In Remembrance - 108 Years On - Keith Lodge No 17
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Today (December 6, 2025) marks 108 years since the death of Keith Lodge No. 17’s Worshipful Master in the Halifax Explosion, the largest manmade explosion before the Nuclear Bomb.
W. Bro. Charles Harry Finck (Fatality No. 1255)
Age 50, Worshipful Master of Keith Lodge No. 17
Lived with his family on Macara Street, Halifax
Worked as a carpenter at Hillis and Sons Foundry
Survived by his wife Anastasia Finck and son Charles W. Finck, who identified his father at the morgue
His obituary appeared in the Halifax Herald on March 4, 1918, nearly three months after his passing.
In 2018, inquiries revealed his name had been mistakenly recorded as “Finch” among the dead. After 100 years, Keith Lodge No. 17 successfully lobbied to have his name corrected in the Nova Scotia Archives, a small but meaningful act of service to one of our own.
The travelling jewel worn by modern Worshipful Masters of Keith Lodge No. 17 is named in his honour, a quiet symbol of remembrance. We share this symbol with all Lodges in the jurisdiction who lost good men that fateful morning.
More than a century later, our respect, admiration, and sense of loss remain undiminished for those of our Craft who made their way to the Grand Lodge Above far too soon.
Fraternally,
Jim
Jim Musgrave, PM
Secretary, Keith Lodge No. 17
