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Suffering of Jersey Freemasons to be remembered

BBC Tim smiles at the camera inside the Freemason Temple, He is wearing a grey suit with a light blue shirt and a red and dark blue tie. He has grey hair which is parted in the middle. Behind him - there are wooden boards on the walls with the names of Freemasons on and flags with symbols and paintings of former leaders.BBC
The new Head of Freemasonry in Jersey, Tim Dallas-Chapman, wants to remember those who suffered during the German Occupation of Jersey

There are plans to remember the Freemasons who were forced to hide their community during the German Occupation of Jersey during World War Two.

The new head of the community group in the island wants to work with the island's museum to highlight how members were persecuted by German troops.

Tim Dallas-Chapman was formally recognised as the new head of Freemasonry in Jersey last month.

He wants to recognise the work done by Freemasons to preserve their way of life as part of the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day on 9 May.

It's a wide shot of the inside of the Freemason Temple. The carpet is dark red and there's a black and white squared section in the middle. There are wooden stands on the edge of the carpet. There are two small globes on wooden stands. Decorated flags marking the lodges of Freemasons in Jersey are displayed around the room. The walls and ceiling is painted light blue.
Much of the inside of the temple was either destroyed or removed during the German Occupation

Mr Dallas-Chapman also wants to change the way people think about the group and make it more welcoming to the wider community.

He said "it was a fantastic honour" to take on the role but "we have to take the mystique out of the Freemasons" so more people will join.

During the occupation the German authorities closed the temple to the public as they extended a ban on freemasonry that the Nazi regime had brought in 1934.

Mr Dallas-Chapman said a "list of every subscribing Freemason" was made the temple was used "as a bottle store" with a lot of paintings and items "destroyed or removed".

It's a shot of the outside of the Temple. There are eight columns supporting the over-hanging roof. It's painted a dull, grey blue with white sections. The top sections are painted pink. It's a historic looking building.
Mr Dallas-Chapman wants the Freemasons to become more accessible to the wider community

Mr Dallas-Chapman said the Freemasons in the island were forced to hide their beliefs and practices, which added to the mystic that the Freemasons are a secretive society.

He said "people felt that it was a funny handshake brigade" and "they couldn't tell you anything about Freemasonry" but "that's changed and we want to tell the world about Freemasonry".

"We distribute about £100,000 a year and have done over the last 10 or more years to local charities and we need to continue that as well," Mr Dallas-Chapman added.

Many of the painting and items destroyed or removed by the German soldiers have been replaced and other historic collections from that time are due to go on display in May.

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