Installation of THE Provincial Master 2025

On the afternoon of Saturday, 16 August 2025, a distinguished deputation from the Grand Lodge of Scotland, headed on this occasion by the Right Worshipful Depute Grand Master, Brother Alexander C. G. Moncrieff, attended in place of the Grand Master Mason, who was unable to be present due to ill health. The deputation travelled to the Tait Hall, Kelso, for the Installation of Brother James Thom, Past Master of Lodge Melrose 1bis, as Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of The Scottish Borders.

The meeting was opened by the Immediate Past Provincial Grand Master, Brother Andrew E. Forsyth, after which the Depute Grand Master and the deputation of Grand Lodge Office‑bearers were received with warmth and respect. Upon receiving the Maul, the Right Worshipful Depute Grand Master addressed the assembled Brethren, conveying greetings from the Most Worshipful Grand Master Mason, Brother Ramsay McGhee.

He then expressed sincere thanks and congratulations to Brother Forsyth for the exemplary manner in which he had led the Province over the past five years, before proceeding to conduct the Installation Ceremony. During the ceremony, Brother James Thom was formally invested and proclaimed as Provincial Grand Master. The commissioning and investiture of the Provincial Office‑bearers followed, with Brother J. Stewart Clark, Past Master of Lodge St. John Coldstream No. 280, installed as Worshipful Depute Provincial Grand Master; Brother Dale W. Hall, Past Master of Lodge Dunse No. 23 and Lodge Friendship Waverley No. 597, installed as Worshipful Substitute Provincial Grand Master; Brother David Bell, Past Master of Lodge Dunse No. 23, installed as Provincial Grand Secretary; Brother Michael Laidlaw, Past Master of The Hawick Lodge No. 111, installed as Senior Provincial Grand Chaplain; and Brother Brian Dodds, Master of Lodge St. John Selkirk No. 32, installed as Junior Provincial Grand Chaplain.

Once the investiture was complete, the Lodges of the Province were called upon to give their allegiance to the newly installed Provincial Grand Master, which they did in the customary manner. Brother Thom then received the Maul from the Depute Grand Master and addressed the company, offering his thanks to Brother Moncrieff and the Grand Lodge Office‑bearers and expressing his commitment to leading the Province over the next five years.

With the formal proceedings concluded, the Brethren enjoyed an excellent dinner featuring a traditional roast beef main course. Following the meal, the Depute Provincial Grand Master, Brother J. Stewart Clark, proposed the toast to the Grand Lodge of Scotland. In his reply, the Depute Grand Master expressed gratitude for the generous donations received: £786.35 from the collection, which was rounded up to £1,000 for Grand Lodge benevolence, and £750 from the raffle proceeds in aid of Prostate Scotland.

Further toasts were offered, including one from Brother Stuart J. Robertson, Provincial Grand Master of East Lothian and Assistant Grand Secretary, to the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Scottish Borders, and another from Brother Dale W. Hall, Substitute Provincial Grand Master, to the Daughter Lodges. This latter toast was ably replied to by Brother Philip J. Titley, Master of The Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis.