Freemasons Restore 1882 Broken Column

Freemasons of the Loyal Berkshire Lodge of Hope restore the memorial to Walter B. Wilson

The Worshipful Master of the Loyal Berkshire Lodge of Hope No 574 in Berkshire in 1882 was the highly respected Walter B Wilson, who was struck down during his year of office by an “Act of God”, at the tender age of 32 years.

He was buried with full Masonic Honours, including a public procession dressed in the robes of the order, in Newtown Road Cemetery, Newbury, where his grave still stands.

The cemetery has now been designated as a monument of historic importance and is undergoing restoration. The grave of Walter B Wilson, now 128 years old, was originally adorned with a gigantic Broken Column which, over the years, had fallen to the ground and become partly buried.

When the opportunity arose to restore the grave to its original splendour and to take an active part in this community project, the current Worshipful Master and a team from the Loyal Berkshire Lodge of Hope rose to the occasion.

On a freezing cold day in December 2010, the team consisting of (left to right) Geoff Lobb, Joss Nankoo, who oversaw the work to cemetery standards, Duncan Taylor, Ian Spence WM, Peter Cox, Jim Wood and Brian Sylvester,  unearthed the Broken Column and hoisted it to its original position atop the grave.

The results are plain to see and the occasion was marked with a short ceremony combining a tot of whisky and the singing of the Master’s Song, “This world is so hard and so stony - And here’s to his health in a song”.

Pictures available in the picture gallery.