50 YEARS AGO

Compiled from the Buffalo Quarterly Journal March 1955

The then Editor criticises the opening line of a paragraph reporting a Lodge Children’s Christmas Party. “Charity begins at Home” it says. The Editor comments that what is done in the home should be a DUTY and not regarded as a “charity”. Probably he had OURS in his mind.

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Grand Lodge meetings were held in the large Town Hall in Reading during 1955, one of the best halls we have used in the past 25 years. Bro. Harry Charlesworth, of Huddersfield was the elected Grand Primo and 426 members registered at this meeting.

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The old Windsor, Slough and Uxbridge Province was allowed to make a split. The result was that part became the Windsor and Uxbridge P.G.L., with the remainder retaining the old Slough title. Bro. Syd Langley is still in office as P.G. Secretary.

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There was an application to the Hull P.G.L. from the Bridlington Lodge 1709, the Star of Hope Lodge 4549 and the Bon Accord Lodge 1796 to transfer to the Scarborough P.G.L., which was granted. All three are now in the Bridlington based North Wolds Province.

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The Elwell Shield was again won by the Shakespeare Lodge 87 of the North Durham Province with an average attendance per week of 186.3. This was their fifth consecutive win. The Rules were changed for the following year when the winners would be the Lodge who made the highest contributions to Grand Lodge Voluntary Benevolence in relation to their registrations.

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Bro. Sam Diggle R.O.H. retired from the office of P.G. Secretary of Warrington P.G.L. after long service. Bro. Sam was a character who was well known throughout the whole of the Mersey area and even wider a field. Regrettably, he is no longer with us.

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The story is told of an application being received for reservations on the Journal Tour from an address given as one of H.M. Prisons. In this case, the application was accepted. He happened to be one of the Prison Officers.

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We do remember a case where a Lodge enquiry was received to find out if they could keep a member in compliance. He had only been sentenced to a short period in the nick, so they really believed it did not matter much.

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An article and certain photographs in the now defunct “Picture Post” depicted the inside of a Buffalo Lodge in session and this caused quite an upset amongst our membership. Not a lot of action was taken from the top and so far as we remember, no effort was made to seek any sort of redress for the intrusion.

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The late Bro. Charlie Alberge, who was Grand Minstrel in 1955, had been on one of his usual tours, this time to Yugoslavia and lost all his luggage somewhere along the way. It was given up for lost, but in the end, the counterparts of British railways discovered the missing cases and the lot were returned to Bro. Charlie in Gloucester. Loose cash and few odd bits of paper were missing, but he had been traced because his Buffalo Parchment had been found in one of the cases.

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The Editor of the day made a point which is as true today as it was then. The Groes Lodge 1302 at the Pencoed Club financed (and built) their own premises with neither recourse to the bank or the brewers. Not one of the workers received any sort of payment, all having accepted the main issue that it is no good taking your hat off to the past unless you are prepared to take your coat off to the future.

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An ambitious plan was announced to bring a Canadian pilgrimage of Buffaloes to England during the year of 1956. Unfortunately in the event it all came to nothing.

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The death is recorded in this 1955 issue of Bro. W. B. Traynor, of the South East Kent Province, who received the Victoria Cross for valour at the battle of Lake Chrisie in South Africa. Although wounded himself, he assisted in the rescue of another wounded comrade under heavy fire.