Coopers’ Old Boys’ Lodge

Evan Warner aged 34, a Serjeant, lost his life in December 1914 following one of the opening engagements of the Great War at Plogsteert Wood.

Cyril Monson, aged 28, was a Second Lieutenant who lost his life in May 1915 in the aftermath of the disastrous Battle of Aubers Ridge.  His body was never identified and his life is commemorated at the Le Touret memorial with more than 13,000 of his fellow combatants.

Christofer Clapham aged 40, a Second Lieutenant, lost his life holding the front line near Fleurbaix in February 1916.

Lieutenant Harold Beard, aged 26, lost his life in October 1916 in the battle of Transloy Ridges on the Somme.  His name is inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial.  His body no doubt remains somewhere in the fields east of Lesboeufs.

And Edgar Seager aged 25, a Lieutenant, lost his life in August 1918 following the Battle of Amiens – a mere three months before the end of the great conflict.

“These were the men whose graves and memorials we visited.  Soldiers of the Great War and men of our Lodge.  Men like us, who sat at Festive Boards and enjoyed the company of their Brethren.  It was they who made the supreme sacrifice in the causes of their King and their country.  Their memories will not be forgotten, have not been forgotten as the actions of the Brethren of our Lodge –  their Lodge – so clearly demonstrated last month.  May God bless them all”.

These were the words of Worshipful Brother Philip Stowell, when speaking as Master at the Festive Board of the London Rifle Brigade Lodge No 1962, also known affectionately as “LRB”, on Friday 17^th October, following the visit of seven Brethren to France in the previous month. 

The purpose of that visit was to travel through Northern France, in order to lay wreaths on the resting places or places of commemoration of five of the Brethren of the London Rifle Brigade Lodge who had lost their lives in the first great conflict of the Twentieth Century.

After an early morning rendezvous in East London, the seven Brethren travelled by minibus to the Kent coast, crossing to Calais and then onwards to Paris in order to participate in the 750^th anniversary meeting of St. George’s Lodge No 3 in Paris that night.  St George’s is an English-speaking Lodge, with which the London Rifle Brigade has had a long relationship which can be traced back to 1919:  to this day the Worshipful Master, Wardens, Treasurer and Secretary of St. George’s Lodge are honorary members of the London Rifle Brigade Lodge.  

Following an excellent meeting which had a truly international flavour, at which Brother Dennis Roberts was installed in the Chair of King Solomon, the group travelled northwards; visiting the magnificent Vimy Memorial, which is dedicated to the memory of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. They then travelled on to the Thiepval Memorial, on which are inscribed the names of over 72,000 missing servicemen who lost their lives on the battlefields of the Somme, but whose bodies were either never found or never identified.  72,000 men who have no known grave.  As they travelled towards Calais on the Saturday and the following Sunday, they stopped at the various resting places which their research had identified as the locations where their fallen brothers were buried or commemorated.  Their final visit was to the London Rifle Brigade Cemetery itself, situated in Comines-Warneton in Belgium.  That cemetery is the final resting place of 22 members of the Brigade.

Two of the seven brothers who undertook this journey of Remembrance were themselves ex-servicemen:  Brother Michael Patterson who served as Lance Corporal in The Rifles, 2^nd Battalion between 2012 and 2016; and Brother Mark Hudson who served as Corporal in the Green Jackets between 1981 and 1987.  Brother Mark said: "This was an incredible experience; and it was great to share it with fellow Brethren of the London Rifle Brigade Lodge. As we travelled through the French countryside, the extent of the loss of life during WW1 became starkly evident. Seeing cemetery after cemetery, containing graves of soldiers from every corner of the world who answered the call to duty and gave the ultimate sacrifice for King, Country and Empire, was a sobering reminder of their bravery. It was a great privilege to visit the resting places of Brethren from the London Rifle Brigade Lodge who were laid to rest over a century ago. Let us continue to remember their names and ensure they are not forgotten. I wonder if they're in the Grand Lodge above, looking down at us as we lay wreaths and pay our respects. Indeed, it was a very moving experience."

“It was indeed,” added Brother Philip, “certainly one I shall never forget.  It was also a great opportunity for us to spend time together and get to know each other much better. Our mood was necessarily sombre and respectful, but we also had a great time and took good advantage of some superb French wine, cuisine and just the occasional beer!  There is one Brother, Captain Ernest Henry Lloyd, whose life we were unable to honour as he died from his wounds in a military hospital in Rouen.  He mustn’t be ignored – another road trip to Normandy is already in the diary.”

This article is part of Arena Magazine Issue 59 – Christmas 2025.
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 59 here.

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