Caldercruix St John 1314

Last night It was a great personal delight for the first time in my capacity as a Grand Lodge of Scotland, Steward to  join the GLoS deputation which was headed by Depute Grand Master Bro J Bell when we visited  Lodge Major Ness 948 to witness 1 Diamond  jubilee and 2 golden jubilee certificate presentations. A Deputation from The Provincial  Grand Lodge of Lanarkshire Middle Ward headed by RWPGM Bro A Miller also attended to assist in the presentation to Bro George Kelly PPGM PSGM #60years and Bro Alex Kelly PSPGM and Bro Andy Edwards #50years 

There are a limited number of tickets available for the Caldercruix St John 1314 Sportman's dinner which is being held in the Masonic Temple Clark St Airdrie on  Friday 13th May 2022. Entry 7pm for 7.30pm Tickets are priced £25 which includes a free raffle. The  Chairman on this occassion is Bro Billy Brooks PM 203.  The guest speakers are Bro David Ross PM 440 and John Gahagan ex footballer. Its sure to be a great occassion so dont delay! Get your tickets asap as they are selling fast! Contact any 1314 member  to purchase tickets! AMH PM Sec.

I think you will like this amusing entry from the lodge history archives. On the 6th of October 1972. It was agreed to purchase a new Masonic Carpet. At the next regular meeting Bro. Jimmy Simpson P.M. Founder Member said that the carpet was only fifty years old and that he thought it would do a few years more.   It must be remembered that Bro. Simpson was losing his sight and could not see the holes in the carpet.  

On the 2nd of March 1954. It was intimated that Bro. A. E. McVey had now become the Mayor of Barnsley, and the Secretary sent a message of congratulations on behalf of the Lodge. I therefore did some research and much to my astonishment I stumbled across this wonderful photo of Bro A. E . McVey and Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II. Bro A E McVey welcomed the Queen to his town at the town's railway station and then he and his wife escorted the new monarch on a tour of the town and the Yorkshire coalfields. I also found an oil painting of Bro McVey and his wife which hangs in the Cannon Hall Museum in Barnsley. Also pictured is a scanned article giving a full account of the day that The Queen visited Barnsley and was the very special guest of Bro McVey.  

On the 7 th  of December 1926 a debate took place among the brethren of Caldercruix St John 1314 on whether the installation ceremony should be a wet or dry occassion, and Im not talking about the weather! as up until then the installation ceremony of Lodge office bearers had always been an alcohol free event. In the end the brethren decided that for the first time ever the installation ceremony would be a wet affair. It was decided that the tickets for the installation would be set at 2/6d. This brought to mind a funny story I heard from my good friend and brother , Bro Larry Sloan who told me that at the installation ceremony of Bro Eddie Nelson in 1988 everything went well and then at the after dinner speeches PM Bro Norrie Muirhead declared that for the first time ever in the history of Caldercruix St John 1314 they had in the person of RWM Bro Eddie Nelson , their first ever tee-total RWM. He then said that in the coming year ahead that the brethren of the lodge hoped to cure ...

In a previous blogpost I focused on the lodge leaving it's spiritual home in Caldercruix. Then subsequently  moving to Airdrie in 1994. Here is a copy of the programme from the last ever Caldercruix St John 1314 meeting in Caldercruix.