20th May 2024 was an important date in the Masonic calendar for Beaufort Lodge No 3834, Swansea. It was the 100th Birthday of one of their most senior Past Masters, W.Bro Richard Thomas Pelzer PPrGSW; known by all as Dick.
It had been decided early in the New Year that the Lodge would, if at all possible, celebrate this unique occasion. Accordingly a dispensation was sought and granted to hold an extra Celebration meeting on W.Bro Dick’s birthday.
Planning for the Celebration Meeting extended over a period of almost three months, the most difficult element of which was keeping details of meeting from W.Bro Dick, who despite being 100 years old is still active in the management of the Lodge, attending every committee meeting and LOI and is well known as Beaufort’s Super Sub, taking Office at Lodge Meetings, often at short notice, when Brethren are absent.
The meeting was graced by the presence of the Provincial Grand Master, RW Bro D Gerald Rowbottom along with his Provincial Escort, supported by the Deputy PGM and two Assistant PGMs. Amongst the 90 Brethren present were many Grand Lodge and Provincial Grand Lodge Officers from both the Provinces of South and West Wales.
After the PGM had been escorted into the temple, he was proffered the Gavel by our WM W.Bro Kevin Foley, and on this special occasion the PGM temporarily took the chair of King Solomon; he is of course a PM of Beaufort Lodge. An escort of Officers and PMs of the Lodge was then formed and W.Bro Dick entered the Lodge to great applause from the assembled Brethren.
The PGM then offered the Gavel to W.Bro Dick and insisted that he take King Solomon’s Chair for the main part of the meeting, a role he had last taken as Worshipful Master in 1988.
The Meeting then proceeded with an audio/visual presentation of some of the highlights of W.Bro Dick’s long life by W.Bro Keith Ferguson, Beaufort Lodge’s Senior PM. As many are already aware W.Bro Dick was called up on his 19th birthday, in May 1943, and on June 6th 1944, D Day, he was clearing mines and building the Mulberry Harbour on Juno beach. He was awarded the Legion d’Honneur by the Government of France and, to this day remains a proud Royal Engineer. After being demobbed he had a number of jobs back in his hometown of Swansea, including for many years, until his retirement, as official photographer for Swansea Council, attending and photographing many important functions including Royal visits.
W.Bro Dick was married to Dulcie for over 70 years, he has a daughter Jeanette, who tries to keep a watchful eye on him, a Granddaughter and two Great Grandchildren.
There were two further surprises for Dick on the evening, the first being a personal letter from the Pro Grand Master congratulating him and wishing him a very happy 100th birthday. The other was a letter from The Divers’ Branch of The Royal Engineers Association granting him honorary membership. He is now their most elderly member and their only member with experience of diving during the Second World War.
He had, of course, already received a congratulatory letter from His Majesty King Charles III.
At the conclusion of the presentation W.Bro Keith, on behalf of the Brethren of Beaufort Lodge, handed W.Bro Dick a Red File entitled “W.Bro Richard Thomas Pelzer, This is Your Life.”
The WM then resumed his rightful place in the Lodge, with W.Bro Dick taking the chair of IPM for the closing of the Lodge.
The evening concluded with W.Bro Dick being piped into a Formal Festive Board where, in addition to the traditional Formal toasts there were toasts to W.Bro Dick to which he responded with his heartfelt thanks and regaled those present with a few further anecdotes. The PGM presented W.Bro Dick with a bottle of his favourite tipple, Glenmorangie malt whiskey, with a personalised label commemorating his 100th birthday. A commemorative birthday cake was symbolically sliced by W.Bro Dick using Beaufort Lodge’s Ceremonial Sabre and distributed to all. After singing “Happy Birthday” all present toasted W.Bro Dick with a shot of whiskey.
The collection from the Raffle, some £400.00 will be donated to The Blind Veterans Association, the charity chosen by W.Bro Dick.
All who attended will, we hope, remember the evening as a very special Masonic occasion, but most of all we hope and believe that the evening was one that W.Bro Dick enjoyed and will recall for many years to come.