On Wednesday 9th November at Radcliffe Masonic Hall, Wike Lodge of Mark Master Masons No142
held their Sesquicentenary meeting.
The Lodge was opened at 6:10 pm by the Worshipful Master Bro Garry M Jones who welcomed the Provincial Grand Master, RWBro John H Smith, to the meeting. After taking the chair the Provincial Grand Master then introduced WBro David G Rainford, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master the two APGM’s VWBro David H Thompson and WBro Kevin M Reaney along with the other members of the deputation team.
The Provincial Grand Master then outlined the purpose of this prestigious event and spoke bravely about the recent history of the Lodge and how pleased he was that whereas, only 5 years ago this Lodge was down to 7 members, due to the efforts of the senior members of Wike Lodge, with the assistance of the Province, they have been successful in recruiting many new members along with over 5 advancements having taken place during that period.
The Deputy Grand DC then entered the Lodge and announced that RWBro Keith Emmerson, Past Deputy Grand Master requested permission to be admitted. RWBro K Emmerson assumed the chair of Adoniram and spoke about the history of the Lodge and presented a Sesquicentenary Warrant to the Worshipful Master Bro Garry M Jones. He continued by thanking WBro Andrew V Greenhalgh, PAGDC, for putting together an interesting paper regarding the history of Wike Lodge from 1870.
The Lodge business of the evening being ended the Lodge was closed at 7:50pm. At the social board, over 50 brethren sat down to a splendid 4-course meal by prepared by the caterers, Finedine. A raffle took place for a tie pin which had been presented to Jack Rowley (see below) which raised a substantial amount for good causes.
“Jack” Rowley, Manchester United 1937-55 and England 1948-1952
WBro Arnold Ray when Sec/Almoner had 8 Widows on the list passed to him. He used to send the usual Christmas Card and gift to Jack’s Widow who had returned south to be near her family. He also sent a “news” letter after each Installation so she could keep up with names she knew through Jack.
When she died her daughter sent Arnold the two tie pins from the Estate in thanks for all he had done to keep in touch.
One was opal and a small diamond the other was Chalcedony and pearl.
During the social board, one of the tie pins was raffled off raising the sum of £276. The winner was VWBro Gerry NH Young, PGJO, who I am sure will treasure his latest acquisition.
“Jack” Rowley, Manchester United 1937-55 and England 1948-1952
John Frederick Rowley, aka “Jack”, (7 October 1918 – 28 June 1998) was an English footballer who played as a forward from the 1930s to the 
1950s, mainly remembered for a 17-year spell with Manchester United. He also appeared 6 times for England scoring 6 goals.
Rowley is one of only four players in the history of Manchester United to score over 200 goals for the club, the others being Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and Wayne Rooney.
He left United in 1955 and went on to manage Oldham Athletic, gaining promotion to the Third Division in 1963. From there, he went on to manage Dutch club Ajax for the 1963–64 season, before returning to Britain to manage Wrexham and Bradford (Park Avenue) F.C., followed by a second spell at Oldham, where he finished his managerial career in December 1969.
He died in June 1998, at the age of 79.
He was nicknamed “The Gunner” because of his prolific goalscoring and explosive shooting, scoring 211 goals in 424 appearances for United.
With a lethal left foot Jack Rowley fired the Reds to glory in the post-War years as Matt Busby’s United masterplan came to fruition.
Rowley joined the Reds for £3,000 in 1937 after brief spells with his hometown club Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth and
Boscombe Athletic, where he scored 10 goals in 11 appearances. In his first full season at Old Trafford, he helped United to a Second Division runners-up spot and a first return to football’s top table since 1931.
As competitive league football was suspended with the outbreak of war, Rowley served in the South Staffordshire regiment, participating in the D-Day landings at Normandy in 1945. He also guested during hostilities for Wolves, Aldershot, Belfast Distillery, Folkestone, Shrewsbury Town and Tottenham Hotspur.
When a full league programme recommenced in 1946, Rowley resumed his career with United. He was a mainstay of the 1948 FA Cup-winning side – with its ‘Famous Five’ forward line – scoring twice in the 4-2 final victory over Blackpool.
In 1952, forging a terrific alliance with diminutive veteran Scotsman Jimmy Delaney, Rowley’s 30 league goals helped United to the First Division title for the first time since 1911.
After 503 appearances and a remarkable 312 goals – he also played six games for England, averaging a goal a game – he left United to join Plymouth Argyle as player-manager, retiring from playing two years later in 1957.
After various coaching and managerial posts, he retired from management in December 1969 to run a sub-post office/newsagent in the Shaw district of Oldham.