CRAFTSMEN IN CAPTIVITY MASONIC ACTIVITIES OF
PRISONERS-OF-WAR
by Bro. A. R. Hewitt
Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Part I - First War World
Part II - Second War World
Part III - Far East
Bibliography
Information concerning the Masonic activities of brethren in
prisoner of war camps in Europe in the Second World War
has been gathered from correspondence with former
prisoners, a minute book and other documents and relics in
the Grand Lodge Library, and two printed and three
unpublished papers, also in the Grand Lodge, by the
following brethren: Bros. C. B. Selby-Boothroyd, (1) Sidney
Brown, (2) D.P. Iggulden, (3) F. S. Payne (4) and H.
Wallwork, (5) all of which are quoted freely. These sources
disclose activities of some kind in no less than fourteen
camps in Germany, Austria and elsewhere in Europe, the
most extensive being in "lodges" established -
(a) in Oflag VIIIF (Mahrisch Triibau, Czechoslovakia) and
continued in Oflag 79 (Brunswick, Germany);
(b) in Oflag VIID (Tittmoning, near Salzburg), later in Oflag
VIB (Warburg, Westphalia), and finally in Oflag VIIB
(Eichstatt, Bavaria); and
(c) in Stalag 383 (Hohenfels).
INTRODUCTION
WHEN the subject of Freemasonry amongst prisoners of war
is mentioned, one tends to think immediately of the
Napoleonic wars and of Thorp's research in this field. His
work on this aspect of the subject (1) may be regarded as
definitive, apart from minor items which have occasionally
come to light in recent years. In the days of which Thorp
wrote, prisoners, although their plight was distressing,
enjoyed privileges and liberty unheard of in recent years.
Prisoners in the two world wars enjoyed no parole; on the
contrary, their incarceration was rigid. Their accommodation
was overcrowded, frequently squalid and with few amenities.
Particularly in the second world war they suffered many
privations and often cruelty and torture, especially at the
hands of the Japanese. Many died as the result of ill-
treatment and lack of food. Members of the Armed Forces
and civilian internees who were members of the Craft turned
to Freemasonry to sustain them during the rigours of their
ordeal. In spite of the fact that Masonry was ruthlessly
suppressed both in Germany and Japan, imprisoned
brethren made every effort to discover each other, to meet,
to maintain their Masonic knowledge by rehearsal, and
generally to comfort, help and sustain one another, well
knowing that discovery would involve severe punishment.
They were often subjected to fierce anti-Masonic
propaganda.
Although this paper is devoted to recent events, it may be
desirable, by way of introduction, to refer briefly to those
before the year 1914. Thorp (2) wrote of lodges formed
amongst French soldiers imprisoned in England and
elsewhere during the Seven Years' War, 1756-63, and
during the Napoleonic wars, and records that there were no
fewer than 44 such lodges in Great Britain. Vibert, Bossu
and Kay mention others discovered since Thorp's work was
published in 1935. Most of these lodges were legally
constituted Masonic bodies which met in the normal way and
made Masons, and a number of their lodge certificates are in
existence. Their members visited English lodges, and
English brethren, in turn, attended French lodges.
Frenchmen were also made or admitted members in English
lodges.
Little is known, however, of the activities of English brethren
in French hands. Thorp tells us that there is only one
instance on record of a lodge being held amongst them
during their detention (No. 183, "Antients"). It is a fact,
however, that many individual brethren on parole attended
French lodges as guests. Again, it is known that some were
relieved and assisted by their French brethren, who also
made representations to the authorities to make the lot of the
English brethren less harsh. It is believed that the escape of
some was also made possible with French help and
connivance. Indeed, a pamphlet was published in Paris in
1913 accusing French Masons of so doing. A translation of
the pamphlet appeared in the Leicester Transactions, 1923-
24.
Vibert (3) records a lodge of British soldiers imprisoned in
Kongsberg, Norway, in 1807. He also mentions a lodge
formed amongst prisoners at Charlotteville, Virginia, during
the American War of Independence, but on reference to his
authority, Tatsch, (4) it is not clear whether this was a
separate lodge formed by German officers who had joined
the "Irish Lodge No. 63 of the 20th Regiment of the Line".
Gould (5) recounts the story of the capture by Washington's
forces of the lodge box belonging to the Lodge in the 46th
Foot, and its subsequent return, by Washington's orders,
under a guard of honour. There is no record, however, of
Masonic activities amongst British troops captured during
that war.
Of Masonic activities during the Boer Wars, nothing is
known.
After these brief references to occurrences before 1914, let
us now pass to more recent times.
A few papers and personal reminiscences have been written
on Freemasonry amongst prisoners in Europe and the Far
East during the last war, but no attempt has been made to
survey the subject as a whole. This I now attempt to do, my
sources being: -
(a) Minute books, papers and relics in the Grand Lodge
Library and Museum;
(b) Papers by former prisoners of war, published and
unpublished, designed for reading in lodges ;
(c) Information supplied by former prisoners and personal
reminiscences collected in the course of interviews ;
(d) Gastvrijheid Lodge, first minute book, which I had the
advantage of examining, a privilege I wish thankfully to
acknowledge.
Some facts have come to my notice in answer to an appeal
in the Masonic Press and to a note in a circulated agenda
paper of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, but the total result of
the appeal was somewhat disappointing. I hope that further
information win come to light in the future, perhaps as a
result of this paper. The published and unpublished papers
and personal reminiscences have been invaluable in the
compilation of this survey, and I desire to express to the
authors, and to all my correspondents and informants,
sincere thanks for permission to quote from their papers,
notes and letters. I am also indebted to the Board of General
Purposes for permission to use material in the Grand Lodge
Library and Museum.
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PART I: FIRST WORLD WAR
GERMANY
There is a dearth of information concerning Masonry
amongst prisoners of war in Germany during the First World
War. Doubtless, members of the Craft in prison camps
became known to each other and found additional solace in
the bond which united them.
A number of brethren were internees in the civilian camp at
Ruhleben (Spandau), but nothing is known of any organized
Masonic activities amongst them. They were able, however,
to identify each other and to get together from time to time.
They met on one occasion to draw up an Address to Grand
Lodge of England in the following terms: -
"We, the undersigned brethren, at present interned with
other British civilians at the concentration camp at Ruhleben,
Spandau, Germany, send hearty good wishes to the Grand
Master, officers and brethren in Great Britain, hoping that we
may have the pleasure soon of greeting them personally."
It was dated 9th December, 1914, and signed by 112
brethren. In spite of postal difficulties, it was received by the
Grand Secretary on the 18th December and acknowledged
by him on the 21st. In the following February a further list of
brethren was sent to Grand Lodge, with a letter explaining
that the brethren listed "were prevented from signing the
address sent in December, partly from not being identified
and some from being later arrivals at this concentration
camp and who wish to be associated with the greetings then
sent". The lists include brethren from England, Ireland,
Scotland, Australia, South Africa, India, Hong Kong, the
West Indies, the United States, South America, Egypt and,
strangely enough, from Germany. Most of the signatories
were identified and a photographic copy of the Address was
sent by the Grand Secretary to each lodge concerned,
together with a covering letter in which he said: "Amongst
these names you will observe a member of your lodge, of
whom the brethren will be interested to hear. Perhaps you
will kindly acquaint the family of such member of the
communication, of which I shall be pleased to send them a
copy." From the same camp, a beautifully-prepared Address,
signed on behalf of all the brethren by Percy C. Hull,
P.Dep.G.Org. (now Sir Percy Hull, Kt., P.G.Org., Mus.Doc.,
F.R.C.O), was sent to Grand Lodge on the occasion of the
bicentenary celebrations in 1917. This also was copied and
circulated. As the result of a request for aid on their behalf,
Grand Lodge set up a special committee to act in the matter.
An appeal Lodges was launched and met with a generous
and continuous response, thereby enabling parcels of food
and personal comforts to be regularly despatched to English
brethren, and the aid was later extended to brethren of other
jurisdictions under the Crown). (6)
CAPTURES AT SEA
Of Freemasons captured at sea, the Grand Lodge of
Scotland possesses an interesting relic in the form of a sheet
from a writing-pad bearing the signatures of a number of
brethren captured by the German cruiser Karlsruhe on the
outbreak of war and transferred to the S.S. Crefeld, a cargo
boat. It was commandeered to serve the cruiser as a prison
ship in which to accommodate crews and passengers of
sunken vessels, who were afterwards landed at Santa Rosa,
Tenerife. Amongst those on board the Crefeld was a W.Bro.
Alfred Greer, who recognized some of the captives with
whom he had sat in lodge. Wondering how many brethren
were on board, he set about the task of collecting a record of
them. He asked each to write the name of his vessel,
signature, and name and number of his lodge in the pad.
The list includes 19 names of brethren of four Constitutions -
England, Scotland, Victoria and the United States - captured
from 11 different vessels. To make the list "authentic", Bro.
Greer asked the purser to place the ship's stamp upon it.
The purser told him that the Captain of the Crefeld was a
Freemason, who, when approached, added his signature,
after which the sheet was duly stamped and dated, 10th
October, 1914.
HOLLAND
For Servicemen interned in Holland and prisoners of war
transferred there under the Hague Convention, the story is a
different one. Two lodges were formed in that country to
meet their needs, namely, the Gastvrijheid Lodge, at
Groningen (1915), and the Willem van Oranje Lodge, at the
Hague (1918), both still flourishing.
