Concordia Lodge. No.3102, who meet at the Tor Masonic Hall, Torquay, are a lodge with a very rich history. They were consecrated in Calcutta in 1905 and can boast Lord Kitchener as a member of the lodge who at that time was also District Grand Master of the Punjab, he was just one member among many other well-known freemasons of that era. He introduced the Amir of Afghanistan, His Majesty Habibullah Khan who was initiated, passed & raised at a specially organised meeting. The Amir, later the same evening presented the Lodge with a silver loving cup to commemorate the event, this is still used today at the festive board on occasions of installation.
This event is thought to have helped British India to maintain good relations with Afghanistan throughout the first world war and there can be no doubt that keeping the peace on the Northwest Frontier during that time will have positively affected the outcome of that war.
The Lodge moved from Calcutta to Mark Masons Hall in London in 1966 where they remained until they moved again to their present home in Torquay in 2012. It is interesting to note that at that time the membership consisted of very senior officers of the British East India Company, the military and the judiciary and it is said that the current membership would definitely not have met the membership criteria of that time.
As only befitting a lodge whose origins are based in India, Concordia Lodge serve the most delicious curry at their installation meetings, a delight not to be missed.
On Friday 23rd February 2024 W. Bro. Barry Vian installed W. Bro. Simon Wills as Worshipful Master in an excellent fashion, the Presiding Provincial officer I attendance was W. Bro. Charles Yelland AsstPGM, accompanied by W. Bro. Tim Golder AsstPGM and also on his first visit as an Honorary member of the lodge, our Past PGM Rt. W. Bro. Ian Kingsbury together with twenty four Active Provincial Officers including both Active Provincial Wardens Martyn Aldridge and David Wilson. David who is a member of the lodge also gave the address to the wardens.
It was a particularly proud and memorable day for the incoming Worshipful Master Simon Wills as it was nineteen years ago that he was first installed into the chair of Concordia Lodge where he has been a very active member in all the intervening years.
W. Bro Clive Eden PAGDC
Provincial Communications Officer