A grand occasion was arranged to honour Reg Way, who celebrated 50 years of being a Freemason. Members and distinguished visitors alike, of Davyhulme Lodge No 3715, meeting at Urmston Masonic Hall, were once again delighted to receive Assistant Provincial Grand Master Stuart Boyd, accompanied by Trafford Group Chairman Patrick Walsh, along with Provincial Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies Peter Littlehales together with other distinguished visitors and group officers.
The lodge was opened by the WM Paul Brown and following the completion of the normal lodge affairs, the main event of the evening began as Stuart entered the lodge room in ceremonial form and was presented to Paul. Paul having welcomed Stuart and his attending officers, hopefully offered him the gavel of the lodge which once again and for the fourth time this year, Stuart accepted!
Taking the master’s chair, Stuart then addressed the brethren, thanking the lodge for their very kind welcome, commenting that there must be something in the water locally which enabled so many Davyhulme Lodge members to celebrate anniversaries in the same year. He then explained that it was a great pleasure to be with the members and visitors of the lodge to share another of these very unique and auspicious occasions.
Having ensured that Reg was comfortably seated in prime position, Stuart began his presentation stating that his office of Assistant Provincial Grand Master carried a number of onerous responsibilities and duties, but also a number of great privileges, and the prospect of being able to officiate at a 50th celebration was, without doubt, amongst the better ones. Stuart then continued quoting information which he and Reg had discussed during a convivial time that the two had spent together the previously.
Reg was born in June 1932 in a nursing home on Half Edge Lane in Eccles, a building which is still there and sits opposite Elm Bank Masonic Hall. The family home was in Swinton and his father Lewis was a draughtsman and section leader at Metropolitan Vickers in Trafford Park, whilst his mother Hilda worked in an office opposite Manchester Cathedral.
In 1935, on the day of the King’s Jubilee, the family moved to Litchfield Road in Davyhulme to be closer to his father’s work, buying the house for £350. This led Reg to attend Urmston Infants School followed by the newly opened Canterbury Road Junior School in 1940, which he attended until the age of 11.
Reg remembers hearing war being declared on the radio, but was not evacuated and stayed in Davyhulme throughout the war. He remembers his family getting into their Morrison Air Raid Shelter, essentially a metal cage, which was situated in their dining room. His family all supported the war efforts, his fathers’ draughting expertise being utilised on gun turret design and his mother involved in the clerical side of ensuring the fuel tanks on Spitfires and Hurricanes had the correct sealants applied.
Reg passed his 11plus exam and attended Urmston Grammar School from 1943 to 1948. At school, Reg also appreciated the benefits of financial prudence and received an award for regular National Savings. He continued his saving and these savings certificates went on to accrue interest which enabled him and his wife Audrey to buy their bungalow in 1960, which they moved into January 1961 and Reg has lived there ever since.
At Urmston Grammar School, his PE teacher Alan Coupe, seeing that ball games did not spark his interest, encouraged Reg to go swimming which involved him training regularly at Urmston Baths on Wednesday afternoons.
Reg left Urmston Grammar school in 1948 and was accepted onto an electrical engineering trade apprenticeship at Metropolitan Vickers achieving his ONC in Electrical Engineering. It was from this point that he followed in his father’s footsteps and took a position as a draughtsman in the Radar Drawing Office. This was the early 1950’s when there was a perceived threat from low flying aircraft coming from the east. This prompted the Government to build radar stations on the east coast and Reg was so closely involved in their design that he had to gain security clearance from the Ministry of Defence. This work classified him in a reserved occupation which ruled him out of National Service.
