Hei, Marhaba, Bonjour, Hola, Ciao, Ni hao, Namaste, Konnichiwa, Hallo !!

Greetings to travelling Companions
from Aldwych Club Lodge

Welcoming International Travelling Brethren goes directly to the foundations of our Craft — the universality of Freemasonry and the living reality of our Brotherhood.

Aldwych Club Lodge is a historic lodge, founded in Fleet Street, and after some travels has been at Freemasons Hall for some time now. We are a widely dispersed lodge, with members around the world.

We welcome among us a travelling Companion — a Fellow Craft — a Brother on the path of knowledge and labour. In the days of operative Masonry, the Companion journeyed from worksite to worksite, carrying his tools, his skill, and his honour. He was recognised not by his origin, but by his craft; not by his language, but by his conduct.

On the blazon of this Lodge, appears the winged clarion — the herald’s trumpet, borne on wings: our Tradition travels swiftly across distance, beyond borders and frontiers. It is the emblem for a Lodge that honours travelling Brethren. The winged clarion proclaims that Masonry is universal. Its sound is not confined to one valley, one city, or one nation. It carries the message of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth across continents. Just as the ancient Companion travelled to distant lands to perfect his craft, so too does the spirit of our Order travel — uniting men of every country under the same moral law.

We teach that Freemasonry is universal. We say that it transcends nationality, language, culture, and political boundaries. We take pride in belonging to a Freemasonry that is neither local nor sectarian, but worldwide. Universality is not proved by words alone. It is proved by our conduct. Aldwych Club Lodge is an international lodge welcoming brother from all around the globe.

When a travelling Brother from another recognized Constitution seeks admission to our Lodge, he presents us with an opportunity — an opportunity to demonstrate that the universality we profess is real.

We welcome any traveller! our Brotherhood is not symbolic but living.

Today we receive. Tomorrow we travel.

Brethren, today we receive. Tomorrow we travel. The chain of fraternity encircles the globe. Each Lodge is a link. When we welcome a travelling Brother, we strengthen that chain. Every travelling Mason can approach Aldwych Club Lodge in good faith. We do not seek public approval. We rely on internal strength — on character, discipline, and mutual trust.
A Lodge known for dignity and disciplined hospitality strengthens its standing. A Lodge that is confident in its identity does not fear contact with the wider Craft.

International visitors enrich us. They bring perspective. They remind us that our ritual, our customs, and our traditions are part of something far larger. They help prevent insularity. They reinforce that we are part of a global chain of fraternity.
A Mason travelling anywhere in the world should find recognition, confidence, and goodwill. That is one of the greatest glories of the Craft — that a man may stand far from home and yet not be among strangers.

If Freemasonry is universal, let it be universal in practice. If Brotherhood is real, let it be visible. If we stand on the square, let our actions prove it.
In welcoming international travellers who are regular and properly vouched for, we do not merely extend courtesy — we reaffirm the very principles upon which our Order stands.

The Winged Clarion :
Travelers with tradition

At the heart of the medal of Aldwych Club Lodge stands a winged clarion — a straight herald’s trumpet set upright and flanked by silver wings. This emblem is deliberate, conveys our intention to carry the Tradition beyond boundaries.

In heraldic tradition, the clarion signifies proclamation. It is the instrument by which kings were announced, assemblies convened, and important declarations made public. It is clarity and authority made audible. When wings are added, the meaning deepens. Wings symbolise swiftness, elevation, and transmission across distance.

The Winged Clarion expresses Tradition carried outward. This symbolism has been chosen or Aldwych Club Lodge i 1917 by the founding members engaged in international travel and commerce.

Travellers, merchants, financiers, and explorers have been carriers not only of goods, but of tradition, ideas, customs, and standards of conduct. They move between cities and nations. Their word must be trusted in places far from home. Their reputation precedes them, travels with them, and returns before them.

For the international traveller, integrity is currency. The winged clarion thus becomes an emblem of the travelling businessman — one whose conduct must be clear, whose commitments must be sound, and whose name must resonate beyond local confines. Like the herald’s trumpet, his word must be distinct. Like the wings, his influence must extend across borders.

Aldwych Club Lodge’s Winged Clarion is the symbol of principled mobility of Tradition that travels, of reputation that precedes, and of integrity that sustains relationships across nations.

It is the proclamation of character in motion.

W.H. Beable – The Visitor Toast.

International travellers, your presence strengthens our bond of brotherhood and inspires us to renewed endeavour within the Lodge. We feel their sympathy, their friendship, and their encouragement in our shared labours.

Around the festive board, in fellowship and good cheer, we welcome them as one of us. As hosts, we gladly offer the visitor’s toast — a sincere tribute to the unity, goodwill, and living fraternity that we share as brethren wherever we may meet.:

Of all the toasts we give to-night
There’s one that’s most appealing,
That touches every brother’s heart
The bond of brotherhood revealing;
In some respects transcends all others;
The one we boast is the visitor’s toast,
The toast of the visiting brothers.
Their presence cheered us in the Lodge,
Inspired to best endeavours,
We felt their sympathy and love
Encouraging our labours.
So while sincere we give all others,
We love the most, the visitor’s toast,
The toast of the visiting brothers.
And now around the festive board
With song and cheer abounding,
We welcome each as one of us
With greetings loud resounding.
To-night they’re ours and not another’s,
We act the host, give the heartiest toast
To all of our visiting brothers.

W.H.B .