Provincial team turns out in force to present Centenary Warrant

A strong contigent of Provincial team members turned out to help Scunthorpe’s Industry Lodge celebrate its 100th birthday, and to see the Provincial Grand Master present a Centenary Warrant – which he described as a hand-made work of art, and well worth a close inspection.

The Lodge also boosted the #2025 Festival with a £500 donation, which the PGM was pleased to accept. He said: “This is a wonderful donation, and will provide support to the MCF in its work in improving the quality of life for many people, including a significant number of our own members. We have already raised more than £2m of the £2.25m we set out to raise, in spite of the restrictions forced on us by the pandemic. By the time we reach the Festival finale on September 13th 2025, I have no doubt we shall reason to celebrate.”

The team visit was the last of 2024 for the Provincial team, who were entertained to a once-in-a-lifetime ceremony for the Lodge and a very entertaining festive board during which members recounted the history of the Lodge in presentations prepared by member Laurie Railton. The texts of this are reproduced below the photographs.

Rob Pursey also gave the Lodge a new cushion on which to place the VSL during its meetings.

 

Industry Lodge History, by W Bro Laurie Railton

Important Founders: Thomas Anthony Beck and Henry Ketteringham  

The first Master of Industry Lodge was Henry Ketteringham, a dental prosthetist, of 156 High Street Scunthorpe.

His name first appeared in the annals of Scunthorpe Freemasonry in July 1911, when the Junior Warden of the St Lawrence Lodge (Brother Nobbs) proposed that a 30 years old Mr Kettering was a fit & proper person to be made a Mason.

Accordingly, his name appeared on their next Regular Summons, for a Ballot.

However – No Ballot took place, for Henry had decided that his interest would be better served elsewhere and he successfully applied to be Initiated into the Isle of Axholme Lodge in Epworth.

The St Lawrence Lodge, the only Lodge in Scunthorpe, had been in existence since 1885 and at the start of the 20th century were holding their meetings in the Assembly Rooms in Manley Street,

Their requests for membership were so great, that they often held emergency meetings to get through the work.  Their Summons‛ were extensive and listed many Agenda items including the payment of subs in open lodge.

At one time they had 156 members and were still inundated with applications.

It was during this chaotic period that Henry decided to become a Freemason in Epworth and joined the Isle of Axholme Lodge, where he became the Worshipful Master, seven years later, in 1918.

Anyway – The St Lawrence Lodge decided that they needed larger rooms and seeded the idea of a purpose-built facility, away from Manley Street.

On a Monday evening in April 1912 they called, yet another, emergency meeting to discuss the possibility of building their own facility.

A free plot of land in Dawes Lane, had been generously offered by Rowland Winn (Lord St Oswald) a member of parliament and the predominant Scunthorpe industrial steel Baron.

A subcommittee was organised, to follow up this offer, and to meet with his Lordship‛s legal representatives. However, the restrictions and limitations placed on the use of this free land, possibly including abstinence, were unacceptable to the members of the St Lawrence Lodge and they declined the offer.

Instead, the Lodge agreed to adopt an offer, proposed by one of their own members, Brother Thomas Anthony Beck, that St Lawrence Lodge could build a new Masonic Hall in the garden of the Peoples Refreshments House, on Normanby Road Scunthorpe. (They were Brother Beck‛s employers).

So they did – And on Wednesday the 25th Sept 1913 this new Masonic Hall was dedicated by The Provincial Grand Master – The Earl of Yarborough.

Six years later, after the Great War, Worshipful Brother Henry Kettering was back, he was now the Worshipful Master of the Isle of Axholme Lodge, and was proposed as a joining member of the St Lawrence Lodge, in February 1919.

The following March (1920) he is invested as Secretary and by July 1920 he had the Provincial Honours of

Past Provincial Grand Deacon

Bro Thomas Anthony Beck was Installed as Worshipful Master of the St Lawrence Lodge in Feb 1921

He called an emergency committee meeting in Aug 1921 regarding the formation of a new Lodge.

3 years later in May 1924 Worshipful Brother Thomas Anthony Beck gave a notice of motion ‘That the St Lawrence Lodge support an application for a new Lodge‛ and that new Lodge be called Industry Lodge. The ‘Notice of Motion was approved‛

So – On the 25th November 1924 at 1 Hour 45 minutes after noon, John Edward Pelham – The Right Honourable Earl of Yarborough – The Provincial Grand Master for the Masonic Province of Lincolnshire, accompanied by 92 Brethren of many, varied & splendid ranks, Consecrated the Industry Lodge number 4662 in due and ancient form.

With musical accompaniment from the organ and cello.

 

Early Days – Growth of the Lodge

The Installation Ceremony for Worshipful Brother Ketteringham was carried out by Worshipful Brother R. Epton – Past Assistant Grand Registrar – in the presence of the Provincial dignitaries and 9 of the named Founders.

He, then appointed and invested his Officers, including Worshipful Brother Thomas Anthony Beck as D.C.

Brother Beck, it was, who had first proposed the forming of Industry Lodge and he who had been responsible for organising permission for the Masonic Hall to be built in the gardens of The Peoples Refreshment House, of which he was the Manager/Proprietor a post later held by his son, grandson & great grandson.

Worshipful Brother Ketteringham was unwell and was absent from his Lodge for 4 months, following his Installation.

In March 1925 he sent his apologise from a Masonic Nursing Home.

However, during his year the membership grew, as the 11 Founders were swelled, by 2 Initiates & 6 Joining members.

And still they came – Steelworks Traffic Managers – Butchers – Builders – Wages Clerks and plenty of joining members.

All were welcomed at Industry Lodge which worked 12 months every year, plus some emergency meetings, to accommodate the demand and swell their coffers.

