THE BUILDER MAY 1916

REGIMENTAL LODGES
BY BRO. J. L. CARSON. VIRGINIA

REGIMENTAL lodges were the pioneers, the missionaries of the Craft-
-Asia, Africa, Australia, America, Canada and the Continent of
Europe, owe much to this source of Masonry, particularly the Royal
Arch and Knight Templar Degrees.

The first military lodge ever warranted was No. 11 on the roll of
the Grand Lodge of Ireland. It was issued in 1732 to the old "1st
Foot" then the "1st Royal Regiment," now the "Royal Scots
Regiment," and the succession of traveling warrants from the Grand
Lodge of Ireland outnumbered those of all the other constitutions
put together.

The earliest regulations dealing with these field lodges are to be
found in the Irish Code of 1768, which incidentally contain the
first attempt at limiting the jurisdiction of each Grand Lodge to
its own country.

Our soldier brethren were allowed to work Masonry at any place
where their regiments were stationed, but they were not allowed to
initiate civilians in any district where a regular lodge was
warranted nor could a civilian lodge initiate a soldier if there
was a lodge in his regiment. Indeed, since 1850, no army lodge
could initiate a civilian under any circumstance.

The histories of these old travelling warrants would be most
interesting reading, but "the fortunes of war" have left few of the
army lodge records available to the student of Masonic history.

WASHINGTON BIBLE

In the officers' mess of the Forty-sixth Regiment of Foot, in a
glass case is preserved a Bible with the following inscription:

"On this sacred volume Washington received a degree of Masonry. It
was twice taken by the enemy, and both times returned to the
regiment with all the honours of war."

In 1788 when the Forty-sixth was engaged in the hostilities between
England and America, this Bible was taken by the regiment from the
house of people called West when in New Bedford, Mass., but how
this family Bible got from Fredericksburg, Va., where we know
Washington received his first three degrees, and fell into the
hands of the Wests in New Bedford, Mass., is still an unexplained
Masonic secret.

We know that the lodge chest of the Forty-sixth, covered by warrant
No. 227, granted in 1752 by the Grand Lodge of Ireland, fell into
the hands of the Americans, and General Washington returned it to
the regiment in charge of a guard of honor. In 1805 this same lodge
chest fell into the hands of the French at Dominica, and was
returned the year after by the French government. In 1822 this
chest was lost in India and was rediscovered in 1829 and returned
to the regiment.

AGAIN IN AMERICA

We find the Forty-sixth with its lodge, No. 227, again in America
in 1834. In 1855 this lodge joined the Grand Lodge of Canada and
adopted the name, "Lodge of Antiquity." In 1869 at the formation of
the Grand Lodge of the Province of Quebec, the first lodge on roll
is "Antiquity," No. 1, the old No. 227, of the Forty-sixth Foot,
while Lodges No. 2, "Albion," and No. 3, "St. Johns," were both
formerly in the Royal Artillery.

WAR-TIME WARRANTS

At one time military lodges were very popular, some regiments
carrying two and often more travelling warrants. Ten lodges were at
work in the Revolutionary War. Two lodges accompanied the American
army during the Mexican War, while over a hundred dispensations for
lodges are supposed to have been issued during the Civil War.
Cannot some of our grand old veterans tell us something of some of
these ?

NONE IN STANDING ARMY

There are, however, no lodges in the standing army of the United
States at present, and out of the many hundreds that were at one
time active in the British army, only about ten are now at work,
many having become stationary in military garrisons, or dropped out
of their regiments to swell the ranks of the Grand Lodges all over
the world just as No. 227 did.

All the military lodges working under the Grand Lodge of Ireland,
and most of those owing allegiance to the Grand Lodge of Scotland
and the Ancient Grand Lodge of England, carried what was known as
"Black Charters," or "Black Warrants," covering such degrees as
"Past Master of the Chair," "Excellent" and "Superexcellent,"
"Royal Arch," "Union Band," "Ark," "Mark Man," "Mark Master,"
"Knight of the Sword," "Knights East and West," "Jordan Pass,"
"Prussian Blue," "Knights of Malta," "Red Cross," "Knight Templar."
In fact they had no limit, and the power to give degrees seemed to
have been limited only by their knowledge of the ritual. The most
popular degrees, however, were the "Royal Arch," "Red Cross," and
"Knight Templar."

MEAGER INFORMATION

About military lodges much of the information saved to us is as
brief as the following memo., written opposite Lodge No. 170, by a
Grand Secretary on 6th of January, 1809:

"Box and furniture lost at St. Croix, members all lost or dead or
disposed of, but Brother Geo. Baxter, Quartermaster."

Every branch of the service had its lodges. Infantry, cavalry and
artillery and many of the lodges had numbers identical with those
of the regiment, such as the Foot Regiments, 4th, 18th, 25th, 30th,
42d, etc., and the 4th, 12th, and 7th Dragoons had warrants with
similar numbers. Again some lodges took the territorial names of
the regiments to which they were granted, such as "North Hants,"
"West Norfolk," "Argyle," and "Inniskilling" Lodges.