The formation of the Gastvrijheid Lodge had its origin in
1914, when a part of the Royal Naval Division was hurriedly
despatched to the Continent, at the instigation of Winston
Churchill, in an attempt to prevent, or at least delay, the
capture of Antwerp and so halt the German advance until the
arrival of the main body of British troops. By subterfuge,
including constant sorties from various parts of the city, the
enemy were led to believe that many more troops were
holding the city than was, in fact, the case. The Germans
accordingly slowed down their advance and Churchill's
objective was attained. But the city had to be evacuated, and
when it fell the gallant men of the Naval Brigade inside were
forced over the Dutch frontier, resulting in their subsequent
internment at Groningen. Among the 1,500 officers, N.C.O.s
and men interned were many English Freemasons, including
the Commanding Officer, Commodore (later Admiral) Wilfred
Henderson. He and eight others met in the camp library in
March, 1915, to discuss the formation of a lodge. (7) A
petition was accordingly sent to Grand Lodge, but as
"constitutional and international reasons prevented the
formation of a lodge under the English Constitution in a
place within the jurisdiction of the Grand Orient of the
Netherlands", the Grand Master advised the petitioners to
apply to the Grand Orient for a Warrant for a Lodge to meet
at Groningen, with permission to use the English ritual. (8) In
the meantime, Loge L'Union Provinciale at Groningen had
extended hospitality to all the Freemasons amongst the
interned forces. The brethren of that Lodge, in the words of
Bro. Henderson, "welcomed them to their Lodge, invited
them to their homes, and [had] done everything in their
power to ease the sting of the restraint which their
obligations as neutrals forced them to impose". (8)
In accordance with the Grand Master's advice, the British
brethren thereupon sent a petition to Loge L'Union for
transmission to the Grand Orient. It was granted immediately
and arrangements were made for the consecration on the
22nd May, 1915, in the Masonic Temple of Loge L'Union
Provinciale. Working tools and English clothing were
obtained, and by-laws prepared for submission to the Grand
Orient. The consecration was performed in English, but in
accordance with Dutch ceremonial, by V.W.Bro. Dop, Grand
Orator of the Netherlands, assisted by Masters of the
Groningen, Leeuwarden and Harlingen Lodges, in the
presence of R.W.Bro. Baron van Ittersum, Representative of
the U.G.L. of England near the Grand Orient of the
Netherlands. The ceremony was a most impressive one;
fortunately, an account of it has been preserved by the
Lodge (a copy is also in the Grand Lodge Library). After the
consecration, Commodore Henderson (9) was placed in the
Master's Chair by Bro. Dop and the Lodge proceeded with
normal business, which included two propositions for
initiation, consideration of the by-laws and the presentation
of a gavel by Loge L'Union Provinciale. The Lodge was
named "Gastvrijheid", meaning hospitality, and was given
the number 113 on the roll of the Grand Orient. It led a very
full and active Masonic life, meeting at least monthly. These
regular meetings, together with emergencies, totalled 55
during its three-and-a-half years' sojourn at Groningen.
There were initiated no fewer than 64 candidates, usually
two at a time, who were, of course, duly passed and raised,
so that at every meeting there was much work to be done.
Four brethren were elected to joining membership and three
to honorary membership. "Instructional" meetings were also
held, two or three times a month.
It was resolved that the usual collection should be made at
each meeting of the Lodge and at the Instructional meetings,
and that the proceeds should be sent to the Louisa Stichting
Institution at The Hague. The Book of Constitutions of the
Netherlands was translated into English by Bro. Henderson
and printed, so that each member should be presented with
a copy. At the installation meeting, held on the 23rd May,
1916, the minutes record that "after the Dutch Installed
Masters had been obligated in respect of the secrets of an
Installed Master according to English Ritual . . . the Master-
elect was installed". In June, 1917, congratulations were
sent to the Grand Lodge of England on its attaining its
bicentenary.
The Lodge did much to assist the formation of the second
Lodge already mentioned, the Willem van Oranje, in 1918.
When the latter lost its Master by repatriation, the
Gastvrijheid undertook to ensure the attendance of a Past
Master once a month to confer degrees. Eventually Bro.
Henderson performed the duties of Master of the Willem van
Oranje. (10)
The Gastvrijheid Lodge held its last meeting in Holland on
the 5th November, 1918. The transfer of the Lodge to
England had been previously under discussion, and the
minutes of this meeting record that permission had been
granted by the Grand Orient of the Netherlands for it to
retain the Warrant and Minute Book. The transfer from one
jurisdiction to another is referred to later in this paper.
Whereas the Gastvrijheid Lodge was formed amongst
Service personnel interned in Holland, the Willem van
Oranie Lodge was founded by actual prisoners of war
transferred from Germany to Holland under the Hague
Convention. With the knowledge and approval of the Grand
Lodge of England, it was, like the Gastvrijheid, constituted
under the Grand Orient of the Netherlands.
In an account of the Lodge by Bro. H.S. Biggs, (11) it is
recorded that, before the Lodge was brought into being, a
number of informal conferences were held. It was decided
that the proper course to pursue was, firstly, to obtain proof
of the good standing of those wishing to join. Lists were,
therefore, prepared of brethren under the English, Irish and
Scottish Constitutions, and sent to the Grand Secretary of
England by Baron van Ittersum, Representative of the Grand
Lodge of England, who asked the Grand Secretary for his
assistance as regards the Irish and Scottish brethren. In due
course confirmation was received that the English and
Scottish lists were in order, but that information from Ireland
had not, at that time, been received. On the strength of this
communication from London, the founders-to-be proceeded
with the task-there were twenty-five brethren of the English
Constitution, eight Irish, seven Scottish and one Canadian.
An Inaugural meeting was held under the presidency of
Baron van Ittersurn and final arrangements were made,
including the drafting of a Petition to the Grand Orient. The
Petition was approved and the proposed Lodge was
allocated the number 118 on the Netherlands Roll. The
Baron then issued a notice and invitation, printed in Dutch
and English, and containing the Agenda (a copy of which is
preserved in the Grand Lodge Museum), stating that the
ceremony of Founding the Lodge up to and including the
installation of the Worshipful Master-Elect (W.Bro. Col. J. A.
C. Gibbs, C.B., P.Prov.G.Reg., N. and E. Yorks.) would be
performed according to the ritual of the Grand Orient of the
Netherlands. With sanction of the Grand Orient, the
remainder of the ceremony, including the investiture of
officers and the addresses, would be conducted according to
the ritual of the Grand Lodge of England by W.Bro. Percy C.
Hull, P.D.G.Org. (Eng.) (to whom reference has already
been made), acting as Installing Master, assisted by W.Bro.
Walter Clark and W.Bro. Commodore Wilfred Henderson,
P.G.D. (Eng.). The notice concludes with the following: "In
consequence of existing circumstances, the British brethren,
to their great regret, are unable to invite their guests to their
fraternal board after the conclusion of the ceremony."
The Lodge was consecrated on the 16th July, 1918, by the
Grand Master of the Netherlands at a meeting of the Grand
Orient, an impressive ceremony, an account of which
appears in Bro. Biggs' paper. The Petition, a transcript and
translation of the Warrant, and a copy of the form of Lodge
Certificate are in the Grand Lodge files.
Regalia was of the Netherlands pattern of a colour chosen
by the Lodge, orange, Forty-one of these aprons were made
and presented by the sister of the Senior Deacon of the
Lodge. One of these, together with two group photographs of
members of the Lodge in regalia, is exhibited in the Grand
Lodge Museum. Working tools were presented by
Gastvrijheid, a gavel by Baron van Ittersum, and the square
and compasses by three local Dutch Lodges. The tracing
boards were painted by a member of the Lodge.
Under its Warrant the Lodge was given authority to use
English ritual. One restriction was imposed, namely, that
only British naval, military and civil prisoners, released from
belligerent countries for internment in Holland, should be
admitted to membership, either as initiates or joining
members.
Soon after its consecration the Lodge suffered the loss, by
death, of its Director of Ceremonies, (12) and the Master and
other brethren by repatriation (13) and it was obliged to call
upon Gastvrijheid for assistance in providing a Past Master
to confer degrees, as has already been mentioned.
In addition to the 41 Founders, 18 joining brethren and 20
initiates brought the membership up to 79 (14) during the
short period of active work in Holland.
The war being ended, the brethren of these two Lodges
expressed to the Grand Master their desire to be transferred
from their original jurisdiction to that of the United Grand
Lodge, as was foreseen when both Lodges were constituted.
With the full concurrence of the Grand Orient, their petitions
were approved. As the Lodges already enjoyed full Masonic
existence, it was not necessary that they should be re-
consecrated. (15) The Grand Master, therefore, issued
Special Warrants and Charters of Dedication, both dated 7th
April, 1919, enabling them to continue their Masonic
functions, but under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of
England. They were allotted the numbers 3970 and 3976
respectively. The Board of General Purposes, in its report to
Grand Lodge in September, 1919, acknowledged the
kindness and courtesy of the Masonic authorities in the
Netherlands. The Dedication ceremony in each case was
performed by the M.W. the Pro Grand Master, Lord Ampthill
- the Gastvrijheid Lodge on the 31st May, 1919 (an account
of which appeared in The Freemason (16), and the Willem
van Oranje Lodge on the 14th July, 1919. The Masters of the
two Lodges holding office in their Lodges in Holland in 1918
were again installed as Masters of their respective Lodges
under the English Constitution.
TURKEY
One well-recorded case of Masonic activity amongst
prisoners of war in Turkey during the First World War is that
of a "Lodge of Instruction", named Cappadocia, conducted
by brethren imprisoned in Yozgat. The inaugural meeting
was held on the 14th February, 1918, with Bro. Major E. G.
Dunn as Master. By-laws were approved and a nominal roll
prepared, which does not seem to have survived, but it
would appear that there were 14 original members. It was
later declared that "all newly arriving Freemasons were ipso
fact members of the Lodge". It met on alternate Fridays, first
in the "Chapel" and later in a store-room, until the 13th
September, 1918. At these meetings, of which there were
12, the opening and closing ceremonies in the three
degrees, as well as the initiation, were rehearsed or
addresses on Freemasonry were delivered. Working tools
and other items were made by the brethren. Collars of
canvas were fashioned and covered with blue paper, each
with the appropriate badge of office cut tins. Handkerchiefs,
trimmed with such ribbon as was available from the local
bazaar, were worn as aprons. Minutes were kept and have
survived, having been presented to the Lodge of Antiquity,
No. 2, by Bro. Durm. (17) Benevolence was not forgotten, for
sums of money were collected and passed to the Camp
Chaplain for the benefit of the many starving Armenian
women and children in the locality.
