At an impressive ceremony held in No 10 temple at Freemasons' Hall, London, on the 8th February 1965, and before a gathering of military Freemasons from the RAOC and many other Corps, and Regimental guests of all ranks and decorations, Sua Tela Tonanti Lodge No.8003 was consecrated. The consecration, conducted by the Assistant Grand Master, RW.Bro.Major General Sir Allan Adair, Bt., ably assisted by:

W.Bro.General Sir Rodney Moore, KCB, KCVO, CBE, DSO, PGSwdB, as SW

W.Bro.Colonel C.J.Odling, DepGSwdB as JW

W.Bro.Rev A.B. Carver, TD, MA, AGChap as Chaplain

RW.Bro.J.W. Stubbs, PGW, Grand Secretary as Secretary

W.Bro.J.Pemberton, DepGDC as DC

W.Bro A.H.Galley, MB, BS, AsstGDC as IG

Brought into being a unique London Lodge, or at least unique so far as the Royal Army Ordnance Corps was concerned, as the Lodge was founded for the purpose of bringing together for the first time all Freemasons of the RAOC serving in every part of the world, in Military and Masonic Brotherhood.

At this consecration, the Founder members numbered 25 Officers and Warrant Officers, and they were strongly supported by RAOC potential joining members of the Lodge. Amongst the visitors present that day was a holder of the Victoria Cross, in the person of W.Bro.Major J.P.Huffman, PM Maguncor Lodge No.3806.

Sua Tela Tonanti Lodge was consecrated just twelve months after the first committee of five members met together to lay the first foundation stone. A great deal of research and preliminary investigations had already been made and a list of all brethren serving in the RAOC was drafted before the committee could sit. It was on the 28th February 1964, that the committee met in the York and Albany, 129 Parkway, Camden Town, and decided unanimously to form an RAOC Lodge.

The preparation of the petition and the relative rules in the Book of Constitutions were studied and the drafting commenced. It was agreed that The Rose of Denmark, No 975, should be afforded the privilege of sponsoring the Lodge. This new Lodge, which was to be called SUA TELA TONANTI, would be open to all ranks of serving or ex-serving members of the RAOC and the work should be to the Emulation ritual.

Twelve months and many meetings later, 115 brethren attended the Consecration Meeting of which 101 afterwards sat down to dine in the new Connaught Rooms. At the Consecration Meeting it was announced that in addition to the 25 Founders of the Lodge, application forms had been received from 30 other Freemasons wishing to become joining members and from 2 other gentlemen wishing to become candidates. The Lodge was starting on a very firm footing.

The second regular meeting of the Lodge was held at 4 Whitehall Court, London, SW1, on Saturday 6th March 1965 and continued to meet there, four times per year, for the next four years. However on the 13th September 1969 the Lodge moved to Lancaster Gate Hotel, London, W2 and remained there for the next 16 years.

Due to a refurbishment programme within that Hotel the Lodge held its meetings at the National Liberal Club, London, S W 1 during the year 1985 and then on the 1st March 1986, by dispensation, a regular meeting was held at Butchers Hall, London, EC1. On the 24th May 1986 the Lodge moved to Park Court Hotel, Lancaster Gate, London, W2 3NN, although the Hotel has since changed its name to `Thistle Hotel'.

Initially, the Lodge held its meetings on the 1st Saturday in September, March and May and the 2nd Saturday in June but these dates have been changed over the years for a variety of reasons. For example in 1971 the Lodge found it necessary to move the June meeting to the 4th Saturday in April, thus avoiding clashing with the Corps Travers Clarke Sports Day and HM The Queen's Official Birthday. Three years later, in 1974, the April meeting clashed with the RAOC Association Meeting (which required the attendance of serving Officers) and the Lodge had to change this meeting to the 3rd Saturday in May.

When the Lodge was founded, the summons convening the Consecration Meeting featured the RAOC cap badge, surrounded by the Square & Compasses.

Prior to this, a number of Founder Members felt that permission ought to be obtained from higher military authority for permission to use the Corps cap badge on future Lodge summonses and therefore the Director of Ordnance Services (DOS) was approached for his blessing.

Unfortunately the reply received was not favourable. The DOS at that time, who was not a Freemason, had no objection but not all the Colonels Commandant were in agreement and therefore the displaying of the RAOC cap badge on Lodge summonses ceased after the summons convening the second regular meeting had been issued.

The Colonels Commandant however had no objection for the Founders to proceed with the formation of a Masonic Lodge using the Corps motto "Sua. Tela Tonanti".

The feeling among the founder members was that some form of motif ought to be displayed on the Lodge summons and it was agreed that the Lodge should adopt the Corps Cypher, for which no military permission was needed, as its emblem.

This Corps Cypher first appeared on the summons convening the Installation Meeting on the 1st March 1969 and has been used by the Lodge ever since.

In September 1965 the Lodge approved the purchase of 25 Founder Jewels at a cost (in total) of NOT more than £ 120.00.

The Founder's Jewel and PM's Jewel are distinctly characteristic of the RAOC in so much as the ribbon is of material used in the manufacture of the RAOC tie and in the centre of the ribbon is a metallic reproduction of the Corps Cypher. It is also interesting to note that ever since the Consecration Meeting members of the Lodge have been permitted, even encouraged, to wear the Corps tie when attending meetings within the Lodge.