In 1804 Lord Moira was colonel of the "27th Iniskilling Fusiliers"
and Master of the lodge established in the regiment by the G. L. of
Ireland, No. 213.

Some lodges, proud of a great victory or battle in which the
regiment at some time took part, selected such names as "Waterloo,"
"Niagara," "Minden," "Gibraltar." The latter lodge, No. 39, was
formed during the seige of "The Rock."

FESTIVAL OF ST. JOHN

The festival of St. John, 1775, was observed by members of Lodge
156 in the 8th Foot in their rough barrack room on the east side of
Niagara River. For gallantry in the War 1775 to 1780 this regiment
was given the word "Niagara" on its colours.

The lodge in the "7th Queens Own" adopted the name "Queens," the
"Fusiliers" Lodge was with the 21st Fusiliers, and the 26th
Cameronians had the "Cameronian" Lodge. Some lodges adopted the
names of their colonels, as "Whites," "Barrys," and "Rainsford"
Lodges in the 30th, 34th, and 44th Foot.

Before a lodge could be established in a regiment the consent of
the commanding officer had to be obtained, and it often happened
that the new colonel revoked a former permission and closed the
lodge, as happened to the lodges in the 85th Foot, the 3d Dragoon
Guards, and many others.

Militia regiments had their lodges, and at one time every regiment
of militia in Ireland had its lodge or lodges.

After the Irish Rebellion, 1688-1690, many of the Irish troops
entered the French service. In the regiment of Colonel Walsh was a
St. John's Military Lodge, supposed to be one of these militia
warrants. The oldest lodge on the French Grand Lodge roll today is
"Lodge De Parfaite Egalite, 1688. Regt. Irlandes De Walsh."

The Edinburgh Defensive Band Lodge was formed in the Scotch
Volunteers, and on their disbandment became a fixed lodge under the
same name, as also did "The First Volunteer Lodge of Ireland," No.
620, established in 1783. For sixty years the members wore the
lodge uniform--"the dress be black trousers and coat satin-faced,
and velvet collar, with white vest, satin facings colour of
uniform." At the great Masonic Bazaar, held in Dublin in 1892 to
assist the Masonic Female Orphan School when over $100,000 was
realized, the "First Volunteer Lodge of Ireland" showed the old
"colours," and two drums of the regiment, and had a wax figure of
one of the volunteers in full uniform.

Captives from our regiments abroad formed lodges, and in 1805 the
Ninth Regiment embarked at Cork in the transport "Ariadne," which
was wrecked on the coast of France, when the lodge lost its chest,
warrant, etc., and the officers and men saved from the wreck were
made prisoners of war, and held at Valenceinnes from 1806 to 1814,
where a captive lodge was formed by our good brethren, and Sergeant
Edward Butler seems to have been the mainstay of the lodge. It is
recorded that on January 25, 1814, "the brethren were all
dispersed," and "Brother Butler brought the lodge to England."

LODGES OF PRISONERS

Prisoners of war confined in Great Britain on parole, frequently
met in the civilian lodges that held warrants where they were
located. In Bandon, a small town in the south of Ireland, many
French prisoners joined the "Ancient Boyne Lodge," as they did in
Selkirk (Scotland), where twenty-three were enrolled, and at Leeds,
in England, the French prisoners formed a lodge of their own in
1760.

Lodge 617, in the "Thirty-second Foot," was an "officers lodge,"
the Thirty-second had several other lodges besides, and with this
same regiment was Lodge 73, a "noncommissioned officers lodge." The
Fiftyfirst Foot had also an "officers lodge" attached to it. No
private could be initiated in the "officers lodge."

GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND

"The Grand Lodge of all England," which started in the city of
York, 1725, and died 1790 (the adherents of which were the only
veritable York Masons) warranted one solitary military lodge in
1770 to the Sixth Inniskilling Dragoons. This gallant regiment had
three other warrants, one each from the Grand Lodge of Ireland, the
"Ancient" and the "Modern" Grand Lodges of England. One of these
warrants, No. 557, lost out in the Peninsular War, when the enemy
observed Masonic emblems on the chest and ordered its return under
a flag of truce in charge of a guard of honor. The band of this
regiment preceded the members of the Lodge "Appollo," York,
England, to divine service on St. John's Day, 1786.

The "Thirty-eight Foot" and the Fifth Dragoon Guards in 1795 were
granted duplicate warrants by the Grand Lodge of Ireland, "the
original having been taken by the French"; indeed the Dragoons
claim to have lost Masonic chest, warrant, jewels and all.

A lodge in that famous Dragoon regiment, the "Scots Greys," known
as "Scots Greys Kilwinning" Lodge, lost its warrant, lodge chest
and jewels in the wars previous to 1770.

"Minden" Lodge, 63, in the "Twentieth Foot," was founded in 1748,
lost in 1772, revived in 1812, lost again, 1836, again revived at
Bermuda, 1844, and finally lost its lodge chest containing warrant,
records and jewels in the Indian mutiny.

