MEN WHO HAVE PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART IN THE BUILDING UP OF A LIVING BROTHERHOOD

Thanks are extended to Bro. Mick Walker, R.O.H. for the submission of this page.

Brother William Henry Rose, R.O.H.

BRO. W. H. ROSE, R.O.H.

A LIFE OF SERVICE TO THE ORDER.

    On Wednesday, 9th January 1929 by the death of Brother William Henry Rose, there passed away one of' the greatest personalities which the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes under the Grand Lodge of England has ever known. For the long period of twenty one years he was the Grand Secretary of the Order, its trusted counsellor, to whose brilliant powers of organization and administrative ability was largely due the evolution of the Order from a state of penury to one of unexampled prosperity and power.

    His was a life of service to an Order which he loved, an Order of which he always recognized the potentialities for good. He was a combination of kindness, love, humour and imagination, of idealism, personality and sympathy, with cheery optimism forming a large part of his equipment. Long before he attained any eminence in the Order he was doing his bit. Even in 1897 he was trying to improve the Order. He has stated more than once that he hated the conditions, which prevailed in those days, those days, happily past now, when the Order of Buffaloes usually provoked a smile from thinking people. He could see, as many other sober minded people could see, that, properly organized and managed, the Order was capable of great things of real benefit to the community.

    His appointment as Grand Secretary, gave him the opportunity which he sought, and he did not spare himself in the interests of the Order, which he was for ever trying to improve. Right from the time he was made Secretary until a few days before he died, he was at his desk from early until late from 7 30 in the morning until midnight as a days work was the rule rather than the exception.

    Antiquity, real or mythical, is never a voucher for efficiency. Bro. Rose saw that the Order in those days was not efficient, however ancient it might claim to be. He therefore set to work to make it so, and he did not spare himself in the process. By arduous work and careful management, by bringing the various departments into systematic relation to the whole, he placed the Order on a firm foundation, financial and otherwise. He threw himself heart and soul into the various great charitable undertakings of the Order. He believed - and rightly - that success must be organized beforehand. In any new scheme promoted by the Order there were those who shook their heads in dubiety, but Bro. Rose always preferred to get busy rather than to offer objections. He may not have suggested a particular scheme, but upon him as Secretary fell the brunt of' the organizing work. Whoever might have been the architect, whoever drew the plan, he was always the builder who was responsible for carrying out the job, and he had a genius for attracting to his side just those men who were best able to second his own mighty efforts.

    He was not only a very efficient Secretary, not just an office man, carrying out a routine job, but he was a leader who infected others with his own enthusiasm. Annuities for aged members, ambulance cars, Convalescent Homes, and the establishment of Grove House Orphanage, all were great enterprises for which he worked untiringly. He never ceased his efforts until he had sufficient money.

    Provincial Grand Secretaries and Secretaries of Lodges will smile when they think of the way in which he flooded them with literature. His publicity campaigns, if one may so describe them, were elaborate, but they were never waste; they brought in the money. If it did not come in quickly enough, he would mention the matter to the Grand Lodge, and say, in his whimsical way I do wish this money would be provided and so put a stop to this terrible cadging by the Grand Secretary. Invariably he got what he wanted; he never had a failure. Strong, consistent work, and a wonderful faith - a faith always justified - in the members generosity carried him through. It may be said with absolute truth that he attracted thousands of pounds to the charities of the Order by the very magic of his name. It has been said that tact will carry a man much farther than cleverness. Bro. Rose had both, and also he was extremely adroit. He was courageous, too. Another eminent Buffalo, Bro. Stanley Baldwin, the Prime Minister, has said There are times when leaders have to face their supporters and tell them they are wrong, and the courage to do that is the supreme test of leadership.

    When the occasion demanded it, Bro. Rose read many a wholesome little homily to the Grand Lodge or the Convention. As Bro. Charles Martin in his eloquent speech at Grand Lodge, so truly said: Bro. Rose had a genius for making friends. He had a very charming manner, a genial smile for everybody even in his busiest moments. He had hosts of friends. They all loved him; they called him Billy, and they all felt for him complete respect and affection. By his personal example he inspired them with the greatest loyalty and enthusiasm. Another member said: You felt that if he gave you a job to do, that was the most important thing in your life until it was satisfactorily completed.

    In him Provincial Grand Secretaries found the ideal guide philosopher and friend. He was ever ready to help them, although he got himself into trouble, as he sometimes did, as a result. He had no enemies, unless, through his extreme selflessness, he was sometimes his own. His tours to various parts of the Empire, although they took heavy toll of his strength, were very successful. Perhaps the greatest was the visit to India last year, almost a sprint through a vast continent. At the time of his death invitations were being sent, to him from various other parts of the Empire.

    In all Provinces, he was a welcome visitor, and the calls upon him were far more than he could answer. He was a splendid Installing Officer, and added dignity to any ceremony. He believed in dignified ceremonial, but was sternly opposed to extravagance in any form, or any departure from the canons of good taste. As a speaker he was unsurpassed, and his fervour was remarkable. That he was universally beloved is evidenced by the fact that in most of the reports from the Provinces there is sympathetic reference to the loss which the Order has sustained; and that regret is not only in home Lodges, but is shared by the members throughout our far flung organization. For instance, in the Border Cities Lodge, in Windsor, Ontario, they gave expression to their sorrow by draping their Dispensation for one month.

WORK IN DERBYSHIRE

    There was a lot of tom foolery, in the Order in those days, which did not appeal either to Billy or to Bob. Between them they worked up the Old Cross Lodge to a state of prosperity and dignity. Bro. Rose attained his Second Degree in that Lodge on Dec. 5th 1898. Bro. Hickling got his about three months later. A couple of years in Long Eaton, and Bro. Rose went to Derby. He soon made himself acquainted with the members there, and became Secretary of, the Normanton Lodge. Then Bro. Hickling went to Derby, and the two were again intimately associated in the work of the Order. Bro. Rose was raised to the Third Degree in the Normanton Lodge on May 7th 1901. While in Derby he was responsible for many reforms.

