It's interesting to consider heraldry from another angle. Like most people probably, I've always thought of military pendants etc. as a means of identification rather than disguise.

hvered wrote:Surely all serving officers feel they're brothers in arms whatever fancy creed or belief system they profess. When opposing armies are engaged in battle, would officers have the opportunity to find out who on the other side was a practising freemason or whatever before firing?

Better than me copying someone else's material wholesale, I refer my honourable colleague to Part 4 of "The Temple And The Lodge", by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. 60 or so pages on Freemasonry and its part in American Independence.

Yes, but armies have been involved with, even initiated, coups, regime change, turning-points in wars and the rest all over the shop so what's the big deal? You/they need to produce evidence of a masonic conspiracy or whatever it is, otherwise it's just saying that the military are a powerful group loyal to their profession but we all know that.

Stuart Christie mentions the military connection to the Freemasons.

'Freemasonry is particularly strong within the armed services, where it is seen as an extension of the fellowship of the regiment. There are 42 lodges in the British cavalry regiments alone, 25 in the Royal Regiment of Artillery and a number of Royal Marine lodges. The exclusive elite of the British Army, the 22nd SAS and Artists Rifles (21st SAS), have a lodge (Byfield) which meets on the second Monday of every month at the Duke of Yorks HQ in Chelsea. The Senior Service have their own exclusive lodges such as Royal Navy Lodge 2612, whose members include such worthies as the Duke of Edinburgh and the present Grand Secretary, Commander Michael Higham.

Hopeful squaddies and matelots looking for rapid advancement or simply good Masonic friendship should know, however, that since 1815 naval and military lodges have introduced by-laws excluding all civilians and stating that no sailor below the rank of Petty Officer or no soldier below the rank of Sergeant is eligible for initiation into the Brotherhood. Masonic researcher John Dewar, author of the authoritative study of contemporary Freemasonry, The Unlocked Secret, was told by a spokesman for a large Masonic outfitter in Great Queen Street that much of the firms successful business rested on export orders for regalia received from NATO troops in Europe, an indication as to the extent of Masonic strength among the officer corps of the British and other NATO armed services. '

http://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/51c5t6

There is even a military masons website.

http://www.militarymasons.org.uk/

A Canadian lodge, the Zetland Lodge has this to say about masonic activity in the opposing armies.

'During the American War of Independence it was not uncommon for a field lodge's warrants and regalia to be captured by the opposing force. Invariably they were returned. One such occurrence was the capture of the warrant of the British 17th Regiment of Foot. The warrant was returned with a letter signed by Continental General Samuel Parsons. It stated,

Brethren, When the ambition of monarch's, or the jarring interests of States, call forth their subjects to war, as Masons we are disarmed of that resentment which stimulates to undistinguished desolation, and however our political sentiments may impel us in the public dispute, we are still Brethren, and (our professional duty apart) ought to promote the happiness and advance the weal of each other. Accept, therefore, at the hands of a Brother, the Constitution of the Lodge 'Unity, No. 18' held in the 17th British Regiment, which your late misfortunes have put in my power to restore to you. - I am, your Brother and obedient servant, Samuel H. Parsons.'

http://www.zetlandlodge.com/page.aspx?PageID=204

TisILeclerc wrote: It's as if the Roman Empire was reborn.

Almost as if Hitler and his mates survived and started the Common Market and the European Union.

Not that I would say that.

I wouldn't say that either. But some might say the Common Market and the European Union have more in common (sic) with the aims of the French Revolution, which introduced a decimal currency, the metric system, and a partly-decimalised calendar.

It was divided into 12 months of 30 days each. Of course this left 5 days over which were declared to be holidays. On leap years there were six extra days holidays. Lalande proposed that the twelve months each be divided into three weeks of ten days each.

Why? The intention was to break with royal and religious traditions.

No creation of the republic will do more to break the hold of the priests over their superstitious dupes.

But they inadvertently(?) introduced a calendar almost identical to the Calendar of Enoch, which has strong connections with Masonic creation myths. The French revolutionaries even (briefly) had a decimal clock.

On 1 November 1795 (11 brumaire by the new calendar) a law was passed which required the creation of clocks with ten hours in the day, 100 minutes in an hour, and 100 seconds in a minute. A metric system of angles was also brought in, with 400 degrees in a full turn (100 degrees in a right angle). Now the earth would rotate 40 degrees in an hour and, since the metre had been designed so that one quarter meridian was 10 million metres, each degree of latitude would be 100 kilometres long.

http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/His ... _time.html

Robespierre and many of the other revolutionaries were Freemasons.

He invented the worship of the Supreme Being before he was finally dispatched himself.

And many of the American revolutionaries were close to the French revolutionaries.

And many of the French Royalists that opposed them were Masons, and likewise in the armies which opposed Napoleon as well. Which kind of dispels the urban myth that it wos the Masons wot dunnit. Unless we want to propagate an even more extreme conspiracy theory of Total and Continuous War.

TisILeclerc wrote:And many of the American revolutionaries were close to the French revolutionaries.

Very true, which is why I never know whether to laugh or cry when I hear 'Mericans talking about "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" - they seem to have no idea how their own nation was created.

This afternoon while trying to get to the MOT centre on time I passed the local masonic lodge on the main road and noticed a large blue lozenge shape on its front. Closer, it was evidently the square and compass logo but the blue colour had quite a nautical feel. Isn't the logo usually golden or is that a later, perhaps standardised, design?

The square and compasses are traditionally portrayed in a gold or yellow colour, and the background (or sky behind) are traditionally blue, but there doesn't seem to be a universally agreed shade of golden-yellow or blue, like a Pantone colour.

For what it's worth, the ceiling of the lodges I have been admitted into all seem to have a pale blue colour that is more consistent, like the Forget-me-not flower.

That is not entirely a coincidence, as the Forget-me-not flower is also symbolic of the Morning Star (Venus).