Lodge Marine Remembers Fallen Brethren of the Great War

When planning a motorbike tour to the Belgium Battlefields with a group of friends and a fellow Brother (Steve Holden), it occurred to me to look to see if anyone from lodge Marine 232EC had fallen in the Great war. After asking members of the lodge, and from looking at the Masonic Great war project website (https://www.masonicgreatwarproject.org.uk/), I found 2 Brethren that had fallen, Bro Capt E Cardew and W Bro Lt F W Finn, and so we took 2 memorials out to the Battlefields. 

Capt E Cardew is commemorated at the Loos Memorial in France. He had served in The Royal Engineers, and is one of the missing from the war. They are not quite sure why he was in this area as his unit was based in Ypres, although there is a theory that he may have had expert knowledge of Gas, and was attached to a different unit during the battle of Loos. He fell on 26th September 1915 age 36. Marine was his mother lodge and he was initiated, passed and raised in 1905. He was also a member of Siwalik No. 2939 E.C. and Dalhousie Lodge of Mussoorie & Deyrah No. 639 E.C.

Lt F W Finn has a grave at the Canada Farm Cemetery, between Ypres and Popperinge.  He fell during the third battle of Ypres 1917. He was initiated, passed and raised in 1906 and was the Worshipful Master of the lodge in 1911. He fell on 4th October 1917 age 39. 

Our current Worshipful Master, Luke Stokes, resides in Belgium, and as he had some free time while we were there, we 3 brothers from Lodge Marine met at Worshipful Brother Finn’s grave to pay our respects, with the current Worshipful Master laying the memorial to a previous one.

At a period of reflection these two brothers probably knew each other in the lodge, joined the army to fight for their country and fell 36 miles apart with just little over 2 years between them. 

We will never forget, not least this trip

Bro Ben Preston