The Volume of the Sacred Law is always opened at Kings Chapter 7, Verses 13-22 which describes the building of the two Pillars of King Solomons Temple.

History of Pillars of Kent Lodge

The Pillars of Kent Lodge was consecrated on the 24th November, 1981 at Oakley House at 3.00pm in the afternoon. The formation of the Pillars of Kent Lodge came about when W.Bro. Bill Scutts and his son W.Bro. David Scutts, (the current WM of the lodge) both Past Masters of the Camberwell Old Comrades Lodge No. 4077, decided to form a new Lodge because there was a four year waiting list for candidates to join Camberwell Old Comrades and some members had moved to the West Kent area. The original intention was to form the new Lodge as a Daughter Lodge to the Camberwell Old Comrades at the same time requesting admittance into the Province of West Kent from where the greater number of founders lived. However Bill Scutts had a meeting with the Provincial Grand Secretary for West Kent (W.Bro. Stan Scarlett) and was advised that the procedure was not permissible in that a London Lodge could not sponsor a Lodge in the Provinces. Under these circumstances it appeared that the complete idea could not progress. However, Stan Scarlett suggested that he would personally help to arrange a sponsoring Lodge from the Province of West Kent. Eventually Ealdham Lodge No. 6045 was approached by the Province. There was also a connection between Camberwell Old Comrades and Ealdham in that Les Barber (a Past Master of Camberwell) who became the first Master of Pillars of Kent had a brother, Bill Barber who was a Past Master of Ealdham Lodge.

The Motto of the Lodge is “All’s Well”. These words were used as the password by the 2nd/12th Battalion Camberwell Volunteers. The words also have a symbolism that “All’s Well” when the Pillars of Kent Lodge meets to share and enjoy the blessings of plenty and abundance, friendship and fidelity, joy and cheerfulness, peace and unanimity.

At the Installation Meeting, the new Worshipful Master is presented with a Volume of the Sacred Law, on which he is obligated. This bible is presented by the members of the Lodge of Instruction.

At the Festive Board following the Installation Meeting, a small silver casket is transferred from the Immediate Past Master to the new Worshipful Master. The casket was given to the Lodge by Phyllis Barber to commemorate the installation of her husband, W.Bro. Les Barber as the first master of the Lodge. The casket contains corn, the symbol of plenty and abundance, and it also contains salt, the symbol of friendship and fidelity which were collected from the Temple floor where, during the Consecration ceremony they had fallen into wine, the symbol of joy and cheerfulness and into oil, the symbol of peace and unanimity. May the Pillars of Kent Lodge ever share and enjoy these blessings which are transmitted with the casket from Master to Master each year.

The 2nd/12th Battalion Camberwell Volunteer Corps

During 1917 when the Battalion was engaged in digging trenches on the Essex Coast as part of the outer London defences, a number of them discovered that in addition to being brothers-in-arms, they also had fraternal ties. At this stage a suggestion was mooted that after the end of the war a “2nd/12th Volunteers” Lodge should be founded.

At the end of the Great War, Grand Lodge would not approve the name on the grounds that the Battalion would soon be disbanded and in the circumstances the “2nd/12th Volunteers” would no longer be applicable. The founders then chose the name “Camberwell Old Comrades” and the Lodge was consecrated on the 2nd July, 1920 in the Grand Temple, Freemasons Hall, London.