It would appear from an introductory note to the Minutes by
Bro. Dunn that "towards the end of 1917 a Petition was sent
to Grand Lodge for a temporary Charter as a special case in
view of the peculiar circumstances we were placed in. This,
however, could not be granted, so we had to be content with
our Lodge of Instruction".
The minutes of the last meeting, held on the 13th
September, 1918, record that "Bro. Major Dunn expressed
the sympathies of the Lodge on the recapture of Bro. Lieut.
Sheridan, and on behalf of the Lodge bid God-speed to Bro.
Lieut. O'Donoghue. Bro. Capt. Sweet seconded Bro. Major
Dunn's proposals and suggested that a note of sympathy be
sent to Bro. Lieut. Sheridan". The natural desire for freedom
was obviously in many hearts, for Bro. Dunn has added a
postscript to the minute book. He wrote: "Here the records
end apruptly, for it was just after this final meeting that some
25 officers escaped. They scattered in small parties, but all
excepting eight . . . were recaptured. The inevitable result
was our confinement to quarters and no further opportunity
for meeting occurred before we left Yozgad for repatriation."
The minutes of the Cappadocia Lodge of Instruction reveal
the existence of two others in Turkey. On the 30th August it
was recorded that hearty greetings were received from the
Lodge of Instruction at Aflum Karakisa. Again, on the 13th
September it was reported that a "Lodge" called
Mesopotamia, of which there were no less than 60 founders,
had been formed at what appears to be "Busia", but the
writing is not clear. Apart from these bare references, no
information concerning these two "Lodges" has come to
light.
Where there was continuity in the work of a particular group
of brethren transferred from one camp to another, a
connected story of their activities has been set down as they
moved from place to place. Activities in other camps are also
noted in the paragraphs which follow.
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Part II: SECOND
WORLD WAR - EUROPE
LAUFEN (NEAR SALZBURG)
Bro. Selby-Boothroyd was captured, after a brief battle, in
May, 1940, and found himself in a prisoner of war camp at
Laufen. On June 6th of that year some 200 British officers
and a few orderlies arrived there, including Bro. Brown, but
the paths of these two brethren did not meet (Masonically) in
captivity. Practically every day more prisoners arrived, so
that by the end of the month the camp, an old Palace once
belonging to a Prince Bishop of Salzburg, was occupied by
about 1,500 British officers and 150 men. Overcrowding was
extreme. Prisoners lived in rooms holding any number from
20 to 100, so that privacy of any kind was impossible. Selby-
Boothroyd did not, it seems, discover other brethren, but
Brown records that he recognized another prisoner as a
brother Mason who, being a senior officer, shared
accommodation with only one other. He and Brown decided
to try and arrange some kind of gathering in his room of such
members of the Craft as they could discover. Altogether,
between 15 and 20 brethren were identified and they held a
meeting. A second projected meeting was never held, as the
senior officer was moved to a larger room which he shared
with others, so that privacy could not be ensured. Brown was
shortly transferred to another camp at Tittmoning (to which
reference is made later) and lost touch with his fellows. He
learned later that no meetings were held in Laufen after he
left, but records that a printed Emulation ritual had been
found there.(18)
From Laufen, Selby-Boothroyd was sent to Warburg, where
he discovered two other brethren, and thence to Eichstatt.
Although he remained there from May, 1942, to the end of
1943, he never learned of the extensive Masonic activities
recounted by Brown, a fact which emphasizes the great care
taken to keep Masonic activities secret.
MAHRISCH TRUBAU (CZECHOSLOVAKIA) AND
BRUNSWICK (GERMANY)
In January, 1944, Selby-Boothroyd was transferred from
Eichstatt to Oflag VIIIF at Mahrisch Trubau. Some months
after his arrival, having made a casual remark, he was
questioned by his hearer, from whom he learned that some
40 brethren, transferred from an Italian camp, where they
first met, were holding regular meetings. Selby-Boothroyd
was accepted amongst them. At first these brethren had little
more than the opening and closing ceremonies and the
initiation, but a "lodge" or society of improvement was
formed under the Preceptorship of a Bro. Clifford Downing,
one of the few Past Masters in the camp. It was called a
society as a "blind", to mislead the enemy, so that the term
could mean a society for the improvement of anything. Bit by
bit the ritual was put together, and by May they were able to
work the three degrees more or less completely, as well as a
shortened version of the lecture on the 2nd T.B. By this time
Bro. Iggulden also reached the camp. Within a few hours of
his arrival he was contacted by Downing and invited to
attend the "lodge", after, of course, a very thorough proving.
The Senior Chaplain of the camp was a member of the Craft,
and he allowed the brethren to meet in the camp Chapel
under the guise of attending theological lectures. It was a
common practice at Masonic gatherings in camps for the
Master, or someone else, to be ready to lecture on some
pre-arranged subject at a moment's notice if an alarm was
sounded.
In May, 1944, the whole camp was moved to Brunswick and
there renamed Oflag 79. Being kept together in this way, the
brethren were able to keep their "lodge" intact and ready to
function in the new camp. Although it was several weeks
before they were able to meet again, it was at Brunswick that
the "lodge" became firmly established. In due time it included
brethren from England, Scotland, Australia, Canada, India,
New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. At first it
met weekly in the air-raid shelters with which the camp was
well supplied, it being a former Luftwaffe camp and airfield.
Fitted with steel doors, secured on the inside, the shelters
made admirable lodge rooms. They were lit by electricity, but
during air-raids the power was cut off, so that they were
obliged to resort to "margarine lamps". These lamps were
made by purifying margarine (when available) and pouring
the liquid into a cut-down tin, with a piece of string, or an old
pyjama-cord, as wick. In winter the temperature in the
shelters was around freezing point and all attending wore
coats and gloves. Near the camp was a large aero-engine
factory and, in consequence, they were frequently bombed.
Selby-Boothroyd records sardonically that, after one raid,
"rough ashlars and emblems of mortality were plentiful".
Working tools were made from wood stripped from sleeping
bunks and tea chests, the chisel being fashioned out of a
piece of reinforcing rod from a bombed building and rubbed,
for many hours, on a stone. These tools were small enough
to be instantly concealed in the pocket should a meeting be
interrupted by the guards. Collar jewels were also made, but
seldom used, as their nature could not have been disguised
if they had been discovered. When the brethren met for the
last time these tools were distributed; a set consisting of a
square, compasses and gavel (used during rehearsals),
together with a Master's "jewel", is now in the Grand Lodge
Museum; the chisel in Canada; other pieces in South Africa
and the United States. Three small T.B.s were prepared by a
young artist prisoner in charcoal wash of such design that
they could be used during the rehearsals, yet disclosing
nothing to the uninitiated. A copy of the Second T.B. is now
in the Kent Provincial Museum and a photograph in the
Grand Lodge Museum. Part of the camp equipment were
four-legged stools, issued to each prisoner, which he took
with him wherever he went, whether it was to church, to an
entertainment or to a lecture. Brethren took these stools with
them to their gatherings; those acting as Warden borrowed
another for use as a pedestal. No attempt was made, of
course, to fashion any kind of Masonic apron. In the matter
of dress, Iggulden recalls the care and trouble taken by
brethren to attend their meetings "properly dressed". They
wore their best clothes, such as they were, with collars and
ties in place of the scarves usually worn, as many
possessed only one collar. Some of the brethren were even
able to press their trousers, threadbare and patched though
they were.(19)
After much discussion a book of ritual was compiled from
memory, a number of copies of which were made in small
exercise books easily concealable from searchers. From
these, brethren learned the ceremonies for rehearsal at the
meetings, at which they took the various offices in turn. On
one occasion the Scottish brethren demonstrated the first
degree according to their Constitution; on another the
installation was rehearsed without, of course, the inner
working.
At first, weekly meetings were held, but by the winter of 1944
that became impossible. Brethren were growing weaker and
air-raids were taking place at all hours of the day. A special
meeting was held on New Year's Day, 1945, at which it was
decided to make a contribution of 150 guineas to one of the
Masonic schools as Grand Lodge might decide. The "deed
of gift", in the form of an illuminated scroll, signed by six
officers, is preserved in the Grand Lodge. The donation was
allocated to the R.M.I.B. and is recorded on a mural plaque
at the school, which reads: "This plaque commemorates the
British and Overseas Masons in Prisoner of War Camp Oflag
79 during the Second World War who, in Masonic ritual,
sought relief from suffering through the uplifting spirit of
Masonry." The scroll was signed in camp and brought home
for delivery.
After March, 1945, meetings were limited to one a month.
Under existing conditions and with constant danger from the
air, it was realized that the end, whatever it might be, could
not be far off. It was decided to hold a last meeting, for which
summonses were sent out. A harmonium was borrowed for
the meeting, which was held during an air attack on the
German defences nearby. After the opening a representative
of each country was invited to speak on what the Craft had
meant to him in adversity, a fitting conclusion to the life of
the "lodge".(20)
MOOSBURG (GERMANY)
Bro. Iggulden's Masonic activities really commenced in a
transit camp at a place called Moosburg, near Munich. It was
here that he first came in contact with German propaganda
against Freemasonry, contained in a newspaper called The
Camp which the enemy issued to British prisoners of war.
Every opportunity was taken in this and other papers to
publish antiMasonic articles and cartoons. Bro. Iggulden
writes: "At this time there were about 200 British officers
living in one large hut, and for the most part they were quite
young. Three of us recognized each other as Freemasons,
and walking together up and down the wire we came to the
conclusion that the insidious propaganda . . . might prejudice
the minds of these young men. We decided that a short talk
should be given explaining the real object of Freemasonry,
its place in the social structure of Britain and some of the
fallacies of the German propaganda." The talk was given,
one result of which was the discovery of other brethren in the
camp, but, as privacy was impossible, no Masonic activities
could be arranged. They agreed, however, that when a
properly-organized Oflag was reached, they would try and
arrange a meeting. This objective was attained when they
reached Mdhrisch Triibau, as I have already recounted.(20)
TITTMONING (NEAR SALZBURG) AND EICHSTATT
(BAVARIA)
The story of the "lodge of instruction", commenced in
Tittmoning and transferred to Eichstatt, is told by Bro. Brown.
