In 1990, a substantial fire broke out at the Grange in Derby and caused widespread damage to the property. Amongst many losses, an alabaster memorial to the fallen of the Great War with a carved heavy oak frame was destroyed. This memorial was unveiled on the 15th March 1924 by the then RW Provincial Grand Master for Derbyshire His Grace the Duke of Devonshire and listed the names, military rank and Masonic Lodges of the twenty Derbyshire Brethren who lost their lives in the Great War. The Memorial had been transferred to the Grange from Gower Street in 1972 where it had been located inside the main entrance.
It had long been the hope that this memorial would one day be replaced, and since 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of Armistice day, the Provincial Grand Master for Derbyshire Arthur Steven Varley has commissioned a monument at the rear of the Grange as a mark of respect for the fallen in the Great War and other conflicts since.
The new monument was designed by W Bro John Wood and W Bro Eddie Baldwin in conjunction with Horobin Memorials and will serve as a reminder of the debt owed by all of us to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
The monument was funded by the Provincial Grand Charity.
On Friday 2nd November at 2:00 pm the alert was sounded by the Bugler. The Masons present had already paraded to the monument and taken their places. The Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master then paraded to the monument accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant and the Mayor of Derby.
What followed was a moving ceremony culminating in the unveiling of the Monument and a reading of the Role of Honour for those fallen in World Wars one and two.
It is estimated that around two hundred people were present including contingents from the Air Training Corps, the Sea Cadets and other military and ex military personnel.