Which was needed to pay the £40 per year that the St Lawrence Lodge charged for use of this building.

Over the next years the Lodge made substantial progress including – founding the Industry Lodge of Instruction, which still exists today.

We made charitable donations to Needy Brethren – We contributed to the Lord Mayor‛s ‘Cripples Fund‛ – Lincoln Cathedral Restoration Fund – Buying a Banner for the Lodge for £31:10s and introducing a summer break during June July & August.

We also received permission from Grand Lodge to use ball point pens to write our Lodge Minutes.

Worshipful Brother Kettering‛s attendance was vastly reduced during these years.

In the pre-war years 1930 – 1938 membership increased on average by 3.3 members per year.

We were doing very well. Unfortunately, during this time, two of our Founders died.

However – In March 1941 a candidate for initiation was a

Mr Herbert Dexter the Manager of Britannic Insurance Company, and soon to be, Grandfather of Mrs Janet Railton.

He it was, who proposed, in 1942, that Industry Lodge purchase War Bonds at 8% and again in 1944 another £100 for the war effort.

And four years later he was to propose a candidate for initiation in the person of.

Mr Cecil Frederick Hopkinson a metallurgist from Sheffield, who came to Scunthorpe to work at the Steelworks.

Hoppy eventually became an invaluable co-author of a comprehensive book about the steelworks entitled ‘An Industrial Island‛

He also became a larger-than-life member of Scunthorpe Masonry with his strong beliefs in traditional procedures and Lodge discipline.

During this time we received a letter from the UGLE Grand Secretary advising us to exclude from our Lodge a Brother Gerald Melo Neish who worked for the Ministry of Agriculture? It is not recorded why Brother Neish had to go.

The town of Scunthorpe has a motto – ‘The Heavens Reflect our Labours‛ which originates from the tipping of

molten slag, especially at night, when the glow is visible for many miles.

The Labours of Industry Lodge are also reflected in heaven, as many of our Brethren have passed to the grand Lodge above.

This brings to mind a joining member from Gosforth, Brother Austen Higgins, a welder on the steel works, who used a Radio Active Probe to prove the quality of his welds.

He stored this probe on a shelf in his cabin, every day he walked past it, every day he sat next to it during his breaks not knowing the harm it was causing him.

Brother Higgins died of face cancer in 1996.

By this time Worshipful Brother Henry Ketteringham had been dead for 40 years.

Both men were of different Masonic status but both are remembered as like-minded men and Brothers of Industry Lodge.

 

Recent Days – Family & Friends

During the last 25years Industry Lodge has had 56 new members. 45 of them were Initiated & 11 were joining, averaging 2.32 members per year.

The loss of members during this same 25 year was 31, an average of 1.2 members per year.

Reasons for leaving were many and varied. We even had one member who was told to resign by his Local Authority employer.

We do however benefit from family membership.

Starting with Thomas Anthony Beck and his family.

We once had twins, Frank & Pat Reynolds, they both held Past Provincial Rank, they both sat up on the pedestal at either end of the front row.

Once during an Initiation the Worshipful Master announced that the Charge would be given by Worshipful Brother Reynolds.

Frank smiled at Pat – Pat shook his head.

Mints were crunched, but neither moved.

Luckily Worshipful Brother Robert Aitken was able to stand in.

Bob Aitken was a joining member from Scotland and he had only recently Initiated his own son, 23 year old Philip Aitken.

Who is now our D.C and he turn Initiated his Son in Law, Chris Tandy, who is our current Worshipful Master.

Many other famous families are still active, such as the Armigers Len & Alan, The Purseys Rob & Derek and not forgetting the Brady bunch, currently 3.

We also have a tradition of long service from our permanent Officers – Our Organist – Bro Kenneth Charles Hill has been caressing that keyboard for 32years, not only at Industry Lodge but for other Lodges who use this centre, also at other centres within the county.

DC‛s also tend to have long service. Industry‛s longest serving was the irrepressible Alan Birkett, who held the Office for eight years.

Alan was a Pipefitter by trade and in his youth had been a prize fighter, and was never known to back down from any challenge.

He also became the Steward for this Centre. He received many Honours including Active Provincial Rank and Past Grand Rank.

Our membership has declined in the last 20 years, from a peak of 68 members in 2008 we are now down to 36.

Brother William West,

He arrived on our doorstep wheeling his auto bike, sporting a full wax trench coat, crash helmet with visor, huge wrap around goggles and gauntlets.

He told us he was a Freemason from Middlesbrough and could he bring his bike inside to stop it from being nicked.

So he did – and he was, and he was splendid.

He told us that he and his wife, Adelaine, had moved into a bungalow at Burton on Stather and would we please arrange for him to be picked up on Lodge night, to eliminate the need for his bike cluttering up the foyer – So we did.

When Billy died he left £1,000 to Industry Lodge to be used by Brethren who couldn‛t afford their subscriptions, it‛s known as the Billy West Fund and has been used several times in the past few years.

Covid 19 has played some part, in reducing attendance at our Lodge meetings, also to the devaluing of fraternal organisations via the internet with it‛s tendency to be self-centred.

However – It may be the same ‘social media‛ that comes to our rescue, as some of our recent Initiates have come via, that very same Internet.

We have been pleased to receive Brother Tomaz Slevinski – Brother Rafel Bajdor – Brother Jason Baker – Brother Ciprian Garghe & Brother Nicusor Condur.

All excellent keyboard candidates.

Industry Lodge 4662 is noted for the number of Electricians amongst its members, and possibly 50% of them are here due to the good offices of Worshipful Brother Alan Armiger and the business he runs.

So – if you wish to know how many Freemasons it takes to bring light to the many, ask Alan.