Brethren of Lodge of Furness No 995 and their visitors were entertained at Ulverston Masonic Hall with the business of the evening being a presentation titled; ‘The evolution of gunpowder and a short history of firearms throughout the ages’. The presentation was prepared and delivered by Howard Whitaker, the chaplain of the lodge, so what could possibly go wrong?
The 38 brethren and visitors of the lodge had been pre-warned of the possibility of some mishap occurring and a defibrillator and fire extinguisher were strategically placed as a precaution. WM Mark Hornby welcomed Howard onto the floor of the lodge. Howard set out his stall with a flip-chart and several sealed glass containers containing various powders spread out on the secretary’s table. Other items could be seen on the table which included two small pistol type firearms, plus more alarmingly, a large box of matches. Howard began his presentation by introducing his alibi, stating that as chaplain, should anything go wrong he would avail himself of the excuse of the incident occurring due to an act of God.
Things went well however, with Howard explaining about black powder, commonly known as gunpowder and its origins, progressing on to other forms of explosives and the ways of detonation either with, or without a firearm. He went on to explain his father’s heroic experiences whilst serving in the armed services, his father being somewhat of an expert in weaponry and firearms and all manner of explosives. Howard’s father became involved in removing secretly buried and highly volatile explosives from a desert location to an area where they could be safely destroyed, this operation being a life-or-death scenario.
Howard continued to inform everybody that due to his father’s influences, he was introduced to firearms and indeed black powder and its uses from a very early age. He became very proficient in safely handling the same on all manner of occasions such as wild-fowling or deer stalking. The audience who had by now become comfortable listening to Howard’s tales and experiences, began to develop an uneasy sense of foreboding, when he went on to explain a particular instance during his education at Barrow College.
During a science lesson, Howard and a couple of his contemporaries, concocted a mixture of various chemicals to produce an explosive mixture which they were to test during lunch time on the school rugby pitch. Their intention was to cause an explosion to see if their experiment worked by blowing a small crater in the pitch. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, their experiment was discovered by teaching staff prior to the test. This resulted in the college being sealed off and the Bomb Squad being informed, who duly attended and conducted a controlled explosion to dispose of their experiment. After a ticking-off, Howard was permitted to continue his education but with strict conditions imposed on him during science lessons. Howard continued the presentation by suggesting that he would demonstrate how the different powders he had with him reacted when ignited and this is where the large box of matches appeared.
At this point, the audience definitely began to become uneasy. When he opened one of the glass containers and wafted a lit match in the direction of a sample of black powder that he had placed in a receptacle on the secretary’s desk. A flash, a whooshing sound, and all of a sudden, the carpet on the floor by the side of the desk was on fire. Once extinguished Howard continued on with the presentation with another similar experiment which resulted in the desk being at the least ‘scorched’. Howard went on to conduct further experiments with the powders plus the differing ways of firing a charge or a detonator. Without wishing to make light of Howard’s presentation, the content was thoroughly enjoyable and extremely informative, and delivered in a controlled and very professional manner.
All who witnessed Howard’s efforts will appreciate the hard work he most certainly will have done in preparing it. The Lodge of Furness thanked Howard for providing such an entertaining and informative evening which was enjoyed by all.