Lodge Records

Unfortunately there are large gaps in the recorded history of the Lodge, which are available for research, and one can only work from information that is obtainable.
Around 1938 there was a dispute with a Lodge member, which resulted in most of the recorded material up to that time, being destroyed.
The whereabouts & records from that time up to 1951 are also unknown. As you will appreciate it is indeed sad that such large gaps exist and this narrative is the poorer as a result.
However, working from what has been found to date, here are some points of interest:
Reading through the Declaration Book, one notices that the Declaration in respect of, Alfred William Richards, February 21st.1930 and John Francis Banks, December 19th. of the same year, were not signed!
Unfortunately, with the Minutes not being available, we do not know whether they were in fact Initiated, which perhaps seems unlikely, and if not, why?
In 1937, the various fees in the Lodge were: -

£. s. d.

Entrance Fee 5-15-0
Annual Subscription 4- 4-0
Temple Fund 10-10-0

From the Treasurer’s Book of 1953 the annual subscriptions were £6-6s-0d
A browse through the Tyler’s Book tells us that at the Installation of Bro. W. E. Aston on October 16th. 1959 no less than 44 visitors attended the Lodge that evening.
Reading from the Lodge Minute Book covering the period March 16th. 1951 up to January 20th. 1967, the following points may be of interest:
That March meeting, being the first recorded in this book, shows that the W.M. was none other than Bro. Reginald J. Foort, the well-known theatre organist, and the ceremony performed was the Initiation of William Edward Jupp.
The summons shows that W. Bro. Les Godsall was Director of Music, W. Bro. Horace Allbut P.Prov.G.D., was the Almoner, and Bro. Norman Parker was waiting to be Raised. He duly received this privilege the following November, when Bro. Frank R. Bendy was in the chair. The Traditional History and the Working Tools were presented by the now W. Bro. Reginald J. Foort.
This ceremony appears to have been the last one carried out at a March meeting until 1963, due to the Ladies Evening being held on the same day. Although March meetings continued to be held during this period, ceremonies did not take place, thus the shortened proceedings allowed the Brethren to be home early to prepare for Ladies Evening.
Another of our long serving members was Initiated at the meeting on December 21st. 1951, Wilfred Edward Aston. He was Passed at the very next meeting in January 1952, in a double ceremony with Bro. W. E. Jupp and was again featured in a double ceremony in February 1953, when he was Raised.
It was reported at that December meeting by the Preceptor, W. Bro. J. T. Thursfield, that the Lodge of Instruction had been cancelled due to the large number of members who were ill.
The W.M. requested that in accordance with Grand Lodge wishes, would the Brethren in future wear white gloves when attending Lodge meetings.
February 15th. 1952 saw a change of agenda for some reason from the Initiation of Frederick William Armfield, to the Raising of Bro. A. Smith. Mr. Armfield was Initiated at the April meeting.
The Secretary read a letter from Grand Lodge referring to the death of the Past Grand Master, Most W. Bro. His Majesty King George VI, and at 2.00 p.m. the Brethren stood in silence for two minutes, in accordance with a gesture that was taking place nationwide at that time.
When Bro. I. Scofield Earl, was Installed as Master on Friday, October 17th. 1952, Bro. Norman Parker was invested as a Steward of the Lodge for the first time, and he still held that position in 1991.
For the Regular Lodge Meeting on April 23rd. 1954, the Lodge summons had a corner printed in black, and contained the wording:
“In consequence of the lamented death of Rt. Wor. Bro. Brig. General W. H. V. Darell, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., Asst. Grand Master, Past Prov. Grand Master, the Lodge will be in mourning for 3 months as from 7th. February 1954. This mourning will consist of a Black Rosette on the point of each Officer’s Collar.”
The ballot for the Master for the ensuing year, saw the J.W., Bro. L. A. Beniston elected to the office, as the S.W., Bro. G. V. Norton was unable to accept the honour.
When Bro. K W. Dews was Raised at the meeting on April 15th. 1955, the W.M. Bro. L. A. Beniston informed him that the Traditional History would be explained to him at a later date. This ceremony had been substituted because of a technical error on the part of the Lodge, and the Initiation of George Walter Cross could not take place. Mr. Cross did succeed in November that year.
Lodge fees were increased to £7-7s-0d.
At the Installation Meeting on October 21st. 1955, the Brethren witnessed an unusual but delightful situation, when one brother installed his own brother into the Chair of King Solomon. Bro. L. A. Beniston installed his brother Frank Beniston.
During the first meeting that Bro. Frank Beniston held as the W.M., he requested W. Bro. C. J. Edwards to “give the Installation Address to the Junior Warden, Bro. F. Lock who had not been present at the Installation Meeting.”
The December meeting in 1956, which was held on a Thursday, did not bring much good news for the Initiates at that meeting, for their entrance fees were increased to 25 guineas. The good news though was that the Lodge was presented with a certificate as Patron Lodge of the Royal Masonic Hospital.
Further good news was that W. Bro. Frank Bendy had been appointed P.J.G.D.
April 26th. 1957 saw a change of day too. It was the fourth Friday of the month because the Edgbaston Assembly Rooms had been closed over the Easter Holiday.
During the Installation Meeting of Bro F. Lock on October 18th.1957, W. Bro. Les Godsall proposed as a Joining Member, Bro. Fred Kelly, who was duly elected at the next meeting and promptly appointed Lodge Organist
At that November meeting, the Secretary read a letter from the son of W. Bro. Rev. R. E Price, informing the Lodge that his father had recently celebrated his 90th birthday.
Mr. William Edward Gibbons was Initiated at this meeting, and my proposer to this Lodge. Walter Anthony Samuel Allsop was proposed as a candidate. He was Initiated in January 1958.
It was announced at the meeting that one of our former Worshipful Masters, had been excluded due to non-payment of subscriptions.
At this same meeting, they were increased to 9 guineas.
January 1958 brought an unusual letter from an ex-rnember of the Lodge. He had resigned in 1934 being one year in arrears with his subscription, and being unable to pay at the time. His letter expressed regret and the desire to discharge his debt, and on being informed that he owed 4 guineas sent a cheque for £25, with the

