Page 1 of 2
OB secret signs
Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 5:45 pm
by Eruresto
Over the past few days, I was thinking about secret signs (yes, I'm a nerd) for OBs so that they can recognise each other. I know nobody would...
I got started by on seeing on the CHA site someone who had a clip of the F.H. as his ringtone, wishing it would go off in a train and he would be recognised as an OB by another one. So here's my list:
- F.H ringtone
- OB as a title (e.g. John Smith OB BA PhD)
- CH Cufflinks (of course!)
Any other ideas?
Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 11:32 pm
by matthew
Do Grecians still get invited to join, ahem, find out more about the Masons?
Not something I've taken them up on, but if you're into secret signs...
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:36 am
by Hannoir
where can i get the FH as my ringtone?!
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:42 am
by Eruresto
matthew wrote:Do Grecians still get invited to join, ahem, find out more about the Masons?
Not something I've taken them up on, but if you're into secret signs...
I heard something about that on here, but I don't know much about it...
Hannoir, you could either go to
http://www.chassociation.org/news/newsa ... NewsId=286
Or for the true fanatic, get the full thing from one of the CDs and send it to your phone. I would do the latter IIWY, since it's far cooler

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:44 am
by Richard Ruck
matthew wrote:Do Grecians still get invited to join, ahem, find out more about the Masons?
Not something I've taken them up on, but if you're into secret signs...
Not my sort of thing, either, but there was a representative present on Old Blues Day, together with some literature for those who were interested (no girls allowed, obviously......).
My (almost) step-father was a keen Mason, who often tried to convince me of the advantages of membership. Whilst it's true that all sorts of unheralded charitable work is undertaken by Masonic Lodges, I was always uncomfortable with the 'men only' aspect - couldn't really see the point.
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:47 am
by DavebytheSea
How about always wearing yellow stockings?
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:48 am
by Eruresto
I like that! You used to be able to get them in the School Shop - does anyone know if they're still around or have they all been donated to Wardrobe?
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 11:40 am
by J.R.
DavebytheSea wrote:How about always wearing yellow stockings?
That was quite enough in my day, and thought of having to also wear an apron, with one breech trouser leg rolled up whilst wearing kinky gloves leaves me quite cold !
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 12:55 pm
by englishangel
and you a cop too JR. You do seem to know an awful lot about it.
Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 10:04 am
by Great Plum
Of course, there are very few people I know are a mason...
some are more public than others - I believe Mr Sillett is a grand high master or something...
Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:28 pm
by J.R.
englishangel wrote:and you a cop too JR. You do seem to know an awful lot about it.
It wasn't
'rife' in the Surrey lot, unlike the Metropolitan Police who have a very large lodge, as I understand it.
In fact a dear friend of mine who was a Detective Inspector in the Met. was told,
(very unofficially, of course), that his prospects of promotion to Chief Inspector were very limited if he
DIDN'T join the craft. He decided against and has since retired on a very nice pension, thank-you-very-much !
No I am not, and never have been a mason. My maternal Grand-Father was a Great Masterful Ooojar, or something.
I have very strong views on masonary, which I intend to keep to myself.
Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 2:26 pm
by englishangel
J.R. wrote:englishangel wrote:and you a cop too JR. You do seem to know an awful lot about it.
It wasn't
'rife' in the Surrey lot, unlike the Metropolitan Police who have a very large lodge, as I understand it.
In fact a dear friend of mine who was a Detective Inspector in the Met. was told,
(very unofficially, of course), that his prospects of promotion to Chief Inspector were very limited if he
DIDN'T join the craft. He decided against and has since retired on a very nice pension, thank-you-very-much !
No I am not, and never have been a mason. My maternal Grand-Father was a Great Masterful Ooojar, or something.
I have very strong views on masonary, which I intend to keep to myself.
It's good for keeping the roof up.
We once went to a Ladies Night which was full of Met Police, this was 1983 so all the 'Oojars' had frilly shirts and made up velvet bowties and cummerbunds holding in their paunches. Hubby and I won about half the spot prizes which did NOT go down well.
Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 3:17 pm
by icomefromalanddownunder
I used to get dragged along to Ladies Nights in London - the Masons who weren't cops were villains.
My ex became a Mason when we were living in NZ, where they are much free-er about divulging their secrets, even to females, but I seriously let the side down when we moved to Whangarei with a five day old baby. I knew no-one, but received a telephone call from the Grand Poobah's wife, not to welcome me to Northland and ask how our beautiful daughter was, but to tell me that it was my turn to provide food for the after meeting refreshments. ?????????????????????????? I commented something along the lines of 'I don't often make cakes, and I don't recall Martin ever being asked to provide refreshments for any organisation I belong to', but she was not to be deterred and hung up after, basically, telling me to 'get baking or else'. Preferring to study for my Yachtmaster Certificate and go for walks with Jess and Pom (staffy), I compromised by paying a visit to the bakery section of the local supermarket on the afternooon of the lodge meeting, and purchasing enough fodder for about 20 people (I had the foresight to ask Martin how many Masons would be attending). Oh dearie, dearie me: absolutely not good enough. All the leftovers were to be taken to an old folks home, and, even if there had been enough, Woolworth's best would not have been appreciated.
In the museum of the Pharmacology Dept at Leeds there was a large lump of raw opium. One of our Lecturers had been asked by a widowed friend to go through her deceased husband's masonic attache case, as she felt that it was not something a female should do. In it he found the opium and a pipe

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:23 pm
by J.R.
I think the previous two posts from young ladies just about sum up my views admirably.
Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:16 pm
by englishangel
J.R. wrote:I think the previous two posts from young ladies just about sum up my views admirably.
How kind