Knightsbridge Reserve Forces Lodge
2978
Knightsbridge Lodge, like other lodges suffered a loss of members in the First World War. The majority of the following information has been extracted from the minute books and has made for some fascinating reading; three members of the lodge went to War and only one survived.
Brother Albert Levy
Albert Levy was initiated in Knightsbridge lodge on 11th October 1906 aged 23 years and was a Law clerk by trade. He informed the lodge on 11th February 1915 that he had joined the 4th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment. That year on 14th October he was appointed Senior Deacon of the lodge.
On 9th December 1915 he sent his apologies from the battlegrounds of France saying he was unable to attend the lodge meeting. Although he was still in active service, he did however attend the next meeting on 10th February 1916 whilst on leave.
On 12th October 1916 he was appointed Junior Warden but was unable to be invested as he was still fighting in France. On 8th February 1917 he wrote to the lodge saying that he had been given a Field Commission and was now a second Lieutenant. On 11th October 1917 he was invested as Senior Warden, Again he attended the meeting whilst on leave.
The last poignant entry in the Knightsbridge lodge signature book for Bro Levy was on 11th April 1918; at this meeting he was elected Worshipful Master for the coming year. Unfortunately, this was to be his last meeting.
On 12th of December 1918 the lodge secretary announced to the brethren that Bro Levy had been seriously wounded in France and sadly on the 12th of June 1919 Bro Albert Levy died from his injuries. As a mark of respect the death march was duly played in the Lodge. Bro Levy is buried at Willesden Jewish cemetery in London.
Brother George Penny Burial – Salonica
George Penny was initiated on 10th October 1907. He was aged 31 and a wine steward working at Hyde Park Hotel in London. According to the signature book of Knightsbridge lodge he attended every meeting until the beginning of the war. He last attended the lodge on 16th April 1914. The entry on the signature book is quite poignant as this is the last time Bro Penny attended the Lodge before Britain declared war on Germany on 4th August 1914 when Germany had entered Belgium.
When the lodge next met on 10th October 1914, a letter of apology was read from Bro George Penny stating that he could not attend as he was now serving with the Army Service Corps.
The Army Service Corp was responsible for supplying ammunition, food, and anything required to be delivered to the front line troops. In 1918 it was awarded the prefix ‘Royal, to become The Royal Army Service Corp, in recognition of its war service.
Bro Penny served as a Private in the Expeditionary Force and went on to serve in Greece, where he was seriously wounded in Salonika and subsequently died from his wounds on 30th January 1919. As a mark of respect the death march was duly played in the Lodge.
Of the three brethren who served in the First World War the only survivor was Bro George Henry Chandler.
He was initiated on 12th December 1912, aged 32, and was a Law Clark by trade. It is interesting that his seconder into freemasonry, (person who recommends his joining the lodge), was Bro Albert Levy.
He attended all lodge meetings until 12th October 1916 when a letter was read in open lodge stating that he had joined the Armed services and sent his apologies for not attending future meetings. His address at this time was listed as ‘’ Somewhere in France’’. Bro Chandler, who was now a Sergeant, sent a letter to the lodge that was read on 10th October 1918 (approximately one month before the war ended) stating that he had had an interesting experience of Freemasonry at the front line. He had witnessed the consecration of the ‘’Donoughmore Lodge no.6 at Boulogne base under the jurisdiction of the Grand lodge of England, He subsequently acted as Tyler for this lodge for some period.
It was interesting to note that at the Consecration meeting of this lodge that he had greeted brethren from Iceland, Canada, India, America, and France, and these brethren conveyed their good wishes to Knightsbridge Lodge.
On the 10th April 1919 after demobilisation he resumed attendances of the Lodge. Brother Chandler went on to have an illustrious career in Freemasonry, becoming Master of the Lodge in 1926, and as Master of the Knightsbridge Lodge he was invested at the Grand Lodge quarterly communication with the Hall Stone Collaret and Jewel by the Pro Grand Master M.W Rt. Hon Lord Ampthill, G.C.S.I.