instruction that the residue go to Lodge charities.
A double ceremony was performed on February 21st. when Bro. 0. A. James was Passed and Bro. R. E. Hawkins was Raised.
Bro. Frank Packwood was Installed on October 17th. 1959.
At that meeting, Bro. Phillip Everett Price, a Master Mariner, who was Initiated in 1926 when his father W. Bro. Rev. Price was Master, made his first appearance in the Lodge for over 30 years, and was proposed as a rejoining member.
At the Regular Meeting on December 19th. 1958 when Bro. W. A. S. Allsop was Passed, and Bro. G. A. Jones Raised, Bro. V. E. Partridge presented to the Lodge a volume of the Sacred Law.
The ceremony of dedication for that new volume was performed at the meeting on January 16th. 1959 when the Lodge was honoured by a visit from the P.G. M. The Very Rev. Michael Clarke, MA, and the Provincial Grand Chaplain, W. Bro. Rev, E. F. H. Spencer, who performed the ceremony.
This meeting also saw a double Raising when the W.M. Bro. Frank Packwood, Raised Bro.W.E. Gibbons and Bro P. E. Price.
Bro. Charles Hedges was welcomed to the Lodge on one of his rare occasions due to his ill health.
There was indeed sad news announced at the meeting on November 18th. 1960, when the W.M. informed the Brethren of the death of the oldest member of the Lodge, W. Bro. Rev. R. E. Price, P.P.G. Chap., who had passed to the Grand Lodge above on October 26th. at the age of 93.
It was also announced that Bro. Fred Kelly, the acting Lodge Organist for some time, had become seriously ill. The situation is not too clear with reference to Bro. Fred, as it is recorded in the Minutes of the meeting held on February 17th. 1961 that he was proposed and balloted for as a Joining Member. Confusion arises from the fact that Bro. Fred had already been proposed as a Joining Member on October 1st. 1957 and elected at the next meeting, and promptly appointed Lodge Organist!
On December 21st. 1962, the Regular Meeting was billed as an “Old English Meeting”, and Ernest Howard Humphries was Initiated. No reference to the fact referred to in the ‘billing,’ is recorded in the Minutes.
W.Bro. A.N.B. Holland presented a new cushion to the Lodge to mark his 21 years as Treasurer of the Mozart Lodge. This is still in use today.
Lodge fees were increased to 10 guineas.
There was a double ceremony on March 15th. 1963, when Bro. K. A. T. Birch and Bro. E. H. Humphries were Passed.
The Installation Meeting on October 16th. 1964, when R W. J. Sabell was Installed, also marked the Golden Jubilee of the forming of Mozart Lodge. Bro. W. E Gibbons read a paper entitled, “A History and Traditions of the Lodge” and W. Bro. H. Lamb sang “Within these Hallowed Walls”.
An Emergency Meeting was held on Friday July 8th. 1966 to ballot for a W.M. for the ensuing year. This came about because the Master Elect, W. Bro. E. H. Wills, due to unforeseen business commitments was now unable to accept the honour of being Master of the Lodge.
The Junior Warden, Bro. L D. C. Wilding was elected in his stead.
At the Installation of Bro. L. D. C. Wilding, on October 21st. the W.M. announced that due to ill health, W. Bro. A. N. B. Holland was unable to carry on as Treasurer, a position he had held for 21 years.
In thanking him for his services, the W.M. stated that, “He had supported the Lodge in very difficult times and the Brethren were most grateful to him”. The Brethren then elected him as an Honorary Member of the Lodge.
W. Bro. Fred Clews was elected Treasurer and he held that office when I joined the Lodge in 1981.
When all this business was out of the way, the P.G.M. Rt. W. Bro. Sir Stanley J. Hartley entered the Lodge for the Installation ceremony.
Before he left the Lodge he announced that he was promoting W. Bro. Holland to P.P.J.G.W. at the next meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge.
At the December Lodge Meeting, the W.M. presented to W. Bro. Holland, on behalf of the Brethren, his Provincial Lodge regalia that had been donated to him by the Brethren in recognition of his past services.