FOUNDING LEEDS PROVINCE

    In 1902 he went to Leeds. In those days there were no G.L.E. Lodges in Leeds, and he commenced to attend the Lodges of the G.S.B., which were pretty strong. He was determined to establish the Grand Lodge of England in that city. He met the Brothers Morgan, one of them, Bro. A. Morgan, R.O.H. Steward of the R.A.O.B. Institute. Bro. Rose invited them to his house and got them to promise to join a G.L.E. Lodge if he could get one founded. He visited Bro. John W. Dudley, at Bradford, and enlisted his assistance, an assistance which was readily given. Between them, and with other help, they opened the Harmony Lodge, No. 909, at the Dolphin Hotel, Vicar Lane. Then followed the Bobbie Burns Lodge, No. 9922, Sunday, night Lodge, at the Green Dragon Hotel, Guildford Street. This was followed by the Sir W. H. Rose Lodge, No. 945, opened at the Swan Hotel, Hunslet.

    In 1903 a Charter was granted to the three Lodges for a District Primo Lodge. Bro. Rose was elected the first District Primo President, and the District Primo Lodge was opened at the Victoria Hotel, Great George Street, by Bro. George R. Wanty, the Grand Primo at the time. Shortly afterwards, three more Lodges were opened, the Progress, the Sir F. Sheard, and the Brunswick. More Lodges were opened, and, in course of time, a Provincial Grand Lodge was formed. Leeds had then sixty five Lodges, for which every credit must he given to Bro. Rose. The oldest Lodge at present in working order is that which bears his name. The Sir W. H. Rose Lodge conferred upon him the Fourth Degree on January 21, 1907. The inscription on the jewel says: This Roll of Honour was conferred upon Sir W. H. Rose, P.P.G.P., Leeds, by the members of the above Lodge as a token of their esteem and appreciation of his work in the cause of Buffaloism. January 21, 1907. In 1908 Bro. Rose became the Host of the North Tavern, where the Sir F. Sheard Lodge was held. Doubtless he will be remembered by many old members in that capacity.

APPOINTED GRAND SECRETARY

    In 1907-8-9 the Grand Lodge held its meetings in Leeds, and Bro. Rose took an active part. He was elected on the Grand Certifying Council, as it was then called, in 1907, and was re elected in 1908. In that Year he was elected its Secretary, defeating the late Bro. W. T. Boden by one vote. The affairs of the Order at that time were in a parlous state, and Bro. Rose, with Bros. F. Sheard and Turner, were appointed a Committee of Inquiry into the affairs of the Grand Lodge. As a result of their report, given at the April meeting, it was resolved that the then Grand Secretary, Bro. Robert Wilson Marsh, be deposed. Bro. Rose was elected Acting Grand Secretary. It was the unanimous opinion that a great effort should be made to put the financial affairs of the Order on a firm basis. The position was so precarious that £100 had to be borrowed to meet liabilities.

    In 1909 a special meeting of the Grand Lodge was held to elect a Permanent Grand Secretary who would devote his whole time to the work. Bro. Rose was elected to the position by a substantial majority. It was in that year that Bro. Hickling was elected Grand Primo, and it was in that year, too, that a memorial to another great Buffalo, Bro. John Archdeacon, was unveiled.

    Bro. Rose tackled his task in earnest. He now had the opportunity which he sought of showing what the Buffalo Order was capable of. He was mainly responsible for the appointment of a Rules Improvement Committee, and the result of himself and of others associated with him was seen at the Convention of that year at Portsmouth, when Grand Lodge for the first lime tabled a series of resolutions which were calculated to bring about a much needed reform.

    He also devoted his time to the benevolence of the Order, and brought forward a scheme for the Grand Lodge Benevolent Fund which was based on average attendance. Before removing to Cheltenham, after the Convention, Bro. Rose used to do his work in a large sitting room where many meetings were held. It was in this room that the Anti Federation was formed. There was another body called the Federation. Ultimately both combined and achieved much that was good for the Order. At this time there was a good deal of clearing up done by Bro. Rose and Bro. Hickling.

AT CHELTENHAM

    After the Portsmouth Convention, Bro. Rose, to the great regret of the Leeds Province, went to Cheltenham. He never lost his affection for Leeds, and years after, a removal to Harrogate brought him once again into close touch with the Province. Eleven days before his death he went with Bro. John Kettle to a football match.

    On arrival in Cheltenham he found Buffaloism in a very poor way. Gathering to him the then stalwarts, he speedily altered that state of things, and did in Cheltenham what he had done previously in Leeds. He was mainly responsible for many Lodges in the town and round about being formed.

    For some years at Cheltenham he did his work in his own house. He had a wonderful helper in his wife. She did everything that a non member could do. Just take one part of her activities. From the time of his appointment up to about 1919, she packed every parcel that went from headquarters. Careful management enabled Bro. Rose to announce that the Grand Lodge had £77 in the bank. The balance grew with succeeding years. The Order grew too, and, as an inevitable consequence, the Secretarial work. But Bro. Rose grew with his job. The work grew so much that it became necessary to find him more office accommodation. In 1908 the turnover of the Grand Lodge had been £500 a year. In 1921 it was £30,000. The tremendous way in which the work had grown may be imagined. It was therefore decided to purchase No. 2, Queen's Parade, Cheltenham, and these premises remained the headquarters of' the Order until the end of 1926, when, on the acquisition of Grove House, the Grand Secretary removed to Harrogate. During these years the Order had grown very considerably overseas. But we must not overrun the story.

    In 1913 Bro. Rose felt the need of a real good toast to the Absent Brethren. Therefore he wrote, and Bro. J. Ord Hume composed, the toast to Absent Brethren which is so much in vogue at the present. He had the ambition to see all the sections of the Order under one head, and was ceaseless in his efforts to bring about that ideal. He was responsible for a great accession of strength by secession. He never fully realised his ambition, but right up to the time of his death he never ceased trying. His latest effort was in connection with the Grand Council, of quite recent date.

