Blackpool Masonic Hall was astir from basement to rafters. Lights blazed, voices resonated and laughter reverberated. All over the building there prevailed a vast activity like that of Euston at workday’s close. It was clearly evident that a good day was about to gear up and become great.
When the members of a lodge are determined to impress their principal guest, they have to pull their socks up and make a special effort. And, oh boy! The members of Rectitude Lodge of Blackpool No 4122 could not have pulled their socks up any further without bringing tears to their eyes. Their hard work stuck out a mile. And their principal guest, none other than the Provincial Grand Master himself, Tony Harrison, was unsurprisingly greatly impressed. And so too was the rest of the Provincial team who accompanied him for the celebration of the lodge’s centenary year.
Despite the inevitable risk of infection from COVID-19 still running amok, the brethren, exercising the strictest guidelines of caution, gathered in cheery spirit in celebration of the lodge’s rich history. As a result of the pandemic and subsequent postponement of meetings and revelries, Rectitude Lodge of Blackpool’s centennial celebration had been delayed by 12 months.
Consecrated on 16 November 1920, the lodge was founded at a boom time for Freemasonry when, during the three years following the ‘Great War’, 350 new lodges had been consecrated under the jurisdiction of the United Grand Lodge of England. It was also a period of expansion and modernisation for the town of Blackpool. Local councillors, like the Bickerstaffe’s, who were also Freemasons, extolled the virtues of investing in the infrastructure of the town and it was against this backdrop of hope and optimism that a core of brethren from Clifton Lodge No 703 decided to form a new lodge – Rectitude Lodge of Blackpool.
When studying old lodge minutes, one can only stand aghast at the volume of ceremonies conducted by lodges in the early years after the war. At the meeting of 2 March 1921, having commenced at 3:45 pm, there were ballots for two initiates and two ‘raising’ ceremonies (including the Traditional History) before retiring from labour to refreshment and resuming 45 minutes later to perform two ‘passings’ and two initiations. What a blistering day that must have been.
Rectitude Lodge of Blackpool has also amassed its fair share of eminent brethren. In May 1948 the much decorated Squadron Leader Sidney Clayton joined its ranks. Sidney Clayton’s air exploits were legendary, having been awarded the Distinguished Service Order, Distinguished Flying Cross and Distinguished Flying Medal, attaining the awards both as a navigator and later as a pilot on bombing missions over Germany and its occupied territories. He piled up a total of 100 sorties as a navigator and a further 46 as a pilot. In Freemasonry, Sidney Clayton was installed as WM of Rectitude Lodge of Blackpool in April 1960.
On 13 November 1972, the London Gazette chronicled the presentation of the George Medal to Constable Ian Hampson who became a member of Rectitude Lodge of Blackpool in 1975 and WM in 1986. Constable Hampson received his award in 1972 following an armed robbery in the town centre in which Superintendent Gerald Richardson was shot and killed during the robbery. Ian Hampson himself was seriously wounded and received the George Medal for his courage and steadfastness to duty throughout the fearful incident.
Adding further lustre to the annals of the lodge, N B Roberts BEM became a member in September 1973. This prominent war hero received the citation of the Award of the British Empire Medal on 20 December 1945 by King George VI on advice of the First Lord of the Admiralty for his devotion to duty as a Petty Officer in charge of radar installations for the operation of 819 Squadron (Royal Naval Air Service) during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. He was installed in the chair of Rectitude Lodge of Blackpool in April 1980.
With such an illustrious history, it was incumbent on the members and visiting Provincial team to deliver an equally rich and stunning ceremony. And that is exactly what all the protagonists achieved. It is worthy of record, in the light of after events, that at the beginning of the centennial meeting, it was the general opinion of the guests gathered together in Blackpool that the ceremony was to be something quite special. And the anticipation of those assembled was to prove well founded.
But then again, I suppose that a host lodge has no right to intern a regiment of grand and Provincial grand officers in its meeting if it is not prepared to commit itself to provide the best ceremony it can. And Rectitude Lodge of Blackpool worked itself to the bone to produce the goods. The WM James (Jimmy) Wilkes was under immense pressure to serve up the goods and despite the gravity of such a multitude of distinguished guests, Jimmy comported himself with masterly dignity. No doubt however, judging from the action of wiping a bead of perspiration from the brow, he was greatly relieved to relinquish the gavel to Tony Harrison’s guardianship for the centennial ceremony itself.
Undoubtedly the fierce whirl of life had been wearing the assiduous secretary Gordon Ivett away in the run-up to the evening, but his commitment and resolve ensured a perfectly orchestrated occasion, one that drew gushes of praise from Tony Harrison in recognition of Gordon’s efforts. And to boot, on the night, Tony promoted Gordon to the high rank of Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden in acknowledgement of Gordon’s contributions, not only to Rectitude Lodge of Blackpool but also for his many years of dedication to the Province – a well-deserved honour and one that added a bit more punch and zip to an already joyous evening.
The same superb quality can be ascribed to the Provincial team too. Adorned in their festal raiment, the Provincial Grand Master and his squad produced a most impressive spectacle. They had scrupulously prepared themselves and were ready to the last button. Tony Harrison’s aim still is to enliven, as far as lays within his power, any environment in which he finds himself. He likes to give service with a smile and, consequently, the room was opulent with the air of friendship.
But a congenial ambiance had been struck ahead of the entrance of the Provincial team. When the proletariat had first assembled in the lodge room, “Good evening brethren”, announced the lodge’s director of ceremonies Terry Barlow in cheery mood, who always likes to make something in the nature of an entrance speech, seeming to lend a chummy tone yet decidedly dignified opening to the proceedings.
And so began what, looking back over the day, can be confidently described as a magnificent ceremony, one which will be held as a highlight in the memory of many of those who were present.
After the thing was all over, when peril had ceased to loom and happy endings had been copiously strewn and the populace had progressed to the banqueting suite, the air was stuffed to the brim with joie de vivre. Everything and everybody had been and was tickety-boo. The centennial gathering and festivity chalked up yet another event of brilliance in the already dazzling history of Rectitude Lodge of Blackpool, and assures that further radiance is in store for countless decades to come.
