.
Gerald Davidson Bradbury, Apollo Lodge - 305, Manager.
Henry Arthur Freeman, Moolton Lodge -1307, Musician.
Harry Rowland, Lodge of Sincerity -174, Musician.
Lewis William Smith, George Beech Lodge - 2897, Director.
No less than 24 different Lodges provided the Founder Members, but one
unfortunate member, Bro. Joseph Owen, of Tudor Lodge 1792, due to an
oversight, did not sign the Petition and was not therefore recorded as a
genuine Founder Member, although he was recognised in the Lodge as being so.
He is included in the list of Founders in the Bye Laws, but this of course
only after having to go through the painful process of being proposed and
balloted for as a Joining Member due to the oversight.
Two other differences are shown in the list of Founders in the Bye Laws, from
the hand written list of Founders in the Lodge records. The hand written list
shows the forename of Bro. Timperley, as Handel, and Bro. William Hastaway
Buxton is written as William Harkaway Burton.
Moolton Lodge No.1307 is no longer in existence. It was consecrated in March
1870 in Moolton, Punjab, India
and it was erased in 1971 on the recommendation of the District Grand Master
for Pakistan,
as the Lodge had not met since April 1970.
There has been no masonic activity in Pakistan
since that time, and all English Lodges there have been in abeyance since
1973.
Grand Lodge sanctioned our formation on June 17th. 1914 and we were number
3735 in the Register of the Grand Lodge of England.
A sum of £3-4s was paid to Provincial Grand Lodge, for the cost of
registration and a copy of the Bye Laws.
(Written by W.Bro. Arthur Aston.)
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