Concordia Lodge, who meet at the Tor Masonic Lodge in Torquay, is 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. Later the same evening, the Amir 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 maintain good relations with Afghanistan throughout the First World War. There can be no doubt that keeping the peace on the Northwest Frontier during that time would 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. 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 serves the most delicious curry at their Installation meetings, a delight not to be missed.
On Friday, 23rd February 2024, Barry Vian Installed Simon Wills as Master of the Lodge in an excellent fashion; the Presiding Provincial officer in attendance was Charles Yelland and Tim Golder, both Assistant Provincial Grand Masters, accompanied by the Past Provincial Grand Master 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 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.