He was made a Grand Lodge officer in 1944, P.A.G.St.B.(Past Assistant Grand Standard Bearer). In 1958 he was presented with a silver snuffbox suitably inscribed for 39 years of unbroken service to the lodge, including 30 years as Secretary 1931-1961. At the April meeting in 1961 a telegram making his apologies for his absence was read out in open lodge “Worshipful Master Knightsbridge Lodge Freemasons Hall Great Queen St WC2 Heartfelt Sorrow being with you only in Thought and Spirit tonight George H Chandler” He died the next day on 14th April 1961.
Henry Boatman was initiated into the Lodge on the 12th of February 1959 at the ripe age of 73 years of age, when he was a retired civil servant, (which shows it’s never too late). Although Henry was not a member of the lodge during the First World War his military service warrants a place in this record.
Corporal Henry Peter Boatman was a ‘Regular’ soldier, serving with the Royal Horse Artillery from 29th August 1905 to the 30th March 1915 and served with the Royal Horse Artillery.
On the 12th of October 1914, only a few weeks into the war Henry Boatman was involved in the Battle of Messines, in Flanders, which was part of the race to the sea that determined the line of the Western Front.
This makes Henry Boatman one of the famous ‘Old Contemtibles’ of the British Expeditionary Force, although heavily outnumbered, stopped the German advance.
It was during this battle that Corporal Henry Peter Boatman was attached to the Royal Horse Artillery, H Battery, providing firepower with their 13-pounder field guns in support of the advancing British Cavalry. It was during the German 6th Army counter attack that Corporal Boatmen was badly wounded. He lost fingers on one hand and half of the other hand was blown away, and although in pain and with severe loss of blood he continued to supply ammunition to the battery until totally disabled by a second wound.
Henry was awarded the D.C.M. (Distinguished Conduct Medal) for conspicuous gallantry, a high level award for bravery awarded to other ranks.
As a result of his wounds Henry was no longer physically fit for war service and was discharged from the army. In civilian life he went on to work for HM Treasury as an office keeper and in 1947 he was named in the New Year honours list and awarded the B.E.M. British Empire Medal Civil Division.
Brother John Cooper
Brother Cooper served in the Royal Air Force as an instrument maker, during World War Two.
Bro John Cooper was initiated into Knightsbridge lodge on 12th December 1946. His occupation was listed at his initiation as a Garage Proprietor of Cooper’s Garage (Surbiton Ltd).
John was best known for the Mini Cooper Car and it was his friendship with the original designer of the Mini Alec Issigonis who suggested that John Cooper should be allowed to create his own tuned up version. Despite doubting that John Cooper would sell more than 1,000 models, the head of the British Motor Corporation (BMC) George Harriman allowed John Cooper to go ahead. The final sales of the modified Cooper Mini numbered more than 125,000. The Cooper S (Sport) Version sealed the iconic image of the car when it won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965, and 1967.
John was also well known for his car racing, first Formula 3 then Formula 2, before making the final step to Formula 1. He was an innovator and passionate about technology and new ideas and one of the fathers of modern motor racing. In April of 2000 he was awarded the CBE, and he died eight months later on Christmas Eve 24th December 2000.
Eric Bardell was initiated on 12th December 1946.
Eric was a Captain in the Army Royal Signals attached to 3rd Army Group. In 1944 he was part of the British forces fighting in Italy. At the end of the war he was stationed in Dusseldorf Germany as part of the B.A.O.R. (British Army on the Rhine) as part of the British occupation of Germany. He remained in the Army, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
On the 12th June 1965 he was awarded the OBE.
Brother Gary Tomlin
Gary Tomlin was initiated on 22nd April 1985, and became Master of the lodge in 1993 and again in 2000, and has served as Lodge Secretary for over 26 years.
