RT. WBRO. WILLIAM ALBAN HAIG-BROWN
On 27th March 1912, Rt.WBro. Dunn installed Rt.WBro. William Alban Haig Brown as District Grand Master.
Petitions were sent for the formation of two new Lodges, one in Jhalawar and the other in Bombay. There was also a third in contemplation at Itarsi. The Lodge Army and Navy No. 3651, was consecrated in Bombay on 28th April 1913 by the DGM and the total number of Lodges raised to 38. This Lodge was transferred to London.
Lodge Deolali No. 3710 was consecrated at Devlali in 1914. It was transferred to GLI in 1961.
The following guideline on founding of new Lodges was issued by the Grand Master Most WBro. Lord Ampthill:
“While a new Lodge may be necessary when the existing Lodges in a locality are not sufficient to accommodate the number of Brethren therein or where a body of Brethren have come together from a place from which they cannot conveniently attend their mother Lodges, there is no justification for the foundation of a new Lodge if the object be merely to accelerate the promotion to office of a number of junior Brethren. Every Petition should be accompanied by a full length explanation of the motives and objects of the would be founders.
It is not desirable that Lodges should be named after any living brother unless he has rendered exceptional service to Masonry or he be a person of well known eminence. The establishment of ‘Class’ Lodges is a recognized and growing custom, but there is a distinct limit beyond which this practice might become contrary to and subversive of, the true spirit of Masonry. The essential condition must be that there is no question of using Freemasonry for professional or commercial gain.”
WBro. DD Mistry, a Past Dy. DGM presided over the September 1915 Communication of the District Grand Lodge. This was the First Time that an Indian Brother presided over a DGL meeting.
In 1916, Rt.WBro. Haig Brown consecrated a new Masonic Hall at Lonavala and a new Lodge at Bilaspur named “Heart of India” No. 3760.
At the February 1917 Communication, the DGM said that certain Lodges in the District had been specially active, notably Lodge Tyrell Leith, Baroda which had worked no fewer than 68 degrees. Lodge Heart of India, Bilaspur had to its credit 60 and Lodge Alexandra, Jabalpur 48, while 5 other Lodges had worked over 30 and 4 others over 20.
A proposal of the BMA to grant Charity Jewels in accordance with recommended scheme was approved.
The Gymkhana Lodge No. 3796 at Bombay was consecrated by the DGM in 1917. The Lodge was closed around 1956.
Lodge Union No. 767 Karachi worked 50 degrees.
A new Lodge Mesopotamia No. 3820 was consecrated at Basra by the DGM on 25th January 2918. At this Lodge’s consecration night, 80 Brethren were proposed for joining and 30 candidates were proposed for Initiation. Within 5 months, this Lodge carried out 62 Initiations, 50 Passings, 30 Raisings and 188 Joinings. The total membership at June end was 250. This Lodge was later removed from the jurisdiction of the District.
Three more Lodges were founded in 1918. Lodge Haig Brown No. 3829 at Bombay on 31st August, since shifted to Goa within the District. Lodge Universal Brotherhood No. 3835 also at Bombay on 18th July and Lodge Knight No. 3918 at Deolali on 23rd November. Several Lodges doubled their membership in 1918. Lodge Alexandra had 111 members and three others had 109.
Lodge Light in Arabia No. 3870 was consecrated on 29th January 1919 by WBro. HM Thorton of Gibraltar and Lodge Baghdad No. 4022 at Baghdad on 30th December with 73 founder-members. These two raised the number of Lodges in the District to 47.
It was reports that the District has had an increase in membership by 110 in 1916, 181 in 1917 and 677 in 1918. The total number of members at the end of 1918 was 3,171. There were at least nine Lodges with membership of over 100 each, while Mesopotamia had a membership of 339 in the space of a year from its establishment.
Lodge Scinde No. 4284 and Lodge Indus No. 4375, both of Karachi were constituted in 1921. The strength of the District now was 49 Lodges.
Lodge Babylonia No. 4326 was consecrated at Basra on 15thJuly and Lodge Iraq No. 4471 also in Basra on 5th October.
In September, 1923, it was announced that Rt.WBro. Haig Brown had resigned his office as DGM.
The DGM reports in February with regret that the Grand Lodge had intimated that as from 1st January 1924, the four Lodges in Mesopotamia, namely – Mesopotamia No. 3820, Basra; Baghdad No. 4022, Baghdad; Babylonia No. 4326, Basra and Iraq No. 4471, Basra, had been removed from the jurisdiction of Bombay. This reduced the number of Lodges in the District to 47.