    It was in 1914 he first began the idea of having a magazine for the Order, though that was not the first time he had thought about it. Years before that he stated that he wished to start a mag for the Order. In 1911 he began, perhaps as a feeler, to insert little paragraphs in his Grand Lodge reports. Later on, when he had sent him one or two humorous stories, he sent them back stating that he had to hold over the idea, for reasons of State. Whatever the reasons of State may have been, he overcame them. In October, 1916, he produced the JOURNAL as a separate publication. He had a sale of 1,800 copies for the first issue, and by the third this had grown to 3,000. As he promised, he invoked the assistance of Bro. W. J. ORourke and he has been in it ever since in one way and another. His ambition at the time was to reach 20,000 copies. The circulation far exceeds that in these days, but it is still far short of the total he was aiming at at the time of his death.

DURING THE WAR YEARS

    Towards the autumn of 1914 the war broke out, and the Grand Lodge decided to help the nation in the most practical way it could, by providing what is as at that moment most sorely needed, motor ambulances. It will be remembered that the present Grand Treasurer, Bro. J. W. Gaze, originated the idea of Scarlet, Pimpernel Flower Days, and these were very successful. In all, no fewer than eighteen ambulances were presented to the War Office. Bro. Roses son, Willie, the driver of one, was initiated inside one of them by Bro. W. P. Jones, the driver of another, at Ypres. The Grand Secretary, wrote a booklet, Eleven Hundred Miles on Our Ambulance. This had a wonderful sale and brought in a good sum towards another car.

THE ANNUITY FUND

    The year 1917 saw, the beginning of another great charity by the Order - the founding, of the War Memorial Annuity Fund, by which means the Order perpetuates the memory of its members who gave their lives in the war.

    To do something for the members who had worn themselves out in its interests had been the ambition of' Bro. Lionel Jacobs, who, with Bro. John Wilson, had been closely associated with the Grand Secretary for many, years. Spurred on by Bro. Rose, who was helped assiduously by the then leaders of the Order, the Lodges took up the idea enthusiastically, and in 1918 Bro. Rose was able to announce the names of the first seven members to benefit.

    Bro. Billy ORourke became intimately associated with Bro. Rose in January, 1919, when the Grand Lodge met at Worcester. He attended the meeting, with the idea, of helping him in anyway that he could. It was then he first began to write the reports of' the Grand Lodge meetings. He have continued to do so ever since. In that year the Harrogate Convention was held. It was Bro. ORourkes first Convention, and he found it a memorab1e one. The number of delegates presented a stupendous difficulty even to such experienced organisers as Bro. Rose and Bro. Jack Kettle. The Secretary of the local committee (and known to this day as 39l, his number at that Convention, of which he was the great little man). They were unable to get a hall large enough to house a thousand delegates. But they were resourceful and decided to have a marquee erected. They walked round the town and at last found a piece of ground. It was in a terrible state. They had it cleared and levelled and erected the tent. Fortune favoured these braves. So far as the weather was concerned we had a glorious week, and the Convention was a triumph for Bros. Rose and Kettle and one other - the quiet voiced and gentle mannered President, Bro. J. W. Gaze.

    Bro. Roses one time habit of signing telegrams Rose, led his Majestys Private Secretary to think he was a woman, because in the reply he addressed him as Dear Madam! There is another story in this connection which used to be told; it may he apocryphal. Billy sent a telegram to a certain Buffalo to meet him at the station, and signed it Rose. On arriving, he was rather surprised to find, not only the member awaiting him, but the members wife also. She had been rather curious to meet this Rose.

    The Order was making great progress overseas. Bro. Rose always had the ideal of a world wide organisation. He encouraged them by every means in his power, and was backed up by the others of that great trio, Lionel Jacobs and John Wilson. Lionel was for ever pleading for special facilities for those overseas Those great missionaries of the gospel of Buffaloism. Though there are many parts of' the Empire still virgin soil for Buffaloism, yet Bro. Rose lived to see his ideal in large part accomplished.

    At the Harrogate Convention a resolution had been passed favouring the establishment by the Order of a Convalescent Scheme, and towards the end of' 1921, with another Convention a few months ahead, and no progress having been made, Bro. Rose began to get anxious. He urged that something should be done.

THE CONVALESCENT SCHEME

    At the January meeting of 1922, the Grand Lodge passed a resolution asking Lodges and Provinces to forward schemes for consideration at the forthcoming Convention. A great fight took place at the Cheltenham Convention over this scheme. Subsequently it provoked many a long discussion in the Grand Lodge. At last Bro. Rose offered his services in building a bridge over which the contending parties could cross and meet. True to his promise, he produced a scheme which all parties accepted, and what was likely to become a breach was healed. Looking at the great success the Convalescent Scheme has been, there must, be many a member who is now devoutly thankful for the bridge which carried them over. Having his scheme approved, he tackled the problem with characteristic thoroughness and energy. He had many setbacks and disappointments. He remarked once in Grand Lodge apropos of the Convalescent Scheme as it was then constituted: You get to know things when you are on a job like this. But he persevered. His experience soon taught him that the only really satisfactory method was to have Homes of our own - small, comfortable Homes with the minimum of restrictions. He worked until he had achieved his object, in which he was cordially supported by the committee and the Order generally.

EGYPTIAN TOUR

    Some years before, Bro. Lionel Jacobs had visited Malta and Gibraltar, with consequent benefit to the Order. Bro. Rose had the desire to go farther afield. The Order made such rapid strides overseas, that he saw at once that sooner or later there would have to be someone in the nature of a Grand Lodge Ambassador in order to visit these distant outposts.

    In 1923, in order to pay a visit to Egypt, he got the Grand Lodge to extend the period of his annual holiday, and spent it touring the Egyptian Province, viewing the situation on the spot like the good general that he was. He found that the Egyptian Province, as ever, was well managed and up to date. As a direct result of this visit, £500 came from the Egyptian Lodges and members to the Convalescent Fund. While in Egypt he had the distinction - a distinction for the Order which he represented, too - of having an interview with Lord Allenby, the High Commissioner of that time. He also took the opportunity of calling at Malta.

    In 1924 he had his duties added to considerably by being appointed Secretary of the Grand Certifying Council, in succession to Bro. T. W. Boden.

