On 7 March 2000 one of the great figures of 20th century Freemasonry, Sir James Stubbs, died aged 89 after 69 years of service to Freemasonry.
    James Wilfrid Stubbs was born 13 August 1910 at Barkway, Hertfordshire, where his father was Rector. His Grandfather, William Stubbs, had been Professor of History at Oxford, Bishop of Chester, Bishop of Oxford and Chancellor of the Order of the Garter.
    After school at Charterhouse, he went up to Brasenose College, Oxford, to read classics and history. On coming down he taught history at St. Paul’s School, London. He saw war service with the Royal Corps of Signals and with the Control Commission, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After the war he returned, briefly, to St. Paul’s School but in 1947, having answered a newspaper advertisement, became Principal Assistant to the then Grand Secretary Sydney (later Sir Sydney) White.
    It was whilst an undergraduate at Oxford that James Stubbs became interested in Freemasonry. At the age of 20 he was initiated in the Apollo University Lodge No. 357, subsequently becoming involved in its Royal Arch Chapter, Mark Lodge and Rose Croix Chapter. He first took office in his lodge in 1931 and set a record few, if any, could hope now to emulate. From 1931 until December 1999 he was never out of masonic office, the last two of which, Chancellor in the Lodge of Antiquity No.2 and his seat on the Supreme Council for the Ancient and Accepted Rite, he only gave up in that month.
    In Grand Lodge he was appointed Assistant Grand Secretary in 1948, Deputy Grand Secretary in 1955 and succeeded Sir Sydney White in 1958. In his autobiography Freemasonry in my life (1985) he divided his Grand Secretaryship into two periods: 1958-1976 and 1967-1980, the divide being the 250th Anniversary celebrations of Grand Lodge and the change of Grand Mastership from the Earl of Scarbrough to our present Grand Master HRH The Duke of Kent, KG. The first part saw the birth of new Grand Lodges in India and South Africa and the penalties debate. The second was much concentrated on Grand Lodge’s relations with other masonic bodies around the world.
    The combination of a grounding in the classics and an amazingly retentive memory made James Stubbs a formidable Grand Secretary and a good administrator. He enjoyed a debate when his opponent was arguing from a sensible stand but had no time for frivolous argument or sloppy logic. He demanded high standards in lodge work and was quick to intervene if standards slipped. He had, however, a gentler and benevolent side seen at its best by those who worked for him when personal crises overtook them.
    In 1979 he was honoured by HM The Queen with appointment as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. He retired from the office of Grand Secretary in 1980 but to call on his extensive knowledge of Freemasonry he was appointed to the Grand Master’s Council where his knowledge and experience were greatly valued. On his retirement he (and Lady Stubbs, whom he married in 1938 and who died in 1995) undertook a world tour, visiting many of the far flung areas where English lodges still exist.
    Retirement was short lived. He served the office of Grand Steward twice; was the Prestonian Lecturer in 1982; served on the General Board in the Mark Degree; and was appointed to the Supreme Council. To those who asked, at whatever level they were, he continued to give unstintingly of his knowledge and unparalleled experience. It was for this continuing service that in December 1996 he was appointed to the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry. As he would have been the first to protest that such an honour should not have been bestowed on those who had been paid to work for the Craft, perhaps for the first time since he had been appointed Grand Secretary a “Masonic secret” had been kept from him. The look of surprise on his face when his successor began to read the citation was a delight to all present.
    It may be a cliché but on this occasion it is a true statement: his like will not be seen again and the passing of his knowledge and experience is a great loss.