Five Guys Raise Arms Against Duke of Normandy in Jersey
No not a report of a burger chain in a gunfight with the French nobility in the Channel Islands but another successful trip for the Widows Sons an East Kent masonic shooting team.
Having first journeyed to the island many years ago as part of another shooting team in an international competition, in the guise of the Widows Sons the five guys have now been returning for their regular annual competition for the last 7 years.
In fact the Island has made the team so welcome that two of the team have joined the Duke of Normandy Lodge 245 based in St Helier and attend as many regular meetings as they can there.
This year’s shooting competition was tied around a third degree ceremony attended by all the widows sons team on the Thursday evening.
Once again the Duke of Normandy lodge performed some excellent work in the temple and then demonstrated their legendary hospitality at the festive board thereafter. Their fame must be spreading as on this occasion a contingency of Scottish freemasons were in attendance whose entrance and exit were heralded by several pipers. The only way we could have competed with their noise levels was with a five gun salute but that was swiftly ruled out on safety grounds!
The competition itself was held on the Saturday at Lecq shooting ground high on the cliffs to the North of the island with some stunning views to distract you from the tricky targets which had been set with added spice of a swirling onshore wind. The Widows sons were looking to regain the trophy which they so narrowly had to return the year before. With another very close competition they managed by the smallest margin of three clays, to just pip jersey this year and look forward to the re match in 2025.
The team consists of, WBro Derek Reed – Spirit of Rugby lodge 9922, WBro Tony Playford – Loyal and True 4050, WBro Ian Rowan – Rochester Castle Lodge 9260, WBro Brian Warren – Brownrigg Lodge of unity 1424 and WBro Steve Wentzell – City of Rochester lodge 7941.