    He had pushed the Convalescent Scheme for all he was worth, and in February 1925, he had the happiness of' seeing opened at Scarborough the first of the Orders Homes. The many members who visited it at the opening, and at the Convention a few months later, were very pleased with it. It was a wonderful stimulus to the Lodges, and £2,000 was collected for this fund in a few months. The second Home, at Weston, was opened in the Autumn of that year. At the time of his appointment, the Benevolent Fund disbursed a very small amount per year. In 1924 the disbursements amounted to over £2,000.

    The legislation of the Scarborough Convention, particularly the famous No.1 which altered the method of financial procedure, gave Bro. Rose a lot of work, especially that relating to the Order providing Degree jewels, which was an entirely new department in his office. The halfpenny registration produced for the first time over £10,000 a year.

    With the acquisition of Grove House, Harrogate, it was decided that the Grand Secretary should leave Cheltenham for that town, and he left towards the end of 1926, after many happy, if strenuous, years.

HISTORY OF THE ORDER

    It was in 1927 that Bro. Rose became engaged in three great tasks - the compilation of an historical Review of the Order, the making of Grove House into an Orphanage, and a tour of India. He accomplished these tasks with wonderful success.

    The writing of the History, begun in December of 1926, took twelve months before it was finally ready for the printer. It meant much research, the delving into records ancient and modern, because the Grand Council had stipulated that nothing should be printed for which documentary evidence could not be produced in support. In this work which W. J. ORourke was associated with him, he got some glimpse of the life of the Grand Secretary. He had taken a flying visit to Harrogate, and had promised ourselves a whole day and a half on the History. We did not get it. It really was amazing to see the number of his visitors, a constant, stream, of them, all Buffaloes, some with problems, others to view the Orphanage. (Mrs. Rose did some pedestrianism that day). Bro. Rose welcomed them all: it was one of his most charming characteristics that he was never too busy to listen. One member made me smile, he brought a guinea and insisted on having a receipt for it on the spot! When completed, the History had a very good sale, and doubtless brought a goodly sum into the coffers of the, charities of the Order, because the only cost was that of printing it.

GROVE HOUSE

    When Grove. House was acquired, Bro. Rose never spared himself in the effort to make it into an Orphanage worthy of the Order, in short, The most wonderful Orphanage in the world, to quote the most critical of newspapers. He watched every detail of its transformation from a gentlemans mansion; he put a vast amount of time, labour and thought into the question of getting the necessary money (£16,000) to purchase it and the necessary equipment to furnish it. He was whole heartedly supported by men of vision on the committee, and his efforts were backed up in a splendid way by the members of the Order, who provided him with both money and gifts. Go through Grove House and note the brass plates on almost every article, denoting that it was given by some individual, some Lodge or some Province. Billy used to regard those plates with pride. Once he pointed one out. This is a little Lodge, with an attendance of about ten to fifteen, and yet they have sent me this. There are wonderful boys in this Order, wonderful. Large Lodges or small, everybody has helped in a splendid way. When the Orphanage was opened on that memorable Easter Monday of 1927, thousands trooped through the wards and had nothing but praise for the way in which it had been fitted up. There were a few who thought it was rather too luxurious, but, at the subsequent meeting of Grand Lodge, Bro. Rose silenced these by remarking that The day of iron bedsteads and sawdust floors for orphans, merely because they are orphans, has gone and the delegates agreed.

TOUR OF INDIA

    Towards the end of 1927 Bro. Rose decided, with the ready acquiescence of the Grand Lodge, to accept an oft repeated invitation to visit India. In all, he was away three months. The tour was remarkably successful. Elaborate arrangements had been made by the members in India to enable him to see and to do the greatest amount in the shortest possible time. It was by no means a holiday, but a very strenuous undertaking. He travelled thousands of miles, spending days at, a time in the train, addressing meetings everywhere, holding conferences, and reviewing the peculiar problems in that mysterious land. As a result, on his return he was able to make a series of recommendations to the Grand Lodge to solve the more pressing of those problems and difficulties - recommendations which were designed to benefit the members out there, and, incidentally, the Order as a whole.

    His sense of humour and spirit of benevolence led him to take a prominent part in the Red Areadians at Scarborough and onwards. The Rangers called him their Poet, and many a merry meeting was due to his rollicking fun.

    In his very busy life, Bro. Rose had not much time for other interests. His hobby was his work. But while at Cheltenham he joined the bowling club. He had a natural aptitude for the sport, and played such a good game that he was on several occasions picked for the Gloucestershire County matches. He became captain of the Cheltenham Club in 1926, and Vice President for the County in the same year.

THE NEW GRAND SECRETARY

    The mantle of Bro. Rose has descended on the shoulders of another member who has given a great part of his life to the work of the Order, Bro. John Wilson. In this article not much has been said about Bro. Wilson, but this much may be said: Lionel Jacobs, John Wilson and Billy Rose were associated from very early days in the work of the Order. They were together more than any other three members. Two have been taken, and the one who is left is carrying on the work of his comrades as a tribute to their memories.

    The day will provide the man, we are told. It has provided John Wilson. Obviously, Grand Lodge could have made no better choice than in selecting one who has all the essentials for the post, and one who has expert knowledge of the problems confronting the Order, and a ripe experience not only of the Order and its procedure, but of men and affairs.

Tributes to the Late Brother William Henry Rose, R.O.H.

A MEMOIR

BY GREEN UN, WHO CALLED HIM FRIEND

    No words of mine can adequately convey an expression of the feelings of profound sorrow and regret with which I read, in the Sheffield Independent of January 10th 1929, of the death of poor Billy Rose, and my feelings of emotion now as I try to pay a humble and only meagre tribute to his memory, covering the 11 or 12 years I have personally known him in connection with the log book of his great heart, our JOURNAL, and on the odd occasions on which I have met him in the flesh at Grand Lodges at Birmingham and Leicester and occasional visits to Sheffield, all of which gave me greater courage and inspiration to be a humble helper in the great work he had launched, in providing us all with such an outstanding record of his hearts promptings for the well being of our Order and each and all of his Brother Buffs, whom he loved intensely. His heart was always with us. He was never happier when pleading our cause, and once he decided to fight, either through his office as Grand Secretary from headquarters, in the Minor Lodges, Grand Lodge or Conventions, no one was more trenchant. Fearless in his advocacy, he at times brought down upon himself the wrath of some sections of Buffaloism, yet he was never dismayed nor disrespectful. Readers of the Journal have, since its inception, been familiar with his writings in Editorial Notes or special articles, which at all times indicated that he was unswerving in his loyalty to the firm principles of his Buffalo Obligation.

