Stewart steps in to lay Freemasons’ wreath because of Covid restrictions
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Covid restrictions prevented Lincolnshire’s Provincial Grand Master Dave Wheeler from traveling to Cleethorpes to lay a Remembrance Sunday wreath at the town’s war memorial, so Stewart Oxborough of Lord Worsley Lodge stepped in to complete the task.
He said Cleethorpes Masonic Lodges had been allowed to lay a wreath at the Remembrance Service despite this year’s ceremony being restricted to a small number of organisations and single representatives. “Sadly, there was no church service before and only a short dedication outside, which included the usual Remembrance tributes and two minutes’ silence; the Lord’s Prayer; followed by the National Anthem; before the wreaths were laid.
“I explained to Gavin Marshall, of North East Lincolnshire’s Armed Forces Major Events Team, that the PGM was prevented from travelling because of Covid restrictions, and he called forward ‘The Freemasons of Lincolnshire’ in a particularly respectful fashion when our turn came.”
The picture shows the Cleethorpes wreaths. At the top is Her Majesty the Queens’s Wreath, laid by the Deputy Lieutenant of Lincolnshire; The Royal Air Force wreath immediately below it; and the Freemasons’ one immediately below that – front and centre for all to see.
Stewart aded: “The policy of allowing Freemasons to attend in Masonic Collars has been much appreciated by the Brethren here, and we are well received by the Council and locals that attend – hence, no doubt, to our inclusion in this year’s limited ceremony. We regularly attract favourable comments (even a few membership questions) and I look forward to next year, as we continue to be seen by our presence in support of the Remembrance Sunday services for all those who gave their lives in service of the Country when, hopefully, it will be a return to the normal full participation.”
