A big congratulations to WBro Peter Clegg PProvDepGReg, who on exactly 50 years to the day, celebrated a big milestone on freemasonry. 50 years interrupted membership of the craft.
On 12 November 2025, Lodge of Hope 54 was opened in due form minutes of the previous meeting were read. A knock was heard at the door to the lodge and Assistant Provincial Grand Master WBro John Curry, JP, PSGD demanded admission, along with a delegation of Grand Lodge and Provincial Officers and officers from the Eastern Area Team.
The APGM was offered the gavel and on this occasion, it was accepted and WBro Curry was welcomed into the chair of King Solomon to direct the celebrations.
WBro Clegg was placed into the centre of the lodge and the minutes of Peter’s initiation were read. This was followed by a recollection of events in history of when Peter was born and also when Peter was initiated.
The celebrations continued with Peter receiving a letter and certificate from our Provincial Grand Master along with pin badge and memento from the Area Team.
The celebrations concluded with Peter being escorted around the lodge to the acclaim of all brethren in attendance.
Following the meeting, the brethren retired to the festive board where Peter’s brother also provided a personal tribute.
50 years is a very long time to be a Freemason and it is exactly 50 years to the day from my brother Peter’s initiation into the Lodge of Hope no 54, on the 12th November 1975.
He was initiated by the WM Jim Ogden, the SW was Ken Roberts and WBro Graham Adamson was the JW. Things were very different then with over 70 members in the lodge.
In 1975 subs were £15 for Members and £5 for Country Members. The festive board was £2 and we had cotton tablecloths plus cheese and biscuits after desert. So you can see how inflation over 50 years has eroded the value of the pound. At lodge practice you always took the part you were progressing to the following year so you had plenty of time to learn the office.
Our father, WBro Frank Clegg was his proposer and WBro Joseph Sudell was his seconder. Dad was relatively late in joining Freemasonry, but so enjoyed the experience that he was keen we joined earlier in life should we show an interest. Peter knew quite a few of the members of Hope Lodge growing up and worked Saturday mornings and holidays in the family garage business and this is where he got to know WBro Joseph Sudell, his seconder who used to bring his car in for service.
Peter started his working career in plastics manufacturing as a Production Planner and then moved to the Post Office as a junior manager. It was whilst there that he won a scholarship to study a Business Degree which enabled him to move into Further Education. Eventually achieving the position of Vice Principal of a large FE college in Gloucestershire.
Peter was 23 when initiated into Freemasonry and had plenty of time to prepare for going through the chair. At that time we had 12 stewards and it took around 14 years to become WM. Peter was WM in 1989.
He always enjoyed ritual and has delivered the 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree tracing boards many times. He has also delivered on numerous occasions the charge in the 1st degree and the charge and traditional history in the 3rd degree. For the last 5 years he has delivered the address to the brethren at the conclusion of the Installation Ceremony.
After passing through the position of IPM, Peter took on the office of ADC for many years and then to DC succeeding WBro Geoff Harrison. He retired as DC in 2008 when he moved to Gloucestershire.
Peter was awarded Provincial Honours, first as Past Prov JGD and then promoted to Past Provincial Deputy Grand Registrar.
Recently he has returned to the Royal Arch as a member of Benevolence Chapter. He has also been advanced in the Mark Degree as a member of Temperance Mark Lodge.
When he was younger, he was a keen and successful oarsman and when even younger he was the cox of the first eight with Hollingworth Lake Rowing Club. He is also a keen fell walker and has twice walked the coast to coast across Scotland.