The Minute Book was closed with the Lodge Meeting of January 20th. 1967 when John Howard Hughes was Initiated.
The Lodge Minute Book that covered the period from February 17th 1967 to December 18th. 1981, yields the following points of interest:
The first Regular Meeting recorded saw the unfortunate absence of the W.M and the I.P.M. had to take over the proceedings, which included a double Passing, the candidates being taken separately up to the Tracing Board explanation.
In that year, 1967, the Annual Subscriptions were increased to £14-14s-0d
It seems that the practice of performing double ceremonies was repeated for several years, up to 1971, which shows that it was a thriving time for recruitment. In fact in May that same year, an Emergency Meeting was held to Initiate two Candidates.
A different form of double was held at the November meeting, when an Initiation and a Passing were carried out. Both ceremonies were performed by the Worshipful Master Bro. W. E. Gibbons, who had been Installed at the previous meeting.
There was a double Raising in December, but the W.M. handed over the second one to another Past Master.
January 1968 saw an even different variety of double ceremony, when a Second Degree and Third Degree were performed.
There were further double ceremonies up to February 1971, featuring double Initiations, double Raisings, and First and Second Degrees.
A very personal interest attracted my attention to the Installation Meeting of October 17th. 1969, which saw the Installation of my proposer into Mozart Lodge, W. Bro. W. A. S. Allsop. O.B.E. He was called to the Grand Lodge above on Sunday, May 16th. 1982, and was a sad loss.
The April Meeting in 1971 saw the last Lodge Meeting held at the Edgbaston Assembly Rooms, and all future meetings were held at our present venue, the Warwickshire Masonic Temple, Stirling Road, Birmingham.
An Installation Meeting was the first of the Mozart Lodge meetings to be held in the new building, when the late, and great, Walter Busby, was Installed as Master of our Lodge.
1973 saw the Annual Subscriptions increased to £21.
At the December Regular Meeting of that year, the Lodge was closed by the Worshipful Master and Wardens of Robert Mummery Lodge, No. 8331, from the Province of Staffordshire.
We have a special affinity with this Lodge, for several of its Founder Members were from Mozart. They were in fact:
W. Bro. L A. Beniston, W: Bro. F. Beniston, W. Bro. W. E, Aston, W. Bro. F. W. Clews, W.Bro. J.H. Weaver, W.Bro. W.A.S. Allsop and Bro. E. H. Humphries.
Perhaps it is interesting to note the names of those officials who closed the Lodge on that day. They were:
Bro. E. H. Humphries W.M., Bro. K. Martin, S.W. Bro. D. F. Beniston, J.W.
The Worshipful Master and the Junior Warden named there were afterwards Installed into the Chair of King Solomon in the Mozart Lodge.
That same Bro. E. H. Humphries was actually Installed as Master of our Lodge in the following October 1974. Because he was still Master of the Robert Mummery Lodge at the time, a special dispensation had to be obtained from Grand Lodge, for him to become Master of two Lodges at the same time.
Perhaps to witness this unusual happening, the Provincial Grand Master of Warwickshire, R. W. Bro. Sir Stanley T. Harley, came himself to honour the Lodge, and it would appear that this was the only occasion he did so during the life of the Minute Book.
In view of the continuing inflation it was decided to canvas the views of members on discontinuing the March meeting, and having obtained a favourable response, steps were taken in 1976 to change the Lodge Bye-laws, to omit the March Regular Meeting, and substitute April. The March meeting of that year was therefore the last one held in that month.
