A Brotherhood of Brothers
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Ian Delvalle, Secretary, Grenadiers Lodge No 66 writes:
Grenadiers Lodge No 66 had an unusual meeting on 26th February where the Worshipful Master, Chris Dodd, was supported by his two brothers, Nick and Tim Dodd acting as Senior and Junior Wardens respectively.The Brotherly Brotherhood was further extended with brothers, Richard and James Gray acting as Inner Guard and Junior Deacon.
The meeting was meant to be the Passing to the second degree of Bro Michael Battley, who unfortunately was unable to attend due to illness, However, his place was taken by his brother, Anthony Battley.So three sets of brothers makes Grenadiers a real brotherhood.
Metropolitan Grand Inspector, Scott Simpson, attended the meeting and is seen in the picture.
The Dodd family have a long history with the Lodge. Their grandfather and father also belonged to the Lodge as does their uncle, VW Bro Keith Kirby.
Grenadiers Lodge was founded on 27th October 1739 and has all of the minute books since that date. The Lodge is unusual in that it was named from the start and remains unchanged; and the name not taken from the venue as was the usual custom at the time, but seems to be a description of its members. There was a Grenadiers Tavern, but that was not in existence in 1739; and the Grenadier Guards not formed until the following century. So why Grenadiers? The first meeting place was the house of Bro Burridge, which was adjacent to the School of Horse Grenadiers, so it is a fair assumption that the founders were Non-Commissioned Officers from the school and civilian friends. The military connection is evidenced by some of the early minutes, recording members being absent on King’s Duty.
This article is part of Arena Magazine Issue 60 – Spring 2026.
Arena Magazine is the official online magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.
Read more articles in Arena Issue 60 here.
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