This was a time of great organisational and industrial change across the country, not least in the heavy engineering sector that included Metropolitan Vickers. This resulted in Reg being made redundant from Metropolitan Vickers. However, his draughting expertise remained in demand and spells at Simon Carves in Stockport, Vickers Shipbuilding and finally Massey Fergusson in Trafford Park followed. After first working for Massey Fergusson as a draughtsman he took up a post as a training officer when he was ‘glad to get off the drawing board’. This training officer post involved the training of apprentices at various levels from craft apprentices to university graduates, with one of his apprentices being so successful, he competed in the Traditional Skills Olympics in South Korea. When Massey Fergusson stopped training apprentices, Reg became the safety officer for the site until he was made redundant in 1986 leaving him time to pursue other interests.
It was previously mentioned how his PE teacher Alan Coupe had encouraged him to start competitive swimming. This began his connection with swimming and water sports that have immersed him all his life. It all started at Urmston Amateur Swimming Club in 1947 where he became freestyle and backstroke champion many times and over his career in the pool, he attained many other successes including being the Northern Counties Half Mile Champion.
Reg’s swimming achievements and his involvement and commitment to swimming and water sports is phenomenal. To only skim the surface of what he has done, he has represented the Manchester and District Swimming and Water Polo Association for the Northwest, he is the only person ever co-opted onto the Northern Counties ASA Executive, serving on their Education Committee, he established the National League Water Polo Club, formed various Synchronised Swimming Clubs and serving on the ASA’s Education Committee. He played water polo until the age of 40 and also took part in board diving as well!
Reg was the Manchester and District Swimming and Water Polo Association President in 1974 and also became the President of the neighbouring Bolton and District Swimming and Water Polo Association in 1976 and 1977. He was appointed first NW Chairman of the Institute of Swimming Teachers and Coaches, negotiated ASA Swimming and Teaching structures with the Northern Ireland ASA; was Director of Trafford MBC teams for the Greater Manchester Youth Games; Chairman of the North West Federation for Sport, Recreation and Conservation for two years and was a competition official from club to international level which included two world records.
Reg visited the Munich and Montreal Olympic Games in 1972 and 1976, seeing David Wilkie win silver in 1972 and gold in 1976. His last major sporting contribution was at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester when he was once again at poolside. This commitment to swimming and water sports led Reg to be an Executive Member of the Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR) for six years, leading him to meet the then President, the Duke of Edinburgh, on several occasions including being invited to Buckingham Palace to celebrate the CCPR’s 50th Anniversary!
Travelling this journey with Reg was his wife, Audrey. They met at a Manchester YMCA Saturday night dance and were married in 1959 at St Annes Church in Sale. Sadly, after many happy years together Audrey passed away due to Cancer. Curiously, just to show that we never know what may happen in the future, Reg met Vera whom he had first met when he was 10 years old and after joining him for a meal at the Black Boy in Prestbury they were married two years later.
In terms of Masonry, Reg was initiated into Great Stone Lodge No 6737 in West Lancashire on 25 February 1975 being proposed by Allan Hargreaves and seconded by Peter Muriel. He was passed on 22 April 1975 and raised on 23 September 1975. He was always one to be involved, becoming WM of Great Stone Lodge in 1982 and in the process, also junior warden, senior warden and almoner, all of which on two occasions.
Reg joined Phoenix Lodge No 1730 in March 2007 as part of the amalgamation process and held the offices of junior warden and charity steward, also being lodge almoner for a total of 17 years, which included starting the successful ‘Almoners Draw’, which was held for many years to raise funds for charity. When Phoenix Lodge handed in its warrant in 2024, he joined Davyhulme Lodge on 21 November 2024, who were proud to host this celebration evening.
His sterling work has been recognised by the Province of West Lancashire and he received his first appointment in Provincial Grand Lodge as PPAGSuptWks in 1993, being promoted in 2005 to PPSGD and a further Promotion to PPGSuptWks in 2012.
Following the ceremony, at the social board, Stuart rose adding his congratulations to those of our Provincial Grand Master Mark Matthews. Reg, clearly moved, then responded giving his thanks to all who had helped him over the years and particularly to the members of Davyhulme Lodge, thus completing a fascinating and well-deserved evening and friendly and convivial social board.