GRAND LODGE OF SCOTLAND

At the centenary of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, 1836, the two
lodges of that renowned Scotch regiment, the "Forty-second Black
Watch," were in attendance, and as the reports of the ceremony
quaintly recorded, "Attracted admiration alike for their martial
appearance and Masonic behavior,"

The "Twenty-fifth Foot" lost its warrant, chest and ecords at
Munster, in Germany, and they were never covered, but a "new chest
and contents" was conseated at Berwick-on-the-Tweed in 1763.

It was a common practice for a military lodge on having a station
to grant a civil warrant (a copy of its own often carrying the same
name and number) to the brethren remaining behind, as did Lodge No.
128, when having Hindostan. "Fuzilier Lodge," No. 33, granted civil
warrant when removing from Tasmania. "Sphinx Lodge," in the
"Twentieth Foot," left the "Lodge of 'okohama" in Japan after it,
the first lodge in that country. The "Kings Own," in Fourth
Regiment, left civil lodge of nineteen members behind in Port Louis
'auritius in 1858.

AUSTRALIA AND THE PHILIPPINES

Lodge 227, in the "Forty-sixth Foot, did the pioeer work in the
Australian colonies about the year 16. Lodge "128 Gibraltar" made
the first Mason in India, and founded many lodges in Hindostan. It
lost , chest in the Peninsula War, but the enemy returned to the
old regiment intact. Lodge No. 69, Gallo Neuva Malate, in Manila,
is called "the Cradle of Ameran Masonry in the Philippine Islands."
It was opened y Colonel W. C. Trueman, Master of the North Dakota
military Lodge, working under dispensation in 1898 at Manila.

IN SOUTH AFRICA

During the "Boer War," 1899-1902, Lodge No. 516 (E. C.), was
completely annihilated. Composed of burghers, they were called out
to a man on the outreak of hostilities, and every officer of the
lodge and every active member was killed.

The "First Royals" left a lodge behind them at Albany (N. Y.), in
1759, and if time and space peritted quite a number of instances
could be recorded of Lodges and Grand Lodges in both America and
Canada wing their origin to the military lodges most of which wed
allegiance in their ritual to the "Anglo-Irish," or Ancient" Grand
Lodge, establishing the "Ancient" , working, which was the same as
that of Irish and Scotch Grand Lodge.

MASSACHUSETTS AND CANADA

In 1768 Lodge "St. Andrews" of Boston, joined with the military
lodges then on that station in forming what was known as the "Grand
Lodge of Boston," and Brother Doctor Joseph Warren, who was
afterards killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill, was appointed by the
Grand Lodge of Scotland "Grand Master of the Continent of America."

In 1757 Lodge 74 on the register of the G.L. of Ireland, on leaving
Albany, granted an exact copy of its warrant to some resident
Freemasons. This lodge, Mount Vernon," now holds third place on the
G. L. roll of New York.

In 1760 the soldier Masons in Wolfe's victorious army (for seven of
the regiments had field lodges) met in an old barrack-room, thus
commencing a work in a new soil which led to the formation of the
first provincial G. L. of Quebec under Lieutenant Guinnett, of the
Forty-seventh Regiment.

IN NEW YORK

The Twenty-second Foot lost its Irish warrant in the Mississippi
River in 1759, got a Scotch warrant in 1759, took part in the
formation of the Grand Lodge of New York. This G.L. was formed by
six military lodges, with others, and received a warrant as a
provincial Grand Lodge in 1781 or 1782. Most of the G. L. officers
being army men left with their regiments, but after the war this
body assumed the title of the Grand Lodge of New York.

Lodge, "Zion, No. 1," attached to the "Sixtieth Royal American
Regiment," established in 1764, afterwards became Zion, No. 10, on
the roll of the G. L. of Canada in 1806. In 1819 it became 62 in
the G. L. of New York, and No. 3 in 1826. At the formation of the
Grand Lodge of Michigan it again became Zion, No. 1.

But I must bring this paper to a close by recommending those
brethren who would like to pursue this subject further to read
Brother Gould's "History of Freemasonry," and "Military Lodges, The
Apron and the Sword or Freemasonry Under Arms."

LOW TWELVE

Hark! the fatal hour is pealing, 
Secrets dread to all concealing, 
Secrets deep to thee revealing. 
Lo! within the gloomy portal 
Shalt thou not complete thy circle, 
And the mortal be immortal.
--A. S. Macbride.

THE THIRTY-THIRD DEGREE

Now every thing that Russell did, he did his best to hasten,
And one day he decided that he'd like to be a Mason.
But nothing else would suit him and nothing less would please
But he must take and all at once the thirty-three degrees.
Well, he rode the--oh, that is, he--really, I can't tell.
You either mustn't know at all, or else know very well. 
He dived into--well, never mind. It only need be said
That somewhere, in the last degree, poor Russell dropped down dead.
They arrested all the Masons and they stayed in durance vile,
Till the jury found them "Guilty" when the judge said with a smile,
"I'm forced to let the prisoners go, for I can find," said he,
 "No penalty for murder in the thirty-third degree!"
--From "Rimes to be Read."
