Provincial Grand Lodge of Suffolk
We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.
The Armed Forces Covenant
An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Government and all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families
The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.
Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.
This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.
Section 1: Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant
1.1 We Provincial Grand Lodge of Suffolk will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment
2.1 Provincial Grand Lodge of Suffolk recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
- Armed Forces Friendly
We also pledge the following:
Commitment to the Armed Forces: Provincial Grand Lodge of Suffolk will demonstrate that we are an Armed Forces-friendly organisation, to our members, staff, customers, suppliers, contractors and wider public, through our commitments to the Armed Forces community in this pledge and Covenant. Freemasons use four important guiding principles to help define their path through life: Integrity, Friendship, Respect and Charity. Provincial Grand Lodge of Suffolk takes pride in our commitment to excellence, integrity, respect, innovation, teamwork, and growth. Membership is open to people from all backgrounds and the organisations aim is to empower members to be the best they can be. Throughout our 250 years of history, Provincial Grand Lodge of Suffolk and our members have enjoyed a positive relationship with the armed forces, our Lodges welcoming active and retired servicemen. Military Freemasons helped Freemasonry evolve from being a small London based organisation into an international movement with many independent Grand Lodges all over the world. After both World Wars Freemasonry saw an influx of military personnel seeking the camaraderie created within Lodges up and down the country. Freemasonry holds many attractions to servicemen, at home and abroad. Membership of a Lodge could encourage comradeship and a sense of belonging. It could be educational and character building. It could provide a refuge in hard times or a home from home when stationed abroad. Sometimes, it was something to occupy the time or to relieve the boredom of garrison life. To ex-soldiers Freemasonry is seen as a continuation of elements of the service career, whether that is helping others, dressing for an occasion or the friendship of their mess, employment of veterans, recognising military skills and qualifications in our recruitment and selection process, and working with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to support the employment of Service leavers. Our members also benefit from the Circuit of Service Lodges which was formed in 1993. The Circuit exists to promote inter-visiting and thus fosters greater awareness of these special interest Lodges. The Circuit also marches as a platoon past the Cenotaph each Remembrance Sunday, arranges battlefield tours, and holds social and other events throughout the year. In addition, Provincial Grand Lodge of Suffolk will support the Royal British Legion, by providing volunteers to help with its Poppy Appeal, to generate funds for the support of the Armed Services. Commitment to National Events and Remembrance: Provincial Grand Lodge of Suffolk supports Armed Forces Day and Reserves Day by celebrating our diverse military community both internally, and externally though our social media engagement. Remembrance Day is promoted to our members and Freemasons lead Remembrance activities through the county. Each year in London Freemasons take part in a parade past the Cenotaph. The current Freemasons Hall in London (built 1927-1933) was originally called the Masonic Peace Memorial and was constructed in the memory of over 3,000 members of the United Grand Lodge who had been killed serving in the armed forces during the First World War. Their names are recorded on a scroll in the shrine designed by the artist Walter Gilbert that faces the entrance to the Halls Grand Temple. In 2017, the Grand Master, HRH Duke of Kent, unveiled a memorial stone set in the pavement outside the Hall, commemorating English freemasons who had been awarded a Victoria Cross during the First World War. Freemasons are proud of the role members played during periods of national war. In this rural Province of Suffolk, we have proved to the Craft at large, and to many guests, that those who died serving our country are not only remembered but lauded, and their very memory kept very much alive, by presenting our so very personal presentation of the Ceremony of the Empty Chair, now adapted to fulfil that service and to commemorate the sad loss our countrymen. Members of Regimental Lodges are encouraged to wear their uniforms to celebrate their service, and our members proudly wear their medals and decorations at some Lodge meetings. Commitment to Armed Forces Charities: Provincial Grand Lodge of Suffolk, UGLE, the Masonic Charitable Foundation, our Lodges, and members support Armed Forces charities with fundraising and supporting staff who volunteer to assist. Freemasonry is one of the largest charitable givers in the country, contributing £51.1m to deserving causes in 2020 alone. Freemasons do not only donate money more than 18.5 million hours of volunteer work are undertaken by Freemasons every year. To take some examples, The United Grand Lodge of Englands Grand Charity has supported several veterans charities in the last few years including, the Blind Veterans UK, British Ex-Services Wheelchair Sports Association, Help for Heroes and Fishing for Heroes. Freemasons have always had a strong relationship with the armed services, and UGLE have worked with Remembrance Penny who have donated a bronze poppy, in a case, inscribed with the words They shall not grow old. For those Freemasons who died for their country. Funds raised from the sale of the pennies are going to support Combat Stress to help continue delivering life-changing specialist services to veterans across the UK. The poppy is permanently on display at UGLE as a symbol of reflection and contemplation for those servicemen and women who have served their country.
2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.