He is a holder of SLGR (Senior London Grand Rank) and PGStB Supreme Grand Chapter and was also a (VO) Visiting Officer for Lodge and Chapter as well as being a Metropolitan Liaison Officer.
Gary has served in the (TA) Territorial Army, (now the Reserve Army), for 34 years. He entered as a Trooper and rose through the ranks, finally retiring as a Major.
He has served in Germany, Holland and the UK, and with the Royal Yeomanry, the Joint (NBC) Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Warfare group and with 16th Air Assault and 3 Commando Brigade. He was also part of the Honour Guard at the Queen Mother’s Funeral on April 9th 2002.
Gary saw active service in Iraq (Basra) in 2003 and Afghanistan (Helmand Province) in 2011.
Gary was a Captain in 2011 with the Royal Yeomanry (Westminster Dragoons) Squadron, part of the Territorial Army’s Royal Armoured Corps unit, who were mobilised as full-time soldiers for a year to Afghanistan.
Gary left for Afghanistan to become the Quarter Master Technical of Camp Bastion, responsible for the sourcing, ordering and delivery of parts and equipment and vehicles. He was also in charge of requesting and distributing ammunition to Afghanistan-based units and hiring Afghan contractors and civilians. Camp Bastion was once the largest British overseas Military base, with 14,000 personnel living and working at the Camp.
Service medals of Gary Tomlin.
Gary Tomlin’s Service Medals: Iraq Medal with Bar/Afghanistan medal with Bar/TAVR with Bar (Long service medal)/VR (Volunteer reserves service Medal)/Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals.
While Gary was at the Camp he was also Liaison officer for Grand Lodge of England, with regard to administering the parcels being sent from Freemasons in England to the troops in Afghanistan.
Brother David Haines
David is a long standing member of Knightsbridge Lodge. David joined the Royal Navy Training School – HMS Raleigh, at Torpoint, Cornwall, in 1977. On completion of basic training he went to the Royal Navy Catering College, Chatham dockyard where he was rated Class leader. On qualifying as a Naval Chef David was drafted to HMS Neptune, the Clyde Submarine Base, near Helensburgh, Scotland. There he was assigned as a Wardroom Chef. His next draft was to HMS Reclaim the RN’s diving ship, followed by a spell in HMS Nelson, the Portsmouth Naval Barracks. His next seagoing draft was to the Frigate HMS Diomede, command ship of the 2nd frigate squadron, and a final draft back to HMS Nelson.
Unfortunately David was then involved in a serious car accident, and on his recovery was discharged from the Service on medical grounds.
Brother Mac McDonald
Mac McDonald was initiated into his Mother Lodge, Winton Lodge 3048 in September 2006, and became Master of the Lodge in 2013. He is also a member of Sothius Lodge 8774 and a Founder member of The Lodge of United Services 10012 – both in the Province of Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire. He joined Knightsbridge Lodge in April 2022, on the closure of his Mother Lodge (Winton).
Mac Joined the Royal Navy in 1968, as a Marine Engineering Artificer Apprentice. He completed his apprenticeship at the Royal Naval Engineering Schools of HMS Fisgard, Torpoint, Cornwall, and at HMS Caledonia, Rosyth, Scotland, and on the Destroyer HMS Rapid, (the last ship in the Royal Navy to have hammocks).
He served on HMS Eagle, an aircraft carrier, on a Far East Commission, and HMS Ark Royal, another aircraft carrier operating in the Mediterranean, the North Atlantic and the North Sea. He then served on HMS Rhyl, a Rothesay Class Frigate on a Far East Commission, followed by service in the Icelandic Cod Wars. HMS Rhyl was then deployed to the Mediterranean and was the first ship on station when the Turks invaded Cyprus, and she was heavily involved in evacuating civilians off the beaches.
Mac then joined the submarine service, serving on the Porpoise Class Diesel submarines HMS Cachalot and Finwhale. He left the Royal Navy in 1977, as a Chief Petty Officer Marine Engineering Artificer.