    One of the most remarkable traits of Bro. Roses Character was his love of justice and charity, and many, many instances must be known to Brothers in closer personal contact with him than I can attempt to record or pronounce. Suffice to say Grove House will be ever remembered by us all as the great triumph of his career, and we must see to it that never, through any fault of our own, it loses a unit of its luminous value, and particularly as the haven of Bro. Roses love for our dear little kiddies, who, though deprived through Gods Will of their own fathers, found in Billy Rose a real, live, true loving Father Buffalo. His fidelity to Buffaloism as its Chief was followed to the letter in his personal life. He was strictly honourable; quick to speech, yet slow to anger; his pleasant smile and cheery words were his special passports; he was an indefatigable worker, a frugal liver, a good husband; in short, he was at all times the embodiment of the true Buffalo and English gentleman.

    Hence, today, we mourn, not so much the Brother of great gifts, not the Brother who quietly and unobtrusively directed our destinies as Grand Secretary for over twenty years, but the close, warm, true hearted friend and Brother. No demonstrations marked the smooth conduct of affairs in the wide domain over which he ruled, but too few are given the affection in which he was held by each and every member at home and abroad. He has done work that will endure during the years to come. His life was full; he wasted few days since he undertook the great responsibilities of Grand Secretary of our gigantic Order.

    Who shall gauge the extent of the work and writings of Bro. Rose? They have been a potent factor in the making of our Order of to day. He was a Buffalo if ever anyone deserved the name, and his fidelity shone with a clear, unflickering flame. Yet he was no idealist. He saw pitfalls that lay ahead; he was cautious, yet keen and intent. He was deep in the Councils of the Order. He numbered John Wilson and other leaders amongst his personal friends. He looked up to them as the tried and trusted representatives of our Brotherhood, and they and we held him in the highest respect and esteem that comes of understanding and genuine appreciation of courage, intellect and devotion.

    In the days of darkest gloom he never gave up hope, and his optimism was cheerful and infectious. All will feel that someone they knew well has gone from amongst them, for I believe in all the years he piloted our Order, he held aloft the Banner of Buffaloism in its purest form, and it can be said almost with safety that he never had an enemy. His advocacy, though strong and forceful and incisive, held no barbed sting: personalities for their own sake he abhorred, and the most determined of his opponents will bear witness to the fairness of his dealings and business methods. Now he is gone and, in common with a great number of his sorrowing friends, we mourn his passing, and offer to his sorrowing widow and family our deepest and most heartfelt sympathy. May he rest in peace!

    Night, and no light of stars, no silver ray of moon; only thick darkness shrouding all the senses. And dawn brings no' relief; only a deeper darkness falls with cruel force on all that light reveals. The inner sight is blinded by the grip of pain. It is but a faint picture of the sorrow of hearts bereaved when loved ones pass to the Great Unseen.

    Let me conclude with a humble prayer:, That God may rest his soul and heaven be his bed, and that his sorrowing wife and children will be solaced and strengthened in the knowledge that in life he was true and in death he is rewarded by the greatest of all - Eternal Father, strong to save.

ENERGY, JUDGEMENT AND TACT

    It is about thirty two years since I first made the acquaintance of our late Secretary. In the course of my duties as Provincial Grand Primo, I had consented to take the chair in the Old Cross Lodge, Long Eaton, and, on. arrival, I found Bro. Rose in charge, and was duly introduced, and found him to be the life and soul of the evening. I was then impressed with his earnestness and vim. Unfortunately for Long Eaton, his stay was not a long one, and, on his removal to Derby, they benefited by what we had lost. I came still closer in contact with him when Grand Lodge met in Leeds. The affairs in Grand Lodge did not meet with the approval of some of us, and, for some months, Bro. Rose worked indefatigably to bring about a better state of things. How much the Order benefited by his judgment and energy is known only to the few. When he took over the duties of Grand Secretary it required tact and the work of a superman to get through all the difficulties, but order was brought out of chaos. The Order is to day reaping the benefits of the labour and sacrifices of Bro. Rose in the beginning

    During the twenty years he occupied the position of Grand Secretary, I have been a Provincial Grand Secretary of a Province of some importance, and I am gratified to be able to say that during the whole of that period we never exchanged a word that either of us could regret. If a difficulty arose, Bro. Rose was able to deal with it with tact. He had a sound judgment of human nature and made allowance for our weakness, helped us to be strong when required, and never interfered without cause. The path he has made will be difficult to follow, and, although regrets are useless, we cannot help but give expression to the thought: What a pity that he could not live to a ripe old age to enjoy the comforting thought that the work begun had been entirely finished! We cannot pay a better tribute to his memory than by exerting ourselves to finish it as he would have wished it done, in complete harmony, always keeping in mind the welfare of our members, their widows and children.

            SAM HUNT, Nottingham.

JUST A WIRE

    Yes; just a wire handed in in a careless manner by a boy one doesnt know. Yet what a shock awaits one, and what a change comes over the whole universe! It contains the sad news: Willie has passed away. One feels like a child suddenly realizing that it is lost in a crowd, not knowing where to run, only realising that one has lost his guide, whose place no one can fill. Everything seems a total blank, and the utter hopelessness, fear and desolation freezes ones very soul. Willie gone? Our Willie? Impossible! Then come tumbling on one memories which make the desolation more and more complete. What a great soul yours, was, old friend! And what memories!

    A strenuous day at Grand Lodge. Then, after all the hurly burly, where tempers were sometimes badly ruffled, it was: Come along, Ernie, for a quiet stroll; and it was heaven just to slip away with you and come back strengthened by your gentle encouragement. Or, even if nothing scarcely was said, as was often the case, your very presence seemed like a communion of souls, and one came back full of enthusiasm to carry on the good work which was your very life and being. Or, again, if you yourself were a little bit down in the dumps, what a privilege it always was to be of some assistance to you and help to cheer you on your way. What loving thoughtfulness was yours, always, and how generous you always were in your appreciation of every little kindness shown you! Is that all ended, old friend? Where shall we turn?