It was to Tittmoning, near Salzburg, that he and two other
brethren were transferred from Laufen. The camp was in an
old Schloss used at one time as a hunting lodge by the same
Prince Bishop of Salzburg who had owned the Palace at
Laufen. In the courtyard was a large marble trough bearing a
bas-relief depicting the pillars, the square and the plumb-
rule, and a date believed to be 1781; nothing could have
been more appropriate.
Brown and the two others from Laufen were put in the same
room. They decided to trace other Freemasons in the camp,
and enough were identified to hold a meeting. Soon there
were 20 brethren, including two P.M.s, meeting weekly in the
camp library, and a "lodge of instruction" was formed. As
they had no ritual at that time, the two P.M.s, assisted by
Bro. Brown, set out to prepare one from memory, each
taking a portion, writing it down and passing it to the other,
doubts being settled by discussion. At a later date this ritual
was checked and very few corrections were found
necessary, truly a tribute to the P.M.s who compiled it. It is
now in the Leicester Provincial Museum.
These brethren commenced modestly with the opening and
closing ceremonies, moving on to degree work by stages. As
they became more proficient, so did the preparation of the
book of ritual until they were able to rehearse an initiation.
The room was fairly large, so that floorwork was possible,
but in place of gavelling the left forearm was struck. They
continued their work until August, 1941, when they learned
that the camp was to be moved. They set off for Warburg, in
Westphalia, taking with them their handwritten ritual hidden
in Brown's records, which he carried in his capacity of camp
postal officer. Warburg proved a difficult camp in which to
engage in any Masonic activity, due to the fact that many
huts were so constructed that words spoken in one room
could be heard in the next. There were also continuous
security patrols. Brown records that the most he and his
companions could do was to learn parts of the ritual
privately, repeating them to one another as they walked
about during exercise.
In August, 1942, they were warned of another move which
they did not regret, except that they discovered the camp
was to be split into smaller groups. Fortunately, two Past
Masters remained with the party sent to Oflag VIIB at
Eichstatt, which they reached in September. Once more the
ritual went with them concealed in Brown's postal records.
After a few weeks they settled down to a new camp routine
and were able to resume their former activities. Membership
of the group fluctuated, but there were always about 40
brethren in the camp, in all from ten different Constitutions.
To provide scope for as many brethren as possible they
divided into four "lodges", two working under the English
Constitution, one Scottish and one Australian. Meetings
were held in the camp Dental Surgery, but it was so small
that floorwork was impossible. On two occasions, when a
larger room became available, full-scale demonstrations of a
degree and of an installation (except for the inner working)
were arranged, to which all brethren in the camp were
invited.
Each of the "lodges" met monthly, except during the
summer, when suspicion would have been aroused if black-
out had been placed over the windows in daylight. Emblems
were not used, but working tools were made of cardboard for
rapid destruction in an emergency. It was the custom,
amongst those working according to Australian rituals,
during the opening ceremonies for each officer to be asked
not only his place and duty in the lodge, but to describe his
badge and what it represented.
After D-Day the brethren were too unsettled to concentrate
on memorizing the ritual and lectures were given instead.
Before being moved on by the retreating enemy a final
gathering was arranged at Eichstatt, at which a "greeting" to
the Grand Master was prepared and signed by 33 brethren.
The document reads: "Greetings to the Most Worshipful the
Grand Master and Brethren of the United Grand Lodge of
England from the undersigned, on their return from captivity
in Oflag VIIB, Eichstatt, Bavaria, who, while in Germany,
have endeavoured to make a daily advancement in Masonic
knowledge." It was bound, the cover bearing the design
depicting the columns, square and plumb-rule which had
been discovered on the marble trough in the courtyard of the
Schloss at Tirtmoning. Brown was able to retain the greeting,
and on his return to England it was duly despatched to the
Grand Master, the Earl of Harewood, who later presented it
to the Grand Lodge, where it is displayed in the Library.(20)
SALZBURG (AUSTRIA) Am) SPANGENBURG (GERMANY)
The fourth chronicler of events in prisoner of war camps,
Bro. H. Wallwork, was captured in May, 1940, and sent to a
Stalag on the outskirts of Salzburg. He had with him two
books, the New Testament and an "Emulation" book of ritual,
both of which, although examined, he was allowed to retain.
Although there was a fairly large number of brethren in the
Salzburg camp, there is no record of any singly co-ordinated
group formed to pursue Masonic study, but the fact that
more than 30 copies were taken from his ritual, or parts
thereof, indicates that Masonry flourished amongst the
brethren incarcerated there. He notes that a number of
"lodges" were formed which met and practised regularly.
From Salzburg, Wallwork was sent to Warburg, but it seems
the brethren were unable to engage in any Masonic activity
during the three months he was there. His next move was to
Spangenburg, near Kassel. Here, a number of brethren
discovered each other and a "lodge" was formed. Meetings
were held on Sunday afternoons in a room known as the
School room. The building itself was a small Schloss, and
Wallwork used the dry, disused moat surrounding it for
rehearsing to himself the various parts of the ritual allotted to
him. He brethren followed the usual practice of filling the
offices progressively, the meetings being under the direction
of an expert brother. Working tools were fashioned from
pieces of wood.
After a short absence, Wallwork returned to Spangenburg,
where he was able to continue his studies until November,
1944, when he and a number of others were moved to
Nordhausen, where a few brethren were able to have
occasional practices together. It was not long, however,
before another move was made, but Wallwork, fearing
keener searches ahead, left his book of ritual at Nordhausen
in the care of a British officer. Happily, soon after his return
to England at the end of the war it was returned to him, and
it now lies in the Grand Lodge Museum. It bears a number of
signatures of his fellow Masonic prisoners and is a unique
relic of a Freemason's determination to make a daily
advancement.
In addition to the Stalags at Warburg and Spangenburg,
Oflags were also established at each. Selby-Boothroyd,
mentioned earlier, was sent to the former, but it was some
time before he discovered, because of another casual
remark, that a fellow prisoner in an adjacent bunk to his was
a Freemason. One other in the same room was also
identified, who was engaged on the task of drafting the
opening and closing in the three degrees. The three of them
hoped to start working together, but Selby-Boothroyd's
companions were moved to the Oflag at Spangenburg,
where they met intermittently and did a little work.(21)
WOLFSBURG (AUSTRIA) AND HOHENFELS
In the spring of 1942 a number of brethren in Stalag 18A at
Wolfsburg made themselves known to each other. By
arrangement they first met together at the gate of the British
compound, where, on arrival, each contributed one cigarette
to a common "fund". The cigarettes collected, about 40,
were then used to bribe one of the guards at the point to
allow them to meet in one of some new huts in course of
erection. In the hut they elected four of their number,
representing England, Scotland, Australia and New Zealand,
to form a committee to prove and test everyone present.
This was done. After a discussion on the possibility of
forming a Masonic group in the camp they dispersed, having
achieved their purpose and becoming known to one another
as members of the Craft. The next meeting was held in a
medical inspection room by arrangement with a British
doctor, a Freemason. It was then agreed to attempt the
compilation of a book of ritual to cover the first degree and
then to conduct meetings as a "lodge of instruction", but
sitting round a table because of the impossibility of blacking
out windows in daytime. After five or six meetings the camp
was split up and transferred to other camps, thus putting an
end to the group.(22)
The bulk of the members were, fortunately, kept together,
and towards the end of 1942 were sent to Stalag 383 at
Hohenfels. Here they re-formed, calling themselves the
International Group, consisting ultimately of 23 brethren of
the English Constitution, two Irish, 29 Scottish, 24 from four
Australian Constitutions and four others. Only one was a
Past Master. Meetings, at which there was an average
attendance of 60, were held monthly on Saturday evenings
in a former stable, then converted into a library and study
room. To ensure as much warning and delay as possible in
surprise visits by the guards, the I.G. placed his chair against
the door, and so enabled the brethren to appear to be doing
something quite different. At meetings the V.S.L. was
opened, minutes were kept and read, and "accounts"
presented. Subscriptions were paid in cigarettes, and the
"accounts" were records of their receipt and of
disbursement, which included the purchase of cups of tea
provided at each meeting - the "cups" consisted mainly of
odd pots and corned-beef tins. Hot water being available at
certain times, a bugle was sounded and the Stewards of the
"lodge" then retired to draw it for tea-making. Surplus
cigarettes were placed in a "Charity Fund" administered by
two Charity Representatives, who undertook welfare work,
including visiting the sick in hospital. The minute book covers
the period 28th October, 1943, to the 23rd March, 1945, and
records 16 meetings, but the group first met in about March,
1943. This book, together with the account books and other
relics, were carefully preserved by Bro. J. E. Mallory,
Secretary of the group from March, 1944, and they are now
deposited in the Grand Lodge Library. Bro. Payne, a
member of the group both in Stalag 18B and Stalag 383, has
also compiled notes on its formation and work, so that its
activities are well recorded.(22)
In addition to rehearsals, which were not minuted, talks were
given on various topics of general interest. At refreshment
after meetings, during which the normal toasts were drunk in
tea, the brethren took turns at providing entertainment. At
the Christmas, 1943, meeting, Dickens' "Christmas Carol"
was produced, followed by musical entertainment; a copy of
the programme is in Grand Lodge. The summons for this
meeting included an appeal for contributions to "Christmas
Stockings" for members in hospital. The list of contributions
reveals an amazing variety of items which must have been
regarded as treasures by the donors - razor blades a mouth
organ, a vest, socks, toothbrushes, cigarettes and many
other items. The following Christmas entertainment included
Dorothy Sayers' Nativity play, "Kings in Judaea".
The activities of the group ended with the dispersal of the
camp in April, 1945.
