A MASONIC CEREMONY

Otago Witness, Issue 3419, 26 September 1919, Page 65

A MASONIC CEREMONY

DECEASED SOLDIER'S EMBLEMS.

An interesting ceremony took place at the Conyers Masonic Lodge on Thursday evening (says the Lyttelton Times), when the Masonic emblems of the late Lieu-tenant-colonel Cecil Humphreys, D. 5.0., D.C.M., M.M., were presented to the lodge by W. Bro D. Manson. The late Lieu-tenant-colonel Cecil Humphreys was a member of the Conyers Lodge, being one _of its officers at the time he left the dominion for England shortly beforewar broke out In making the presentation, W. Bro. D. Manson said that the late Lieutenantcolonel Humphreys was a man of the highest integrity, and was universally respected and admired by all with whom he came in oontact. He was a true sportsman, and they could rest assured that he carried his sportsmanship with him on to the field of battle. He outlined the late Lieutenant-colonel Humphreys's career as a soldier, stating that it was proof of his undoubted greatness that he had risen from the rank of a private to that of lieutenantcolonel. .The deceased brother was iff London when war was declared. On the next day ho stood in a queue for seven hours at Whitehall waiting his turn to enlist. He was drafted' to. the Army Service Corps, where he was promoted sergeant within a few weeks. As this did not prove sufficiently exciting for him, he resigned his stripes, and enlistpd as a private in one of the infantry battalions. Within two months he had won the D.C.M. for an act of exceptional gallantry, going out in the face of a heavy enemy fire to brinar in one of his wounded comrades. From then on his promotion was rapid. The speaker had been informed by the p-idre of Lieutenant-colonel Humphreys's reg : ment that he was one of the most' beloved officers in the regiment and one of the finest men he {the padre) had ever met. It was sreatly to be deplored that about three months before the armistice was signed their lnte brother had been killed in notion. His mother had handed his Masonic emblems to the speaker, and he had thought that there could be no better repository for them than in the safe keeping of his mother lodge. Their late brother was, a keen Mason, and had expressed his intention, if he were spared to return to the dominion, of taking a more active part in Masonry than he had nble to do in the past. R.W. Bro. E. Just, D.D.G.M., of the E.C.. then handed the emblems to W. Bro. Yellowlof-s. Master of the Conyers Lodge, to be lsont in perpetuity in memory of their verv gallant, and deeply-lamented brother. W. Bro. E. Nordon also referred to the mnnv excellent qualities of the late Lieu-tenant-colonel Humphreys. He had laid down his life owing to his unshaken fidelity to the trust reposed in him. The emblem'"! have Keen suitably mounted and framed, and will be hung with the othfr Masonic documents and relics in the keeping of Conyers Lodsro.