    Little did I think when I shook your hand, such a few short days ago, and heard your cheery, Good luck and better times, old pal, when leaving you at Liverpool, after a long and strenuous meeting, you then looking so fit and well, that it was the last time I should ever hear that dear voice or feel the grip of that warm hand in greeting. The last time? I wonder?

    I wonder whether our mutual pals, Lionel, Tommy Boden, and the rest who came to the parting of the ways, and took the journey before you, were waiting to receive you on the other side; and that when my time comes to answer the call, you, with them, will also be waiting, with your usual smile and shake, to greet me? That, at the moment of writing, seems all that is left to wait for; but such a sudden parting shakes ones faith for a while. Yet it must be so, otherwise life would be desolate indeed and without hope. Your work is not completed, Willie. Why, the very day we laid you to rest we were to meet as a committee to consider some further plans of yours for the better comfort of the kiddies at Grove House. How you loved them, and how they loved you! How we all loved you! You have simply laid down your burden, old friend, completed your journey (what a lot more you wanted to do!), but, in passing this way, you have, by your example, created such enthusiasm in the workers you have left behind that your spirit will still live on in them, and I feel that your plans and desires for the good work, of which we so often talked, will be accomplished as you would have wished them to be.

    We pass this way but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do to any fellow creature, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.

    Truly, your whole life was built on this pattern, and I, with thousands more, thank God that I was privileged to travel some part of the way in. your company.
                                ERNIE THOMAS

THE CONDUCTORS REGRET

    The death of Bro. W. H. Rose, R.O.H., has been a shock to the brethren of the Warwickshire Province, where he was well known, and, I may say confidently, loved, as a Brother and a man. He had attended some of our Minor Lodges whenever the opportunity occurred, his last visit of this description being to the Harmonic Lodge, when the present writer was raised to the Fourth Degree. Personally, I have lost a true friend and Brother. How often he has sent me letters of encouragement and good advice, I cannot say. It was never too much trouble for Billy to reply to any Brother of the Order who wrote him a personal letter. It is a great blow to his family, and to them we extend our deepest sympathy. To the Order it is a severe blow which time alone can tell what it will cost us, both from a business and friends standpoint. It will be indeed a difficult task to fill the gap created by his sudden death. At the moment I find it very difficult to express either my own deep feeling or to represent those of this Province to whom he was personally known. I can only offer a tithe of the respect and love in which he was held.

        God rest his soul, and may the soil lie lightly oer him
        The friend of man, the friend of truth,
        The friend of age, and guide of youth;
        Few hearts like his, with virtue warmed,
        Few heads with knowledge so informed.
        If there's another world he lives in bliss
        If there is none, he made the best of this.
                                                            Burns
                                                                    THE CONDUCTOR

BILLY

BY HIS OLDEST FRIEND

    It was somewhere in October, 1898, that the late W. H. Rose came from the Old Kent Road, London, to manage a retail business next door to my business as a watchmaker, in Long Eaton, Derbyshire. My first impression of him was that he was a man who would make things move and that impression was right because, right up to the end, Billy moved: and made others move. When he first came to Long Eaton, he brought the London accent with him. On the night of his arrival, he came as I was closing the shop, and said : Say, old man, are there any Baff Lodges here? I said: What do you mean? He said the Baffaloes. Dont you know the Baffaloes? Oh, its a great Order, old chap. I informed him that, in my ignorance, I had not even heard of the Baffaloes, as he called them, nor had I heard of any Lodges in the little market town of Long Eaton. Oh, said he, Ill bally soon find out. A few days later he told me that he had found out there had been a Lodge, but it was defanct.

    A few weeks later he came to me, and said : Here you are, old man, put this ticket in your pocket, and turn up at the Royal Hotel tonight. We are having a jolly old dinner! Bro. Daniels is giving the beef. Walker the pork; another was giving the jolly potatoes and trimmings, as he called them. He finished up by saying it would be a real good night; and, as dinners have always been interesting to me, I went. The dinner was good and very enjoyable; but, after the dinner, he came to me, and said : Now, old man, we have not got you here for nothing. You will have to join. I asked : Join what? and he replied : The Baffaloes. This is a Baffalo dinner. To make a long story short, that was how Billy got eight others and myself to join the Buffalo Order. Little did he think that eventually he would be the Grand Secretary of England, and I a Grand Primo, which honour I held in 1909. We never know!

    The least said about the Initiation the better. Suffice it to say that I regarded the whole performance as a huge joke. We had a very pleasant evening together, and, not having heard anything of the serious side on the night of my initiation, I took no further interest in the Order, until, about two months later, a Bro. Voce, C.P. was sent from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Nottingham to help Billy to work the Lodge up. He came to my shop and introduced himself, and said he wanted me to help to work the Lodge into a healthy state. I told him of the tomfoolery I had listened to on my Initiation, and did not feel disposed to go any further in the matter. He, however, so impressed me with what he said on the serious side, that I decided to attend again; and I have been attending ever since. Together, we worked the Lodge up, until we had an average of thirty-five, chiefly composed of the tradesmen and professional element of Long Eaton.

    Bro. Voce, C.P. was in the chair for three months, and the three of us were working very well until one night. Two of the Old Brigade, who had only attended to upset us, turned up, and were more aggressive than usual. One threatened to punch the Primo (Bro. Voce) on the nose; and the other said if he didnt, he would! I have never seen such a performance, either before or since. To see this burly Primo deal very effectively with these brethren to such an extent that in a very few minutes they were both down and out, was some sight. Eventually, along with another Brother, I got them out of the room (their faces looking very much knocked about). When we readied the hall, some individual asked : What's the matter? I said : Oh, nothing. But, said he, look at their faces! So I told him it was the Buffs. Well, what about it? says he. I replied: Its all right; these two have just been made. That night a Brother from Nottingham had come specially to act as Minstrel, and I well remember Billy going up to him and saying; I say, old man, I must apologize for this. Apologize! said he; I would not have missed it for a quid.

