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LIBRARY & MUSEUM NEWS
Burmese banners and Royal British Legion link
Four rare surviving banners from Burma have been presented to the Library and Museum at Freemasons' Hall.
This came about after Graham Barnard visited Rangoon in November 1998 on a pilgrimage organised by the Royal British Legion to visit the grave of his father, killed in action in 1944.
During a reception at the British Embassy, Graham learnt of the four Masonic banners that
were stored in the embassy, so he arranged for them to be sent to London, where they arrived earlier this year.
In July Graham and Tony Kemp presented them to the Library and Museum on behalf of Southbourne Lodge No. 4006. David Knowles, a former chairman of the Royal British Legion, accompanied Tony and Graham to Freemasons' Hall for the presentation.
Graham commented: "These banners are both a link to the past with all those in Burma who were Freemasons, or gave their lives there.
It is also a reminder of my recent visit to the cemetery in Rangoon. I am pleased that
we were able to involve the Royal British Legion, who work so hard to organise the trips.'
The four banners were from the District Grand Lodge of Burma, Rangoon University Lodge No. 4603, Pegu Lodge
No. 3330 and a Scottish Lodge, Ady No. 1377SC.
The shop at Freemasons' Hall
The Freemasons' Hall shop has now moved and undergone refurbishment to enable it to offer a wider range of goods and services to members and visitors to the building.
It sells gifts, stationery, postcards and souvenirs of Freemasons' Hall, many with
unique designs, a wide range of official publications, books, magazines, Craft and Royal
Arch regalia.
Other regalia can be obtained to order.
The shop is a limited company owned by the Library and Museum of Freemasonry.
Masonic archives on the Internet
Key documents from the first century of English Freemasonry are to be made available to the public on the Internet by the Library and Museum.
It is part of a two-year cataloguing and conservation project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), which has provided a grant of £65,700 to catalogue and conserve 1,700 letters and 14,700 returns covering 1750-1820.
The catalogues will be available by March 2004 on the free Access to Archives (A2A) searchable website www.a2a.pro.gov.uk. as part
of the National Archives Network. The original documents will be available at the Library and Museum.
The letters include correspondence relating
to many leading figures
in 18th century history including politician the Earl of Moira, the Prince of Wales (later George IV), furniture designer Thomas Johnson and silversmith Thomas Harper.
They provide a fascinating insight into the 18th century, touching on the expansion of the British Empire, the French Revolution and the slave trade, as well as issues relevant to Freemasons.
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MQ Magazine
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