A very sad entry was recorded at the Regular Meeting of October 20th. 1978, when tribute to departed merit was observed in respect of Bro. J. W. F. Ruddick, Master of the Lodge, who had been called to the Grand Lodge above during his year of office.
His widow, Mrs. Betty Ruddick, later most generously presented to the Lodge, a set of miniature gavels for use at the Festive Board, as a permanent memorial to our late Master.
Later, W. Bro. M. R C. Kingston donated Masonic Collars to the Lodge in memory of his late father, W. Bro. A. B. Kingston, who was Master in 1970.
January 1980 saw a more pleasant incident at the Regular Meeting, the Worshipful Master, Bro. A. F. Jager, expressed pleasure at being able to welcome back to the Lodge, after illness, W. Bro. K. J. W. Kelly, and thanked him for his valuable contribution as Director of Music for many years. He was then presented with the gift of a decanter, contributed to by the Brethren, as a token of their esteem. W. Bro. Fred thanked the Brethren for their kind thoughts and regretted that ill health had forced him to resign that office.
W. Bro. Kelly continued as lodge organist when his health allowed him to attend, until his death on Friday, November 5th. 1985. He was a Brother so sadly missed, not least of all because of the pleasure he had given to the members with his music.
The penultimate meeting recorded in this Minute Book, was on Friday, November 20th. 1981, when the Ballot for as Candidate, and the subsequent Initiation, took place of the compiler of this History of the Mozart Lodge, W. Bro. A. R. S. Aston, who was the 220th initiate into the Lodge.
To complete the Minute Book at the Regular Meeting held on December 18th, 1981, was recorded a small but interesting note, penned on the last page by the then Lodge Secretary, Bro. R. J. Foster, which is worthy of a mention. It reads:
“It is with great relief that I close this Minute Book. The weight of the Office being almost too heavy to carry.”
On our kitchen scales the book weighed 10 pounds!
Our Provincial Grand Master, R.W. Bro. the Rt. Rev. Vernon Nicholls, attended the Installation of W. Bro. R. R. Mason, on Friday, October 17th. 1986.
He honoured the Lodge when I was Master on two occasions, the first being the Regular Meeting on Friday, April 21st. 1989, when Bro. Eric Sinclair was Passed to the Second Degree. Later that year he attended the 75th, Anniversary Meeting.
He attended again on November 16th, 1990, when Bro. Jim Heminsley should have been Installed, but as has been stated elsewhere, this could not happen. At the Dedication of the Lodge Banner on February 15th. 1991 the Lodge was again honoured by his presence.
At the Regular Meeting on April 19th, 1991, the death was announced of W. Bro. K. A. T. Birch, who had been in the Lodge 30 years, and who was the Lodge Treasurer. He had served the Lodge very well during his time, having organised many social events and festive occasions. The charity events he arranged were always very successful. He will be greatly missed not least of all at the Lodge of Instruction where he was a Preceptor.
In 1991 the Lodge fees were increased to £80.
The Minute Book of the Officers Meetings, covering the period March 28th, 1969, to November 24th. 1989 reveal the following points: -
We tend to feel at this moment in time that the Lodge passing through difficult times is something fairly new. Not at all, there have always been difficult times for one reason or another, and always will be.
At the Officers Meeting on September 26th, 1969, because the rent and meal charges at Francis Road had been increased 10%, it was suggested that the number of meetings be reduced to save money. It was not carried through.
Officers Meetings in 1972-73 were held on the second Mondays to facilitate Brethren attending the meetings.
On February 24th, 1989, it was agreed that the Office of Lodge Secretary, should no longer be progressive, and the Office would be held for a maximum of three years.

(Written by W.Bro. Arthur Aston.)

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