    After this, we had no trouble at all, and for two years we had a Lodge that one might invite his dearest friend to join. Then Billy obtained a management at Derby, and we felt his loss more than we cared to admit. On his arrival at Derby, he soon became acquainted with the brethren, and he was appointed Secretary of the Normanton Lodge, at that time held at the Normanton Hotel. Shortly after, he wrote to me saying that the Lodge was having its photograph taken in the afternoon, and asked me to come over for the half-day, and attend the Lodge at night. He finished his letter by bursting into poetry, thus :

        Well be very pleased to see you,
        Your little hand to shook,
        If you will come on Tuesday
        And have your photo took.

    Who could refuse such an invitation? I went, and, of course, Billy would have me affiliated to the Normanton Lodge, and a fine body of brethren they were. Some few weeks after that I received a letter from him saving: Dear Bob, I have seen a very good shop being built that would just suit you. Come over and have a look. I went over, took the shop, and have been in Derby ever since (by kind permission of the Chief Constable, as poor old Tommy Boden would have said).

    The reforms which Billy made in the Derby Province are having their effect to-day. Ever ready to help him, we worked harmoniously together, often being very unpopular for the sake of what was best for the uplifting of the Order, but always working. We obtained our Second and Third Degrees within a few months of each other; and no one was prouder than Billy when he was successful in getting Bro. Thomas Johnson (Grand Primo of England) to attend and raise me to the Third Degree, in 1901, with Bro. Herbert Gillatt (Deputy Grand Primo of England) in the vice-chair. Soon after that our friend obtained a post in Leeds.

    It was in January, 1907, that I again received a letter saying: Come to Grand Lodge. There is good work to be done. I attended, and have only missed Grand Lodge three times since then. What both of us have done since then is a matter of Buffalo history; but right from the beginning my dear old friend was ever striving, not only with me, but with all those he came in contact, to make us work harder and yet harder for the good of the Order we love so well. If reforms were needed, Billy was there. If a Brother was in trouble, and needed kindly advice, Billy was there. If organization was wanted, Billy was certainly there.

    If time and space permitted, I could tell you of many little, and many important, times in my own career when my good old pal, Billy Rose, was there. Living, as I did, next door to him for two years, one got to know the real value of the man. He did his utmost, and gave of his best, for the good of our noble Order; and now that we have parted for awhile it is up to us to do that which we know he would like us to do, and I can almost hear him saying Brethren! Carry on!!
                                                        H. JERRAM HICKLING, R.O.H.

IN SYMPATHY FROM BIRKENHEAD

    World wide sympathy has been expressed on the death of Bro. W. H. Rose, R.O.H. To examine the work accomplished by, our late Brother, and the responsibilities which rested on his, shoulders, is an apparent impossibility, which makes one wonder at his success and the satisfaction he invariably gave in carrying out his multifarious duties. The stamp of a mastermind is at once apparent, even to the most critical observer, when ones interest is focussed on the various departments of our Order: his knowledge of finance, his ability to at once grasp the purport of what, to many, would be complex problems; and, above all, the human touch inseparable from Bro. Rose, which he infused in all his work, will be a lasting monument to a great man - greatness unsought, but richly deserved.

    It can be very, truly said, that Buffaloism has improved and extended as a result of his great achievements; and, in greater truth, by his sudden death our Order is poorer. The worlds sympathy goes out to his bereaved widow and family, without whose aid Bro. Rose could not have accomplished such great things, for wifely interest and family co operation is a wonderful incentive. It may be some consolation to his bereaved family to know that they do not sorrow alone, for, in common with all Provinces, at home or abroad, the whole of the members of the Birkenhead and District Province sorrow with them in the loss of a true friend and adviser.

                BIRPRO

AUSTRALIAS REGRET

    Bro. Joshua Hamilton Drew, the Editor of the R.A.O.B. Gazette, Victoria, and one of the most prominent and best known members in Australia, sends a specially designed mourning card. Its deep black edged border is broken. On the card is written:

    To Bro. John Wilson, R.O.H., Acting Grand Secretary.
    Dear Sir and Brother,
    We learn with deep sorrow and regret the death of our dear Brother W. H. Rose, R.O.H.
    His one desire, as we knew him, was to bind our forces into one great unit, and his loss will be severely felt in Australia.
    We will remember him by his sweet, gracious actions that have stirred the hearts of thousands of Buffaloes throughout the world.
    His tours, just recently completed, and his writings, will always be remembered on account of the humble manner in which he carried out his duties.
    His body, now asleep within the grave, we hope will return some day to give us the great reward of the faithful.

CANADAS SORROW

    I feel that I must write and add my sympathy and mark of respect to the memory of one whom we all loved, and, though separated by thousands of miles, always felt that in Billy Rose we had a true friend and adviser. I feel that I am voicing the sentiments of all brethren in Canada when I say that in no part of our great Empire, nor in any part of our Order, was he held in greater regard and esteem than was the case in this Canada of ours.

    As a purely personal matter, I may say that I was looking forward to meeting him over here ere this year had run its course; but now I can only hope to meet him in that Greater Link to which he has gone. The greatest tribute that we can pay to his memory is to keep up the great work that he was doing, for he loved Grove House and all that it stood for, and there can be no fitter monument to him than to see that our Orphanages are well looked after.

                HIS SPIRIT LIVES

    He is not dead, he only sleeps, his earthly journey done He fully earned the epitaph, A good and worthy son. No worthier brow shall wear the crown the Great Grand Primo gives. While Grove House stands, his Cenotaph.

LIFE WORK OF PUREST GOLD

    I have this moment read of the calamity which has befallen the Order through the irreparable loss it has sustained by the death of our late Grand Secretary (Bro. W. H. Rose, R.O.H.), who, for twenty, years, had been at the helm, directing the craft through fair weather and foul. I feel that I must pay my personal tribute to my mentor and friend, which, although belated, is none the less sincere. There is so much dross with the gold of lifes experiences, that at times we feel great discouragement; but when a personality such as our lamented friend passes on to the Grazing Grounds, we realize that we can sort the real from the unreal, for the life work of Bro. Rose was the purest gold. There was never a man who embodied so much in a life of charitable endeavour as he did. His pure faith in Buffaloism was his sheet anchor in storm and stress. Those who co operated with him in the work of our Order know best how to write his epitaph. They who follow him will be strengthened by his example of untiring energy and his unstinted devotion to his lifes work, and we humble members of the Order will do well to strive hard to help finish the work it has pleased our Elder Brother to call him away from, and bring it to a triumphant conclusion.