BIBERACH (SOUTH GERMANY)
An Oflag (No. VB) was established in the town of Biberach,
and it is known that brethren amongst the prisoners were
able to hold regular meetings, but apart from the fact that
one of them possessed a printed ritual, few details of their
activities are available. (23) One correspondent does,
however, recall that some English, Australian and New
Zealand brethren met on one occasion in an unoccupied
room. An English Past Master occupied the chair and, after
ensuring the security of the meeting, a discussion took place
on the ceremony of the first degree as performed by the
different Constitutions represented by the brethren present.
Although the experiment does not seem to have been
repeated, the meeting, in the words of the correspondent,
"afterwards proved to be responsible for an improvement in
morale, as each one knew there was somebody to whom he
could go and discuss the various problems that did crop up
during our prison life".
ITALY
There is some evidence that brethren imprisoned in Italian
camps were able to identify one another and to meet from
time to time. An informant, Bro. B. H. Gordon, recalled that
at Viano there was an active group of Freemasons of about
20 who were able to hold a certain number of meetings in
the library of a building formerly used as a Priests' rest
house. One of the brethren fashioned the regalia and tools,
which, when not in use, were hidden in a cavity behind an
overmantel; they may be still hidden there. This hiding place
was easily accessible for disposal regalia, etc., in case of an
alarm, when, as was usual in prisoners' camps, the
occupants of the room would be found merely reading or
engaged on some quite innocuous pursuit. This was a drill
rehearsed many times until it was perfected.
The flourishing Lodge of Improvement at Brunswick, to
which reference has already been made, had its beginnings
firstly in Italy and later at Mahrisch Trubau. The brethren
concerned, numbering about 40, had originally met in Chieti,
Italy, whence they were transferred after the fall of Mussolini. (24) At the time of their removal from Italy they had been
rehearsing the opening and closing ceremonies and the
initiation, indicating that the time spent in Italy had been well
used.
Bro. Brown recounts that at Eichstatt, after D-Day, the
brethren were unable to concentrate on memorizing the
ritual, so that lectures were given instead, one of which, he
recalls, was devoted to Masonic work carried on in prisoner
of war camps in Italy, given by a brother who had been
imprisoned there. He told them that "supervision by the
enemy authorities had been less severe and proper working
tools had been made, and most meetings had finished up
with a festive board, if it could be so called". Nothing else is
recorded of these activities.
The strictness of supervision in Italian camps must have
varied considerably. The lecturer referred to by Bro. Brown
mentioned that it was "less severe", but at Viano there were
constant searches of officers' personal belongings. Searches
were very thorough and were made at all times.
So ends the summary of Masonic activity among brethren
prisoners of war in German and Italian hands from 1940 to
1945. It is necessarily an incomplete record and does not do
justice to the courage of these men.
back to top
Part
III: SECOND WORLD WAR-FAR EAST
What of our brethren in the Far East imprisoned or interned
by the Japanese from 1942 onwards? Fortunately, the
Masonic activities of some of these brethren in captivity are
fairly well documented. A number of accounts have been
written, (25-30) but some of the periodicals in which they
appear, particularly The Pentagram, are not widely
available, and I propose, therefore, to quote them fairly
freely.
At the fall of Singapore many brethren were among those
interned as civilian or captured as members of the Armed
Forces. Both categories were imprisoned in the notorious
Changi Prison Camp, which was spread over a large area
and which included the Changi gaol. Civilians were interned
in the gaol, whilst Service prisoners were incarcerated in the
surrounding camp, itself divided into a number of separate
camps. Communication between the gaol and the camp and
between the separate areas therein was difficult and at most
times impossible. It is known that the internees numbered
some 3,000 persons, of whom approximately 250 were Freemasons.(28) Service personnel number 55,000. In this
account I propose to mention the activities of the civilian
brethren first and the Service brethren afterwards.
SINGAPORE - CHANGI GAOL (CIVILIANS)
Amongst the internees was W.Bro. Baldwyn Lowick, Deputy
District G.M., Eastern Archipelago, to whom the District
Grand Master had handed full authority because of his own
illness. One of Bro. Lowick's first activities was to obtain
accounts of the last regular meetings of each Lodge before
internment, so as to preserve some record of continuity of
the District Grand Lodge and its constituent Lodges. So far
as possible accounts were written from memory, not, of
course, always reliable, and the Deputy D.G.M. spent much
time in checking the information. (28)
Early in the days of internment Bro. Lowick intimated that, so
far as conditions permitted, Lodges should continue to hold
meetings, it being his intention to maintain the spirit of
Freemasonry and the continuity of lodge history. Meetings
were to be for the transaction of business; no one was to be
initiated during internment. It was found that lodges were so
well represented numerically that he issued dispensations
for them to meet as lodges in the camp. Altogether he
granted no less than 42 dispensations to hold regular
meetings, and to hold them without regalia, exhibited
warrants or lodge furniture. The texts of the dispensations
and a list of those issued are set out in The Pentagram of
1947 (p. 7). "Lodges met with fair regularity", the record tells
us, "in order to carry out essential business as the
confirmation of minutes, consideration of approximate
statement of accounts, whereabouts of Lodge furniture,
regalia and such-like matters; looking forward always to the
day of release in the unknown future and the resumption of
normal Masonic activities in the world of freedom. Some
Lodges were in a position to elect Masters in the accepted
succession. Of these, Lodge St. George, Singapore, the
strongest Lodge numerically of the camp, was the most
fortunate and was able to hand on the succession of the
Chair in regular order. But in the case of a number of
Lodges, this was impossible by reason of inadequate
representation in the camp." Brief accounts of their
proceedings are also included in the same volume (ibid., pp.
14-19). Wherever possible, minutes were typewritten on
foolscap paper. One of the Lodge Secretaries (W.Bro. R.W.
Stainforth) recalls that, after typing, the sheets were torn
carefully across and stuck on a nail to resemble scrap or
toilet paper. After liberation he repaired the sheets and
pasted them in his Lodge minute book.
Secrecy was the main problem. A committee of brethren met
to consider the matter, and it was decided to hold meetings
in a dispensary, a room about the size of the prison cells.
The Pentagram, 1947, reports: "Here, in a lodge room,
surrounded by shelves bearing drugs, medical books,
balances and all the evidence of the medical art, the first
meetings of the Lodges were held. Ventilation was adequate
for two or three persons; most inadequate for 20 Lodge
members. All familiar signs were lacking, except, of course,
the V.S.L. Lodge furniture there was none, regalia there was
none. Voices were hushed. Outside the door stood a tyler
more vigilant than ever before, and supported by a string of
assistant tylers picketed at intervals . . . each in possession
of a preconcerted signal to give warning of Japanese
Cowans and intruders." Subsequent meetings were held in
another dispensary and later in the camp library. One
meeting was held in a cell measuring 13ft. by 7ft. Meetings
continued fairly regularly until the "ill-omened Double
Tenth", 1943. (31) After that date the camp languished under
a harsh and vigilant Gestapo-type supervision for many
months and it was impossible to risk the holding of
meetings. Freemasonry then went underground, but, to
quote The Pentagram (32) "it lived on in the hearts of the
members of the Craft". At this time Bro. Lowick, looking to
the future, checked the whereabouts of Masonic documents
in the camp, keeping many himself and ready to assume
responsibility in the event of trouble. "When the camp was
moved from Changi Prison to Sime Road, the Gestapo
supervision was relaxed. But the open nature of the site of
the camp, the crowd of internees, now increased in number
to something like 5,000, and the impossibility of finding any
privacy in the huts made it extremely difficult to hold regular
meetings; a scanty score of rituals passed surreptitiously
from hand to hand." (33) One brother conducted a small but
efficient Lodge of Instruction in front of a hut every Tuesday
night, and similar study groups were organized in various
parts of the camp. Incredible though it may seem, "a shadow
headquarters" was established and, at Bro. Lowick's
instigation, a "convocation" of the District Grand Lodge was
held, at which a Masonic policy to be followed on
deliverance was determined.
To assist in the identification of brethren, typewritten
certificates were issued reading:
"Bro ... having lost or destroyed his Grand Lodge
Certificate during the enemy occupation of Malaya, is
hereby certified to be a qualified member of Lodge .. No.
.. on the Roll of the United Grand Lodge of England." They
were signed by the Master, Wardens and Secretary of the
Lodge and by the member concerned, and countersigned.
as "Confirmed, B. Lowick, D.G.L.E.A." Looking back, it
would seem that the possession of such a document might
have proved a great danger to the holder should it have
been discovered by the Japanese authorities.
In addition to meetings of Craft Lodges, five R.A. Chapters
and three Mark Lodges held meetings from time to time. A
list of dispensations issued and a brief account of their
proceedings is also to be found in The Pentagram of 1947. (34)
SINGAPORE - CHANGI CAMP (P.O.W.)
In the military area of Changi a meeting of imprisoned
brethren was held as early as June 8th, 1942, at which 45
were present, and which was presided over by W.Bro. H. W.
Wylie, P.G.D. of England and a Past Assistant District
Grand Master, who, ever since the arrival of prisoners in
Changi, had had in mind the desirability of holding Masonic
meetings of some kind. Anxious not to bring the Craft into
disrepute, he, with two other officers of the District Grand
Lodge, approached the British Commandant, Lieut.-General
A. E. Percival, on the matter. The General, though not a
Mason, was most sympathetic and helpful, and promised to
consult area commanders in the camp and the Japanese
authorities. Assurances were given to the General that
meetings would be confined strictly to Masonic business
among existing Freemasons, and that no attempt would be
made to initiate candidates, etc. Area Commanders agreed,
but the Japanese stated that the matter must be referred to
higher authority and, finally, to Tokyo. No answer was
received from the Japanese, and the General, in the
absence of a direct negative, decided that the brethren
might carry on in a discreet manner. (35) General Percival's
ready encouragement is evident from a letter written by Bro.
