The Queen Victoria Rifles, having a distinguished history as a rifle volunteer unit and being incorporated into the Territorial Army upon its inception, was always the source of members for the Victoria Rifles Lodge. Seven Commanding Officers and a number of Regimental Officers had been members and Worshipful Masters.
Victoria Rifles Lodge was consecrated on 1 November 1860 at the Queen’s Arms, Kilburn Gate. The Founders were all members of the Regiment. The consecration was written up in the manner of the day in the Freemasons Magazine and Masonic Mirror.
Originally the Lodge was numbered No 1124, but in 1863 the reorganisation saw it become No 822.
After the Second World War the Regiment was amalgamated into the King’s Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) and lost its cap badge. The Lodge was therefore deprived of its only source of members, although it soldiered on with several WWII veterans in its ranks for many years.
The Lodge found new life when in 2006 it was rescued from handing in its warrant and became the Installed Masters’ Lodge for the Circuit of Service Lodges.
There are two Lodge histories in the Library at Freemasons’ Hall.
The first of which was written by W Bro Lt Col CACG Keeson OBE MC TD LGR who had commanded the Regiment 1934-1938 and was already a holder of the MC when initiated into the Lodge, aged 21, by his father in October 1919.
The second was written by W Bro Maj Don Boydell ERD RE PAGDC.