    Dear Brother Rose, you have left behind you a monument which will live throughout the ages, a structure you have consolidated by your unwavering faith in the charitableness of humanity. Undaunted in your struggle with life, you have won laurels which are your passport into the Great Grand Lodge. We can do no better than emulate your glorious example.

MEMORIAL SERVICE IN NEWCASTLE CATHEDRAL

Saturday, 27th April 1929

THE EXAMPLE OF BRO. ROSE

    At noon the Grand Lodge adjourned for the purpose of allowing the delegates to attend a Memorial Service to the late Bro. W. H. Rose, R.O.H., which commenced a quarter of an hour later in St. Nicholas Cathedral, Newcastle on-Tyne. All those attending the meeting were present, with very few exceptions.

    The service, simple but beautiful, was conducted by three reverend members of the Order : the Vicar of Newcastle, and the Revs. Charles Martin (Vice President of the Grand Council) and H. R. A. Wilson (Provincial Grand Primo of the Wrekin Province). After an opening voluntary on the organ, the hymn Jesus lives, was sung. Then followed the Burial sentences and the Twenty third Psalm. The Lesson, from the 15th Chapter of the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, was read by Bro. (the Rev.) H. R. A. Wilson. After the hymn, Jesu, Lover of my soul, and appropriate prayers, Bro. (the Rev.) Charles Martin gave the address. He said :

    We meet, brethren, today to give back in a sense to God that which He so lavishly bestowed upon us. I believe a story is told of Michael Angelo, the great sculptor, painter and engineer, that when his mother knew she was to have a child she made up her mind that she would never again look upon anything that was ugly, and her spare time, we read, was spent in looking upon the most wonderful lace tracery. Whether it was due to that or not, one is not prepared to say, but her son, Michael Angelo, was certainly one of the most marvellous beings that God ever created. Some of you may have known Bro. Roses mother. I wish I had. She must have been a most remarkable woman, the mother of a very remarkable son. To that son our Order owes much, and I am sure that our Brother would wish if he were present with us, as probably he is in the spirit at least we like to think so would wish us if it be possible, here in this ancient building, here in the home of Him who gave us being and life, to resolve to catch something of the same spirit which animated him in all his work for the good of our noble Order.

    He would, I am sure, ask us to call to mind the great powers which alone enable us to build something which has everlasting foundations. Unless we catch a little of his spirit, we are not building surely.

    We ask that his spirit may fall upon us, and on the cause to which we belong and love so much, because it needs to have power to feed, and feed continuously, the stream of altruistic love and endeavour. Because of that I am sure that Bro. Rose would wish me to ask you to direct your thoughts, not so much to him and the loss we have sustained, but rather to look into the future, and catch his spirit, animating the national life with ideals.

    I am one of those who believe that a nation has a soul. I believe that it is imperative to that soul to see that it is properly fed. I believe that societies like our own are doing a great deal, unconsciously, to feed the soul of our nation, and therefore it is of paramount importance that from our society there shall continually flow out that life giving stream, that from us there shall come continually that spirit of altruism, and the desire to do good to others, without regard of gain for ourselves. A nation without an ideal will perish, we read a society without an ideal must perish. Again and again, in the history of the human race, have we found figures arising personifying a great ideal, with the net result of tremendous progress to the human race.

    And in our own short time in the Order we have seen marching in our ranks sterling men, each making his contribution to the society. Lionel Jacobs of ready wit, Tommy Boden of wonderful humanity, John Wilson and others living to day.

    We have spoken of our Brothers extraordinary devotion to duty, of his organising powers, of his enthusiasm. We loved to call him Billy Rose, one who personified our Order. He was not a saint, he would have been the first to laugh if I had called him one. He did not pretend to perfection. He had within him a something which differentiated him from us, and the Order, as it were, found itself living in that personality,. Not that he would ever have claimed that. That was not his way. We felt it. Even those of' us who have joined in the last twelve years would see the results in the lives of thousands, and we would ask: of what regime all that came. I think it was due to the personality of that outstanding figure whom we hold in memory. We all played our small or great part, but of him we felt that in some wonderful degree he was given by God to express what we so often wanted to put into words, but never could.

    We have lost a wonderful man. We may not immediately find one to fill in the niche. It was a big niche, and it is a great niche to fill. May the Order as a whole catch something of the spirit which he had as an individual. The power which he had was due to the ideals which animated his soul. Through all the petty jealousies which one finds in any great body of men, Billy Rose threaded his way, animated by an ideal. Who has not heard him speak of children? How often when he spoke of them did he use the word kiddies. You felt that it meant something to him which it did not quite mean to you. Always the Orphanage was in his mind. He was insistent that whatever we did that Orphanage must have first place.

    That was an ideal, an ideal which gave him power to provide and launch. In order that the Society may not fail in its job, which, I think, is God s appointed one, let us who remain keep ever in mind the ideals of the Order. Let us have sympathy, the great imagination and the great power of idealism, the great trust, which so distinguished Bro. Rose.

    You will call to mind the picture of the Great Assize drawn with graphic touch by Prophet, Apostle, and Christ Himself. All humanity at the common bar of judgment, divided into two groups. The one who did, and the one who did not. Surely we call hear a voice saying of Billy Rose: Inasmuch as ye did it to the least of these my children, ye did it unto me.

    The concluding hymn was, Peace, perfect Peace. The Vicar pronounced the Blessing. The delegates sang the National Anthem, as they had sung the hymns, with the greatest heartiness.

    At the close, the Organist played very beautifully Chopins Funeral March.

    So is laid to rest one of the best known and best loved Grand Secretaries this Order of ours has known. He was to all who knew him, a friend, a companion, a confidante, and most of all, to all Buffaloes, a Brother who could lend a shoulder to everyone.

One of the few pictures showing "Billy" with his regalia

further articles to follow ...................................

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