Monckton Lodge No: 9236

Tel: 01732 321289

Jim McDonald


Date of Warrant, 5th November 1987

The Lodge meets: Third Friday, January, March, May, October and November (Installation November)

Lodge of Instruction meets:
at 8.0pm. 1st & 3rd Fridays in February, April, September & December and on 1st & 2nd Fridays in January, March, May, October and November. NB the 1st LOI night following a Lodge meeting will start at 7.30pm for officers to discuss that Lodge meeting.

 

History of the Monckton Lodge No: 9236

 

The origins of the Lodge are to be found in a number of Officers of the Army Medical Services who were members of what was then called 220 (1st Home Counties) Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps (Volunteers) based at Ditton near Maidstone. The unit is still there but is now called “B” Squadron, 4th Medical Support Battalion. Many were already members of the Royal Army Medical Corps Lodge “In Arduis Fidelis No 3432”, which meets at Great Queen Street, and between them seeds of a military medical lodge were sown. Early on Belvidere Lodge No 503, in Maidstone, agreed to sponsor the new lodge and it was agreed that membership should be primarily for members and ex-members of the three Armed Services. The lodge is named after Surgeon Lieutenant Colonel D. H. Monckton, VD, at one time Superintendent of the Maidstone St John Ambulance Corps and the first Commanding Officer of the 5th Division Volunteer Medical Staff Corps in 1887. This unit was the antecedent of the present unit which celebrated its centenary in 1987 and was granted the Freedom of the Borough of Maidstone in March 1998. The lodge therefore owes its origins to members of the oldest medical unit in the Defence Medical Services. The lodge was consecrated at the Maidstone Masonic Centre, Tovil on the 5th November 1987. The lodge Banner was dedicated on the 27th September 1997.

Traditions of the Lodge

At the Installation Meeting Worshipful Masters or there representatives occupy the following chairs:-
Senior Warden - Belvidere Lodge No 503 – our sponsor lodge
Junior Warden - Robinson Lodge No 2046 (*)
Inner Guard - In Arduis Fidelis Lodge No 3432 (*)
(*) A number of the Founder Members and First Joining Members were also members of these two lodges. At the Festive Board the Second Official Toast is to The Colonel in Chief of the Royal Army Medical Corps. Members who are entitled to have official Mess Kit are invited to wear it on the Installation Meeting – it adds colour to the event. At the January Regular Meeting a “Rabbie Burns” Festive Board is held, complete with Haggis and a Piper.

 

Gurkha Nepalese Children Supported


Monckton Lodge have again given support to the Gurkhas.

The Worshipful Master accompanied by members of the lodge gave a cheque for £230 to Captain Prem Ali of the Royal Gurkha Engineers based at Invicta Barracks, Maidstone at the Maidstone Masonic Centre prior to their general meeting on Friday 15th May 2009.

The money was raised in support of The Pahar Trust, a registered charity, in aid of building and maintaining schools for children in Nepal. The project was first started in 1991 to provide schools for 10000 children. To date the project help 7000 children in thirty seven schools. An important element of the Trust is the school Friendship Link Scheme. Friendship links between schools in the UK and Nepal were established by the Pahar Trust to enable children from both nations to learn more about each other’s cultures and to forge friendships, which would endure over time.

The lodge, which has a strong military connection, is very proud in maintaining its links with the Gurkha Engineers

 
 

Article and Photographs provided by Worshipful Brother Trevor Pankhurst.

 

Soldiers from the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers were special guests at Monckton Lodge, Maidstone on Thursday (20th March 2008) evening.

The soldiers from Invicta Barracks performed their famous ‘Khukri Dance’ and two Nepali children gave a demonstration of traditional local dance.

Captain Prem from the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers gave a brief history about the Gurkha’s in the British army and reminded the brethren that over 45,000 Gurkha’s lost their lives during the 1st and 2nd World War’s and are still very much in the thick of every conflict that involves British troops. The Queen’s Gurkha Engineers are just 50 years old but Gurkha’s have been part of the British Forces since the days of the East India Company.

Worshipful Brother Major Mike Cross, MBE and reigning Master Worshipful Brother James McDonald both of Monckton Lodge made a special presentation to Captain Prem of £1400 raised by the Lodge to be donated to the Pahar Trust, which raises money to build and equip schools in the Nepalese mountain region.

Captain Prem donated an ornamental Khukri to the Lodge, which was auctioned raising an extra £300, making a total of £1700 for the Trust. Brother Terry Smart who made the winning bid for the Khukri immediately donated it to the Lodge where it will take pride of place at future meetings.
 

[ Worshipful Brother Major Mike Cross, MBE & Captain Prem ]

 

 

 

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