Wylie to another Masonic organization (36) (to which
reference will be made later). He quotes the General as
saying that the project "supplied yet another means of
preventing the deterioration of character and morale which
began to show itself in some parts of the large camp, at any
rate, in the early stages", and "anything which will assist in
the preservation of the discipline for which, I believe, your
Craft is universally noted, will undoubtedly prove valuable to
me in the enormous difficulties I see already arising". When
the General was later sent to Japan, his successor, Bro. Lt.-
Col. E. Holmes, gave equal encouragement to the brethren,
duly acknowledged by the Grand Secretary, who, after the
war, sent him a letter of thanks.
At this first meeting, Bro. Wylie, anxious not to contravene
the Constitution, decided that, under the Patent of his office,
he was prepared to grant authority for meetings for the
purpose of practising ritual and lectures. There were two
Preceptors of the Lodge of Instruction attached to Lodge St.
George, No. 1152, Singapore, as well as several members
of the Lodge, among the prisoners. To these two brethren,
Bro. Wylie issued a Dispensation under which the place of
meeting was changed to Changi, (37) and meetings were
arranged accordingly. Nights were specially set aside for
various separate Lodges of Instruction to meet, at which
Preceptors were provided and records kept by the Past
Masters of Lodge St. George. Meetings were held in a room,
in a building used for educational purposes, containing a
number of desks and benches which were used to represent
seating in a regular lodge. (38) When it was later placed out
of bounds, meetings were held in the Church of England
Chapel, a much larger building. R.W.Bro. E. G. Holiday
records (38) that "lights were successfully represented by
candles and that the working tools were obtained from
school boxes of mathematical instruments. Later on these
were replaced by excellent pieces of craftsmanship in
aluminium by brethren who were skilled artificers in metal.
Suitably mounted wands were also constructed for the
Deacons; tracing boards were skilfully designed so that, but
for the absence of Masonic clothing, the Lodge could be
considered to be reasonably furnished".
Weekly meetings were held and degrees were practised in
English, Scottish and Irish workings. At first the only lighting
was provided by rags in cigarette tins containing oil
surreptitiously obtained from Japanese lorries, etc.
Preparations were always made to convert the meetings into
something of a different nature in case of surprise. Tylers
were placed at strategic points, and Bro. Wylie tells us that
on one occasion there were four rings of six each, i.e., 24
tylers for one meeting! Attendances rose from about 50 to
over 100 and parties from the "Australian area" of the camp
also joined in. Towards the end of 1942, large parties of
prisoners in this particular area of the camp were being
moved to Siam to work on the infamous railway and it was
realized that meetings would have to end. Minute books and
working tools were buried in a tin box by Bro. Holiday, but,
unfortunately, they were never regained, as by chance the
building near which the tin was buried was levelled off and a
new structure erected on the site. The Grand Lodge
possesses a certified copy of the minutes of the first meeting
of these brethren, including Bro. Wylie's Dispensation, and
some copies of his correspondence and other papers. (39)
One letter, the original, is to the Lodge of St. George Lodge
of Instruction and is indicative of his concern for the
preservation of the niceties of the Craft. News of the death
of the M.W. Grand Master, H.R.H. the Duke of Kent, in
August, 1942, having reached him, he forthwith directed that
members of the Lodge should observe Masonic mourning
for three months.
With the functioning of this Lodge of Instruction a curious
state of affairs existed. In the civilian gaol the Lodge itself
was working under the authority of Bro. Lowick, the
Dep.D.G.M. In the military area of the camp its Lodge of
Instruction was working under the authority of Bro. Wylie, a
P.A.D.G.M., each unaware of the other's activities.
Soon after the meetings held under the auspices of the
Lodge of St. George came to an end, some British and
Australian brethren in another part of the camp called a
meeting, held on December 18th, 1942, in an Officers' Mess
lecture-room in the Roberts Hospital, Changi. The Chair was
taken by Bro. F.C. Stuart (No. 392, Victoria Const.), and the
meeting commenced with an address by Bro. L.J. Kingston
(No. 1118, E.C.), who outlined proposals for the formation of
an Association. As a result, the Prisoners of War Masonic
Association was formed, Bro. Stuart being elected
Chairman, and Bro. Kingston, Secretary. A Treasurer and an
Executive Committee of four brethren from the Victoria,
Queensland and English Constitutions were also appointed. (40) W.Bro. Lt.-Col. H. S. Ling took a prominent part in the
formation of the Association and its activities, of which he
has written an account. (41)
Subsequent meetings are described as meetings of the
Association, but they were conducted as Lodges, with a
Worshipful Master and Officers. There was no "official"
sanction for these meetings, as was obtained in the case of
the Lodge of St. George Lodge of Instruction activities,
which were approved by Bro. Wylie in his capacity as an
Officer of both the United Grand Lodge of England and the
District Grand Lodge. It was not long, however, before the
Association teamed of his presence in the camp, and the
Executive Committee took immediate steps to communicate
with him by letter, dated February 15th, 1943, (42) in which
he was informed of the Association's formation. The letter
concluded: "As the English Constitution has always been
recognized as having paramount power throughout Malaya,
and in the absence of the District Grand Master of the
District Grand Lodge of the Eastern Archipelago, his Deputy
or Assistant, in this camp, it is our desire as a matter of
courtesy to inform you of our action; and we hope that you
will approve thereof, and that both you and all Brothers of
your Constitution will support the Association and join in its
assemblies." Bro. Wylie replied: "I have felt all along the
necessity, and indeed moral obligation, to avoid
contravention of those excellent rules governing the Craft as
much as possible and endeavour to restrict such error to the
absolute minimum. This object has, I feel, been attained
and, with a perfectly clear conscience, am in a position to
approve my brethren embracing such opportunities as your
Association offers to any extent that you are prepared to
allow them." (43) Thus did the meetings receive some
official sanction.
Meetings were held with the full knowledge and approval of
the Commander, and were subject to the following
conditions: -
1. That there should be no discussion of political or military
matters.
2. That all discussion of the conditions of prisoners of war in
the camp were prohibited.
3. That reasonable precautions usually observed by
Freemasons should be adopted and maintained, to prevent
surprise interruption of a meeting.
4. That the President of the Association or other authorized
officer should be responsible to the Commander for the
fulfilment of these conditions. (42)
Although the United Grand Lodge of England was
recognized as the paramount Masonic authority in Malaya, it
was intended that the Association should be organized
under the Constitution of Victoria, Australia. (42) It had been
agreed that regular meetings should be held at which
Masonic ritual would be carried out in an exemplary style,
with correctness in detail, and that rituals of the various
Constitutions (represented by members of the Association)
would, if circumstances permitted, be worked in turn. In
June, 1943, the Association asked Bro. Wylie for a
"testimonial" upon the standard of its labours. (44) Bro.
Wylie was, naturally, diffident in expressing an opinion on
the work carried out by teams using rituals of Constitutions
of which he had had little or no experience, but "as far as I
have been able to judge", he replied, "those conversant with
these rituals have been quite satisfied with the renderings of
them, and to me the earnestness with which the work has
been performed is a sure sign that no effort has been
spared to make the meetings compare very favourably with
the usual ceremonies of their kind. All the English workings
have been of a high standard, in fact excellent, especially
when one takes into consideration the lack of rituals and
experienced Preceptors". (45)
The inaugural meeting was attended by 47 brethren from 11
Constitutions. Membership rapidly increased and later
meetings saw attendances of members and visitors
numbering 116, 149, 169 and 133. On two occasions
elections to membership numbered no fewer than 30.
Meetings were generally held in the Garrison Church, but,
with the various changes in camp accommodation, other
places were found. One building used was a former petrol
station with open sides. These the brethren filled in with
screens of palm leaves and attap fronds. Although it was
fairly isolated, Bro. Wylie felt that it was not secure enough
for the practise of ritual and decreed that only lectures and
talks should be given during the time they used it. The
brethren met fairly regularly, but one meeting "had to be
cancelled owing to the uncertain circumstances then
prevailing" -- one can imagine the reason as expressed was
something of an understatement!
Bro. Ling records: (46) "Great care was taken to prove each
unknown Mason. The brethren drifted in to the meeting in
ones and twos without attracting too much attention. Just
inside the entrance an Assistant D.C., who was deputed on
each separate occasion to obtain on a list the signatures
and names of the Lodges of the brethren attending. Before
attending the first meeting, those of us who had formed the
society proved each other; then as each new member came
along he would be proved by a P.M. of the Constitution to
which he belonged, and his name then added to the list. By
this arrangement no one was admitted without being proved
unless his name was already on the list, and we were able
thus to ensure that no unauthorized person gained
admission."
Punctiliousness in behaviour and obedience to the
Constitutions was always observed and, on one occasion,
amply demonstrated when it was discovered that a visitor to
a meeting had been "initiated" by a foreign "field lodge" in
the camp. The matter was considered by the Executive
Committee and it was decided that the facts should be
reported to Bro. Wylie. It was found that the brethren of this
other jurisdiction had held a meeting within the camp area at
which an "initiation" had been performed without informing
Bro. Wylie - a fact which they considered distinctly
discourteous, irrespective of the validity of the proceedings.
The Committee felt that in dealing with a matter concerning
a Grand Lodge in amity with the United Grand Lodge of
England, "vision of a wide scope was needed". Bro. Wylie,
after consultation with a legal brother, offered his guidance
to the Committee. As a result, the Committee informed the
gentleman concerned that, pending the regularization of his
initiation, he must consider himself debarred from
attendance at meetings of the Association. (47)
The three degrees were regularly demonstrated in
accordance with the several Constitutions represented, or
else lectures on a variety of Masonic and other subjects
were delivered, or the T.B.s were explained. Officers were
changed at each meeting, so that members of the different
Constitutions each took their turn.
Minutes were first prepared in duplicate, one copy being
intended for Grand Lodge. Later it is recorded that "in order
to safeguard the records . . . from possible mishap or
adventure, due to matters international . . . two further
copies . . . would, as a precautionary measure, be deposited
with certain of the brethren for safe custody ".
The subscription was provisionally fixed at 10 cents per
month (later reduced to 5 cents) and the Treasurer regularly
reported on the state of the funds. On one occasion it was
decided that no subscriptions should be payable by brethren
for periods of stay in hospital or "up country" - the
implication of this expression leaves little to the imagination!
