The History - The Wars of the 20th Century

Dundee’s Red Cross Effort
From the Courier Monday, June 7, 1918

Freemasons Raise Nearly £700

Dundee has made a vigorous start in its efforts on behalf of the Scottish Red Cross Fund . In the corresponding week of last year the City raised £12,647.
Special collections were taken in the churches, and in the afternoon under Masonic Auspices the Red Cross Appeal was brought under notice with something of imposing display. The Masonic Efforts yesterday realised nearly £700.
The members of the craft assembled at the Masonic Temple. All the local Lodges were represented, 170 Masons in all being present and they marched in processional order from the Temple to Baxter Park via Murraygate, King Street, Princes Street and Arbroath Road.
Over 100 Boy Scouts under the command of Scoutmaster James Smith, 12th Dundee Troop, headed the procession. Many of the lads were armed with collection boxes and in this way gathered money on the march.
The Pipe Bands of the 1/1st and 2/1st Battalions of the City of Dundee Volunteer Regiment, under Pipe-Majors W. Salmond and M. Towns respectively, provided the music.
At the Baxter Park a delightful programme of music was given by the band of the Dundee Amalgamated Musicians Union conducted by Mr John D. McPherson. The attendance was one of the largest seen this season.

Concert in the King’s  

The Freemasons of Dundee and District did honour to themselves and at the same time to the Red Cross Society in the splendid concert which was given under their auspices in the King’s Theatre last night. Spacious and commodious as that house is, it was none too big for the audience, for every seat was filled.
Ex-Provost David Stewart. J.P., R.W.P. Grand Master of Forfarshire presided, and gave a telling and effective speech, and subsequently a most eloquent and stirring appeal was made by Brother G.M. Kemp, M.P.S. who stated that the Masonic contributions to date amounted to £560. He said that the Masons wanted £600, and a collection was then taken, which we understand, made up the desired amount.
The concert was both vocal and instrumental. A large band including some famous players from neighbouring burghs and conducted by Mr J. D. McPherson, opened the programme with a careul performance of Wallace’s melodious “Maritana” Overture. Luigini’s familiar “Ballet Egyptien,” a charming Entr’acte from Shubert’s “Rosamunde,” and the “Dance of the Hours” from Ponchielli’s “La Gioconda” were brightly and pleasantly played.
The most important of the vocalists was Miss Violet Parsons, who appeared with the O’Mara Opera Company on their last visit to Dundee. Miss Parsons was in excellent voice last night, and made a welcome change in her programme by substituting Gounod’s “Ave Maria” for Godard’s “Angels Guard Thee.” The Gounod number was sung with much fervour and delightful roundness and evenness of tone, and its effect was much heightened by Mr Reid’s sympathetic ‘cello obbligato. Later Miss Parsons gave a most tuneful and technically admirable rendering of the “Jewel Song” from “Faust,” with orchestral accompaniment. Miss Bella Tarbet put much religious fervour into her singing of “O! Divine Redeemer” and “Abide with Me,” and Mr A.J. Forbes’ singing of that popular song, “When the Great red Dawn Is Shining,” was much applauded. Mr C.J.F. Jones was quite at his best in Frances Allitsen’s “The Lord is My Light, “ and he made even “The Rosary” interestings.

Bright Chorus Work

Quiet A novelty in the programme of this kind was the singing of the St Enoch’s Parish Church choir, under their conductor Mr George Smith, of Shelley’s pretty setting for soprano and alto solo and chorus of “Hark, hark, my soul” and Mozart’s “Gloria” from the Twelfth Mass. The solos were brightly sung, and the chorus work, particularly in the first number, was finished, refined and artistic.
The pianoforte accompaniments were most efficiently and discreetly played by Miss M. Bird, L.R.A.M.
A concert under Masonic auspices in the Oxford Cinema House, kindly granted by Brother John Noble for the occasion, was packed to overflowing last evening, and Brother George Kemp opened the proceedings with an address on the work which Freemasonry had accomplished on behalf of the Red Cross Funds during the War. The artists included Messrs A.J. Forbes, Nicol Craig, M. Rutherfurd, J. Beveridge, and the Panmure Brotherhood Junior Orchestra; and in addition, the five-part film depicting the life of Florence Nightingale was shown on the screen. The drawings were announced to exceed £50.

A Masonic Concert was also given in the Pavilion Picture Theatre.

Iain D. McIntosh, 2022