On the 5th March 1966, Bright Morning Star Lodge No.6245, presented a handsome "Broken Column" for use by the Lodge and in May 1968, the Daughter of the late W.Bro.Clutten said it was her Father's dearest wish to bequeath to the Lodge an Egyptian Masons Mallet. This Mallet, which is still used by the Lodge and believed to be circa 2500BC, was discovered in TURA caves which was the site of 4 Base Ordnance Depot during WW2. Since then many other brethren have made numerous and varied gifts to the Lodge such as:

a) The Master's gavel - Handcrafted in the USA.

b) Poignard - presented to commemorate the 4 PM's of Lord Kitchener's Lodge ^'who became Founder Members of Sua Tela Tonanti Lodge.

c) Chrome plated Sq. L and PR to be worn on the Collars of the WM, SW & JW.

d) Poignard (in the form of an Argentinian Bayonet - souvenir of The Falklands War).

e) Hand Crafted Wooden Square.

f) WM's Apron suitably embroided with the Lodge name and number in the centre.

g) Suitably embroided tassels for use on the VSL.

It was always the wish when exploring the feasibility of forming a Corps Lodge that membership should embrace all ranks of the RAOC from Private soldier to General.

The Lodge has never had a Private soldier as a member but it did have a General in the person of Bro.Major-General Archibald Rae Cornock. Bro.Cornock became a joining member on the 10th March 1973 and remained a subscribing member until his resignation on the 31st December 1981.

The Lodge is also proud of the fact that one of its members was an In-Pensioner ("Chelsea Pensioner") of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. W.Bro.Warrant Officer Class 2 Thomas Herbert Lilley, became a joining member on the 1st September 1990 and remained a member until his death on the 19th April 1993.

In it's 50 year history the Lodge has initiated well over 77 candidates and accepted over 105 brethren as joining members.

In the early years, especially in the 1970's and to a slightly lesser extent in the 1980's/90's, it was quite common for a combination of various degree ceremonies to be worked at the same meeting and some of these ceremonies were "double" ceremonies involving two candidates. This was considered necessary at the time to reduce the backlog of candidates.

Such was the backlog of candidates that on two occasions (April 1972 & Mar 1981) in addition to the Annual Installation Ceremony there was also a Passing Ceremony. However the luxury of having ample candidates was soon to be short lived.

In 1987 the Secretary informed the Lodge that unless candidates were forthcoming he feared there would be no ceremonies in 1988 and 1989. This warning was repeated in February 1988.

It was this imminent threat of declining membership that prompted the Lodge to abandon the "closed" attitude and open up its membership to all worthy candidates, irrespective of whether they had military connections.

The Pre-amble to the original by-laws, approved in February 1965, was worded

"The Lodge is founded for the association of military members who are serving or have served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps". And this exclusive membership remained the Lodge policy for the next 27 years.

However, in June 1992 a meeting of Founder Members and PM's was held to discuss the future of the Lodge due to the impending demise of the RAOC as from the 1st April 1993.

The recommendation of that meeting was that the Lodge should stay in existence but the base of recruitment for members should be expanded to allow Sons of RAOC and ex-RAOC personnel to be eligible to join and also membership be extended to the newly formed Royal Logistic Corps. It was also agreed at this meeting that the Lodge should remain a London Lodge.

In July 1992 the Lodge agreed that the pre-amble to the by-laws be amended to read "The Lodge is founded for the association of Military Members who are serving or had served in the RAOC, RLC, or the sons of members and ex-members of either Corps". This was later amended to include male relatives.

In February 2004 this exclusiveness to membership was removed in entirety. Sua Tela Tonanti Lodge is no longer a "closed" Lodge.

The Lodge is a Vice-Patron of the RMBI, and in 1991, in response to an appeal by the MW Pro Grand Master the Lodge qualified as Patron of the New Masonic Samaritan Fund.

Four years later the Lodge qualified as Grand Patron of the NMSF and in 1998 a Bronze Jewel was presented to the Lodge (to be worn on the Charity Stewards Collar) in recognition of the support given to the London 1993-1997 Festival Appeal in aid of the NMSF.

In 1990 the Lodge qualified as a Patron of The Grand Charity and in 2004 as a Patron of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys.

In 1965 the Founder Membership fee was set at £21.0.0. The Initiation fee was £25.0.0. and for a Joining Member it was £10.10.0. (£10.50).

The annual subscription for a Dining Member, which was inclusive of meal and unlimited supply of wine was £7.7.0. (£7.35) and for a Country Member (Non-Dining) it was £2.2.0. (£2.10).

When attending Lodge and wishing to dine a Country Member was obliged to pay the visitors fee, which at that time was set at £1.15.0. (£l.75). During the course of time the inclusion of wines with the meal was proving to be far too expensive for the Lodge to subsidise and members were therefore required to pay for their own personal consumption.

Meals continued to be subsidised but in 2002 as a result of a shortfall of income over expenditure to the tune of £717 it was unanimously agreed that the Lodge could no longer afford to subsidise the cost of catering and that as from the 1st January 2003, the annual subscriptions for Dining Members and Country Members, should be the same.

The annual subscription for all subscribing members, as at the 1st January 2003, was set at £44.00 and meals would be paid for separately.

Sua Tela Tonanti Lodge No.8003 was one of the Founding Lodges of the Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London which was constituted by the MW The Grand Master, HRH The Duke of Kent, KG. at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on the 1st October 2003.