On another occasion the members stood in silence to the
memory of those who did not return from "up country".
Charity was not forgotten. Cigarettes were regularly
purchased out of the prisoners' all-too-meagre cash
allowance for distribution to those in hospital, such gifts
being particularly welcome to the troops who, when sick and
unable to work, received no pay from the Japanese. When
the supply of drugs gave out, the suffering of those in
hospital went unrelieved and the brethren did as much as
possible for them all, Masons and non-Masons alike. Many
of the patients were without friends or were the only
remaining members of their regiments, or were otherwise in
need of what Bro. Wylie describes as "mental strength".
Even when cigarettes were no longer available and other
gifts impossible, regular visits to the hospital continued to
the end. In December, 1943, a donation to the Christmas
Toy Fund for Children interned in the gaol was made.
Candlesticks were salvaged from the ruins of a bombed
church; two ashlars were fashioned working tools
improvised; and deacons' wands were made, each being
surmounted by the appropriate emblems made from
aluminium taken from a wrecked aircraft. A first degree T.B.
was "artistically
99999
prepared and presented by Capt. C. Pickersgill, No. 1230,
E.C., now, unfortunately, up country ". Mention is made
elsewhere of a second T.B. drawn and painted by a skilful
artist who later lost his life on the railway.
Meetings opened and closed with the usual odes, and
occasionally some light refreshment was provided, which
must have been " light " indeed. Bro. Ling records: " It was
possible at certain times . . . to bring coffee from the
Japanese-run canteens, and from the small subscriptions
which were collected . . . it was decided to hold one festive
evening. So with black coffee and rice biscuits we made
merry, gave toasts and made speeches." (48) On the 18th
December, 1943, an anniversary meeting was held, when
122 members and visiting brethren attended. It was followed
by refreshments, for which the brethren had previously been
asked to bring small cups. The usual toasts were drunk and
a musical interlude, consisting of songs, was arranged. Any
surplus food left over from the "banquet" was sent to the
brethren in hospital.
It is of interest to mention here that, occasionally, books
were sent into the camp by the Red Cross, amongst which
were some on ancient Freemasonry and King Solomon's
Temple. They had been looted from Freemasons' Hall,
Singapore, and sent to the general library from which the
Red Cross were permitted to take books for prisoners. By
this extraordinary chance did a few Masonic works reach the
brethren.
In May, 1944, the tide was turning against the enemy, and
life in Changi was, in consequence, made increasingly
difficult for the prisoners. The minute of the last meeting of
the Association mentions the reorganization of the camp
and the consequent move and segregation of officers and
men and of the hospital, resulting in the suspension of
regular meetings. In any case, to have continued would
have involved too great a risk, as discovery would certainly
have meant unnecessary suffering and, perhaps, the
sacrifice of lives.
Bro. Wylie records (49) that, towards the end of 1943, a
brother was brought into the Camp Hospital in a most
dreadful condition. He had been sentenced to four years'
imprisonment in the infamous Outram Road Gaol,
Singapore. At the time of his arrest a Masonic ritual was
found amongst his effects, which resulted in terrible
beatings and other cruelties. Bro. Wylie stood at his bedside
and caught a whispered warning advising immediate
cessation of Masonic activities, for "they" are starting an
intensive investigation. Bro. Wylie interviewed the senior
officers of the British and Australian troops, both
Freemasons, and received official sanction and approval to
issue an order to the Association to close down immediately.
In a letter of thanks to Lt.-Col. Holmes, dated 17th August,
1945, Bro. Wylie said: "Possibly more so than most others, I
appreciate very deeply the very real personal responsibility
and risk attached to our activities which you assumed on our
behalf when Lt.-Gen. Percival left for Taiwan. That the risk
was real was evident on the return to the camp of Major S.
[probably the brother mentioned above] when we both
realized the extreme hate and suspicion with which our
'hosts' regarded us and his experiences, which resulted in
your unqualified approval of my request to suspend Masonic
activities of any kind indefinitely."
Over a period of 17 months, 21 meetings of the Association
were held, the last being on the 4th May, 1944. The minutes
of this meeting record that: " There being no further
business, the closing Prayer was given and the Lodge
closed. The brethren departing in Harmony at 6 p.m. - being
sorrowful at the thought that they had, perhaps, attended the
last Regular Meeting of the Association; yet mindful of the
blessing of the G.A.U. Who had allowed us to have, during
this period of stress, strain and anxiety, so many happy
evenings together, reviving the Spirit of the Craft, and
sharing mutually in the benefits and joys of its message."
This is, perhaps, a fitting epitaph for so noble an endeavour,
but a further testimony of the great part which Freemasonry
played in sustaining the brethren was written by Bro. Wylie:- (50)
"The peace and tranquility of those meetings", he says,
"stood out in great contrast against the turmoil and irritations
of the day. Although it was very hot, and most of the time all
of us were in rags, ill, hungry, tired and dirty, yet it was
possible during these meetings almost completely to forget
the normal conditions of our lives as prisoners of war. To sit
quietly among proven friends and listen to the Ceremonies
took one's thought very far from a prison camp and lifted the
mind above the reach of petty annoyances, restored one's
balance and demonstrated the possibility of the victory of
mind over matter, a very important factor at such a time.
Little help could come to us from outside; many died from
malaria and dysentery: many were sick from beri-beri, and
as drugs were not available it was important than mental
strength was maintained, and in that sense a great work was
done. Indeed, the Craft fully justified its existence thereby,
and many who survived owed it to the love and care of some
Brother, and without discrimination, whether he was a
Mason or not."
There was at least one other organized gathering of
brethren in Changi - the Southern Area Masonic Group,
about which little is recorded. In fact, the only information
available is the occasional reference to the Group in the
minutes of the P.O.W. Masonic Association. On the 22nd
February, 1943, the hope was expressed that additional
meetings might be arranged to give Masons in the Southern
Area the opportunity of participating in Masonic work.
Arrangements were, in fact, made for the Group to attend a
meeting on the 12th April, when its team gave a practice
rendering of the initiation ceremony in accordance with the
Revised Ritual. Finally, at the last meeting of the
Association, reference is made to the "funds" of the late
Southern Area Masonic Group, to which the Association had
succeeded on the winding up of the former body.
According to a short note on the Changi activities in a
Bulletin of the A.I.F. Memorial Lodge, "daughter"
associations of the main P.O.W. Association sprung up in
other parts of the camp, working on the same lines under a
controlling body known as " Headquarters (H.Q.)",
consisting of five Australian and five British brethren. In
addition, there were a number of unofficial gatherings of
brethren in Changi which caused Bro. Wylie grave anxiety.
Many brethren, keen to continue some kind of Masonic
activity, gave little thought to the dangers. Copies of the
ritual were being made, but the mere possession of a ritual
involved the risk of death. Wylie, with his wide knowledge of
Far Eastern affairs and of Masonry in that part of the world,
together with certain experiences in the Volunteer Forces,
knew the dangers, not only to those inside the camp, but to
the Asian brethren outside.
The striking of a commemorative medallion was considered
by the Association and a design submitted by Bro. Ling was
approved, the intention being to seek approval of the United
Grand Lodge of England and of the 12 Grand Lodges and
400 Lodges whose members took part in the proceedings of
the Association. (51) The medallion was to consist of a blue
enamel circle bearing the words "Changi P.O.W. Masonic
Association", with a replica of the Changi tree in the centre
and the motto, "Dissectus non Mortuus", to symbolize that,
during the time of captivity, the members were broken but
not dead. It should be explained that in the centre of the
Changi area was a hill, on the top of which grew a large,
isolated tree. The top of the tree had been blown off in
battle. Bro. Ling describes the immense trunk as resembling
a large artificial pillar. It dominated the camp and became
known as the "Changi tree", and was a focal point of the
early meetings of the Association. It is not known how far the
project proceeded.
SINGAPORE-RIVER VALLEY ROAD MASONIC CLUB
Another small body about which little is known was the River
Valley Road (Singapore) P.O.W. Masonic Club. (52) It was
formed by 25 zealous Master Masons to continue and
promote the tenets of Freemasonry during the period at
River Valley Road Camp. It was named a "club" because
none of the members had any power to grant a Dispensation
to enable it to function in any other way. It met once a week,
when lectures were given and the ceremonies practised. A
roll of members, prepared by Bro. Pickersgill, survived and
is preserved in the Masonic Temple, Singapore. A
photographic copy of the roll (supplied by the Grand Lodge
of Scotland) is in the Grand Lodge Library. It bears the
names of fourteen brethren of the English Constitution, five
Irish, one Scottish and five Australian. It is sadly reported
that the majority of the members died whilst working on the
infamous Burma/Siam railway.
Memorial Service., September, 1945.
The Masonic activities of the Singapore prisoners finally
terminated with a memorial service at St. David's Church,
Sime Road Internment Camp, on the 2nd September, 1945,
in memory of those who died between February, 1942, and
August, 1945. During the service their names were read. An
account of the service, which was attended by 180 brethren,
is given in The Pentagram, 1947 (pp. 32-35).
SIAM
Mention has been made above to the ending of activities by
Lodge St. George (working under Bro. Wylie's Dispensation)
because of the removal of prisoners from Changi to Siam to
work on the notorious railway. Bro. Holiday recorded (53)
something of the activities of the brethren in Siam, where
they were dispersed in small groups. It was not until 1944,
the railway having been completed, that they were formed
into large concentrations, but overcrowding was so great,
and Japanese objections to meetings and lectures so
pronounced, that it was only possible for the brethren to
hold talks in small groups in the open. At Tamung, however,
on New Year's Day, 1945, some 60 to 70 brethren were able
to meet, and were afterwards served with rice cakes and
coffee, in which they drank the Loyal toast. On August 22nd,
after the Japanese surrender, an untyled meeting was held
at Nekom Chai, attended by some 50 brethren from a
number of Constitutions. All were in rags and the only
Masonic ornament was the V.S.L.
