Lodge St. Bryde No. 579 was Chartered by The Grand Lodge of Scotland on 7th. February 1876.

We have continually met in Uddingston since that date and our Lodge has in its possession a complete minute which traces not only the history of the Lodge but importantly the history of our village and the surrounding area.

Our present Masonic Hall was built in 1924 and is one of the finest examples of a building of its type in Scotland.

ABOUT ST. BRYDE NO. 579

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Lodge St. Bryde No. 579

Member 770. Initiated 22nd March 1916 at the age of 21

Residing at North Lodge, Viewpark he worked as a Farm Servant.

EA Degree- 22nd March 1916 by Bro. J. Nimmo 579

FC Degree- 12th April 1916 by Bro. T. Robertson PM 579

MM Degree- 26th April 1916 by Bro. J. Patrick PM 579

Mark Degree- 27th April 1916 a special meeting conducted the night after his MM degree

His Proposer was his Brother Thomas H. Fisher and his Seconder was Bro. Charles Ellis JD

From the 1901 census of Scotland the Fisher family is residing at Westburn Farm, Ploughmans House in Cambuslang.

The head of the family is James Fisher Snr who at the age of 48 was born in Ireland in the year 1853. His wife Grace was from Cambuslang and was born in 1860.

In the year 1901 James and Grace had a family of 5 children. Thomas born in 1885, Daniel born in 1891, James born in 1893, Christina born in 1900 and another son only newly born at the time of the census and being so new to the World he did not even have a name as yet.

James Fisher did not only share his fathers name but he also kept family traditions going by being employed in the farming industry as a farm servant. Possibly learning the trade from one of his fathers close friends or work companions at North Lodge in Viewpark.  

Shortly after doing so his regiment was sent to France as one of the first under the Canadian over-seas expeditionary force arriving in France in February 1915.

Sometime after the 1901 census the Fisher family moved to 8 Crofthead Street in Uddingston.  His oldest brother Thomas resided at the new family address and when Thomas joined the lodge at the age of 26 in the year 1912 he was working as an Aerated Water Salesman.

There is no record of Thomas serving during WW1. James Fisher was proposed into the Lodge by his brother on the 23rd of February 1916 and was quickly passed and raised before receiving his Mark degree at a special meeting called the evening after he received his MM degree. In early January 1917, a letter of correspondence was read to the Lodge from James Fisher now on active service and thanking the Brethren of the lodge for the kind gift received by parcel.

Serving with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers he was sent to France in late 1916. His service number was 40744. On the 23rd of April 1917 whilst serving with his regiment in the battle of Arras he was killed. The following extract reports the engagement.

'On the 23rd, too, the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers were engaged with the rest of the Thirtieth Division in an attack on the high ground overlooking Cherisy in the Sensee Valley. The battalion advanced at 4.45am on a two-company front, and was immediately caught and checked by a terrific machine-gun barrage.

At 6am the enemy counter-attacked, but was held; at 6 pm. The 21st brigade attempted to repeat the mornings attack, but it too suffered disaster; at nine p.m. the survivors of the Scots Fusiliers were withdrawn to reserve position. The day depleted the battalion by more than one half.

The commanding officer- Lieut.-Colonel M.E McConaghey fell, and with him Second Lieutenants J. Spears, J. McLeod, T. Leishman, H.F Smith and J.C Cameron, and 55 other ranks; 4 officers and 195 men wounded; 4 officers and 209 men missing.'

A tragic day for the Regiment and the Fisher family and one can only assume that James was one of the missing never to be found as he has no known grave. He is remembered on the Arras memorial.

Daniel Fisher the Brother of both Thomas and James was also killed during WW1.

His service number was 38308 and he was serving with the 10th/11th battalion of the Highland Light Infantry when he was killed on the 1st of August 1917.

Daniel at the time of his death was married to Elizabeth Wilson Fisher and he had moved back to the Cambuslang area residing at 22 Main Street, Cambuslang.

He is remembered with honour on the Menin Gate memorial in Ypres. Both James and Daniel are also remembered on the communion table in Uddingston Old Parish church.

He is remembered with honour on the Arras Memorial, Arras, France.