William Horrocks, JP, O.S.M.

Past Grand Deacon

Past Deputy Provincial Grand Master

W. Bro. Horrocks joined Abbey Lodge on the 13 March 1919, his Mother Lodge being the Manor Lodge No. 3322, where he was initiated on the 26 January 1913.

He became the Worshipful Master of Abbey in 1923 and in the same year he joined the East Lancashire Provincial Grand Officers Lodge No. 3747 becoming their Worshipful Master on the 29 March 1938.

He was a founder member of Loyalty Lodge No. 4819 and became their Worshipful Master in 1926. He also joined the Lodge of Fortitude No. 64 in 1925 and became their Worshipful Master in 1936.

Progressing through Provincial Grand Rank he became the Deputy Provincial Grand Master in 1950 and occupied this position until 1962.

He was awarded the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry (O. S. M.) in 1953 for both his long services as Deputy Provincial Grand Master of East Lancashire and his services to Grand Lodge as a member of the Board of General Purposes and his part as Chair of the External Relations Committee which he held from 1949 until 1963.

The Order was instituted on the 6 June 1945 at to suggestion of the then Grand Master, Lord Harewood. It was originally conceived as a Grand Rank carrying the prefix V.W. and taking precedence immediately above the Senior Grand Deacons. Lord Harewood wished there to be a limit on the number of the holders of the O. S. M. and proposed a limit of 12 holders, a figure which has not changed since that time.

On the 7 December 1960, the Grand Master (Lord Scarborough) announced his intention of removing the O. S. M. from the hierarchy of Grand Officers to give it a unique quality of its own and to enable the Grand Master to award it to any Brother “who had served freemasonry well in the widest possible sense”. As it would henceforth carry no rank or precedence in the list of Grand Officers he will be able to award it to those who already possessed high rank in the craft or to a worthy Brother who was not constitutionally a member of Grand Lodge but had given great service to the English Craft.

The jewel for O. S. M. was designed by V.W. Bro. Sir G Williston and only 12 jewels were made.

When W. Bro. Horrocks received his O. S. M. he was only the 10th person ever to receive the award and since its institution there have only been 54 holders up to 1990. The holders include brethren from as far afield as Canada, Guyana, South Africa, India, the West Indies,Ghana and Malta.