SUMATRA
Some information concerning the brethren interned in
Sumatra is recorded by Bro. Hasselhuhn in The Pentagram,
1958, (54) who recounts that, after the fall of Singapore,
about 1,000 evacuees from Malaya were herded together at
Muntok, on Banka Island, Sumatra. In the camp a number of
Masonic friends met and agreed that it might be of future
interest to prepare a list of them. Two lists were made, one
containing names and the other their ranks and the Lodges
to which they belonged, so that if they were discovered one
list would appear to have no connection with the other. The
brethren agreed that it would not be proper to carry on
Masonic activity without authority, there being no one
among them of sufficiently high rank to give any
Dispensation to hold meetings. "Nevertheless", it is noted,
"the principles of the Craft, as much as possible, were
practised outside the lodge." The number of brethren
signifying their wish to be recorded on the list reached 57
out of a total of only 197 British internees. Out of this figure
of 57, only 16 (together with five Dutch brethren) remained
alive at the end of their ordeal.
HONG KONG AND SHANGHAI
There is evidence of some activity amongst brethren of the
Hong Kong and South China Lodges whilst prisoners in the
Stanley Internment Camp and the military camp at
Shamshuipo, Hong Kong. The District Grand Secretary,
reporting to Grand Lodge in 1948. (55) mentioned that
Minutes of Lodges which were rehabilitated soon after the
end of the war contain references to "unofficial meetings
held in Stanley by the different Lodges". (These Lodge
minutes are not accessible to me in London.) He also
reported that:-
"Being the Officer Commanding the Hongkong Volunteer
Defence Corps, I was a prisoner in a military camp at
Shamshuipo, so none of those who were mobilized could
take part in these meetings in the strictly civilian camp of
Stanley. I was, however, able to hold a Lodge of Instruction,
as a Preceptor, for the first four months of our captivity. After
that we were separated from our men and put into a
punishment camp, where we had no room to move, and
absolutely no privacy or possibility of conducting meetings."
More precise information concerning one Lodge - Zetland,
No. 525 - is on record. (55) In the Stanley camp a meeting of
members of the Lodge was held on December 1st, 1942,
with 28 present. A year later, on December 7th, 1943,
another meeting was held (in the open, because of the
danger of assembling in a room), when 10 were present.
Another year elapsed before the next meeting, on December
5th, 1944, when only five members could be mustered
because, at that time, few of the brethren were fit enough to
walk the comparatively Ion distance to the place of meeting.
In the Shanghai theatre, two camps for civilian prisoners
were set up - one in Haiphong Road, Shanghai, and
another, Fengtai, about four miles outside Pekin. There was
also a Services' prison camp just outside Shanghai. Bro. Dr.
S. D. Sturton records (56) that there were a number of
brethren of his Lodge, Tuscan, No. 1027 (now the Shanghai
Tuscan Lodge), imprisoned in the Haiphong Road camp, but
it proved impossible for them to arrange any organized
Masonic activity. He recollects that there were altogether
about 110 Freemasons of various jurisdictions - English,
Irish, Scottish, Massachusetts and the Philippines - and a
few Masonic gatherings were arranged. Brethren included
District Grand Officers of the five Constitutions represented.
Sturton was present on one occasion when the Philippine
brethren "entertained" the District Grand Officers of other
jurisdictions in celebration of the liberation of Manila.
Although supervision was strict in the Shanghai camps, the
brethren were left alone and were not, with two known
exceptions, subjected to torture. Unhappily, two brethren
were tortured, however, during questioning in the
Gendarmerie, the Japanese "Gestapo" headquarters.
Interrogation of brethren was most searching, and was
conducted, oddly enough, in the presence of a Japanese
woman who had a most intimate knowledge of Freemasonry.
No more is known of activities of the brethren imprisoned in
these theatres of war.
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Bibliography
(to return back to bibliographical reference, hit your backspace button)
(1) Thorp, J. T., French Prisoners' Lodges, 2nd ed., Leicester,
1935 ; 304 pp., illus. Further discoveries since 1935 are recorded in Trans.,
Lo. of Research, Leicester, by S. Kay, 1950-52, pp. 33-44, and 1959-60, pp.
18-29; J. Bossu, 1957-58, pp. 62-74, and 1958-59, pp. 39-54. See also Vibert,
below.
(2) Thorp, op. cit.
(3) Vibert, Lionel, "Masonry Among
Prisoners-of-War", in Sussex Masters' Lodge Trans., 1937, pp. 4-26. [Also
published in other Research Lodge Transactions.]
(4) Tatsch, J.H., Freemasonry in the Thirteen
Colonies, New York, 1929 ; 266 pp., illus.
(5) Gould, R. F., Military Lodges, London, 1899;
264 pp., illus.
(6) U.G.L. of England, Proceedings, 1st December, 1915;
6th September, 1916; 7th March, 1917 4th December, 1918.
(7) Gastvrijheid Lodge, No. 113 (Neth. Const.) (now No.
3970, E.C.), Minutes, prel. meeting, 10th March, 1915.
(8) U.G.L. of England, Proceedings, 1st March, 1916.
(9) The Grand Master of England, "in commemoration of so
unprecedented and gratifying a Masonic event", the Board of
General Purposes records, "has conferred on W.Bro.
Henderson the rank of Past Grand Deacon (Senior)".
(10) The Freemason, 7th June, 1919.
(11) Biggs, H.S., "Some Account of the Willem van Oranie
Lodge " (including notes by Col. J. A. C. Gibbs), Trans., Lo.
of Research, Leicester, 1920-21, pp. 71-90.
(12) Gastvrijheid Lodge Minutes, 15th August, 1918.
(13) Ibid., 8th October and 5th November, 1918.
(14) Lodge by-laws, Historical Note,
(15) U.G.L. of England, Proceedings, 3rd September, 1919.
(16) 57th June, 1919.
(17) Record of Proceedings of Lodge of Instruction "
Cappadocia ", Yozgat, 1918 ; MS.
(18) Selby-Boothroyd, C.B., Unpublished notes on
Freemasonry in Prisoner of War Camps (Europe) in the
Second World War.
(19) Brown, Sidney, "A Daily Advancement in Masonic
Knowledge-Germany, 1940-45", Trans., Lo. of Research,
Leicester, 1946-47, pp. 110-7.
(20) Iggulden, D.P., Unpublished notes on Freemasonry in
Oftag 79.
(21) Payne, F.S., Unpublished notes on Freemasonry in
Stalag 18A and Stalag 383.
(
(22) Wallwork, H., " Freemasonry in Captivity " (Notes
of an
informal talk), Trans., Bolton Mas. Res. and Study Soc., xiv,
1955-56, pp. 15-8.
(23) Brown, op. cit.
(24) Selby-Boothroyd, op. cit.
(25) Frisby, A. W., "English Freemasonry in Malaya and
Borneo, 1765-1956 ", The Pentagram, 1958, vol. 43, ch. 9,
pp. 83-92. [This account includes extracts from earlier
volumes.]
(26) Wylie, H. W., An unpublished account of Freemasonry in
Singapore Prisoner of War Camp, 1949. Short accounts
also appeared in the Trans., Essex Masters' Lo., 1949-54,
and in The Pentagram, 1954, vol. 39, pp. 15-17.
(27) Ling, H. S., "Masonry as a Prisoner of War", The
Ashlar,
October, 1948, pp. 4-9 ; The Pentagram, 1954, vol. 39, pp.
19-25.
(28) The Pentagram, 1947, vol. 32. [An issue intended mainly
to record Masonic activities of imprisoned brethren, 1941-
45.]
(29) Frisby, A. W., " District Grand Lodge (of the Eastern
Archipelago] under Japanese Occupation The Masonic
Record, 1961, January-April. Based on material previously
published in The Pentagram.
(30) A paper by W.A.G. Edwards, entitled "The Broken
Column: Some Thoughts on Masonry in the Far East, 1940-
45", was written for delivery, but not published - a copy is
deposited in the Grand Lodge Library.
(31) Presumably the 10th October, 1943. It was about this
date that a number of Chinese prisoners were massacred.
(32) The Pentagram, 1947, vol. 32, p. 7.
(33) Ibid.
(34) Ibid., pp. 13, 19-21.
(35) Minutes, 8th June, 1942.
(36) Wylie to Sec., P.O.W. Masonic Assoc., 23rd June,
1943.
(37) Bro. Wylie's action was later approved and confirmed
by the Grand Secretary.
(38) Holiday, E.G., "Masonry in Prisoner of War
Camps",
The Pentagram, 1947, vol. 32, pp. 3".
(39) Prisoner of War Masonic Assoc., Changi.
Correspondence and copies of Correspondence in
possession of Grand Lodge.
(40) Prisoner of War Masonic Assoc., Changi, Singapore.
(a) Minutes, 18th December, 1942, to 4th May, 1944 ; (b)
Attendance Registers.
(41) See footnote 4, p. 89.
(42) From Assoc. to Wylie, 15th February, 1943 (Grand
Lodge); also recorded in Minute book.
(43) Wylie to Assoc., 25th February, 1943 (Minute book).
(44) Minutes, 12th June, 1943.
(45) Wylie to Assoc., 23rd June, 1943 (copy in G.L.); Minute
book.
(46) See footnote 4, p. 89.
(47) Correspondence between Assoc. and Wylie, and
Minutes, 18th December, 1943.
(48) See footnote 4, p. 89.
(49) Wylie, The Pentagram, 1954.
(50) Wylie, Trans., Essex Masters' Lodge, 1949-54, pp. 15-
17.
(51) See footnote 4, P. 89.
(52) Molesworth, W., "River Valley P.O.W. Masonic
Club",
The Pentagram, 1950, vol. 35, p. 2.
(53) See footnote 2, p. 91.
(54) Hasselhuhn, E. T. [Notes on brethren interned in
Sumatra], The Pentagram, 1958, vol. 43, pp. 88-9.
(55) Grand Lodge files.
(56) Personal correspondence.
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