Billy Rose’s appointment as Grand Secretary, gave him the opportunity which he sought, and he did not spare himself in the interests of the Order, which he was for ever trying to improve. Right from the time he was made Secretary until a few days before he died, he was at his desk from early until late - from 7.30 in the morning until midnight as a day’s work was the rule rather than the excepion.
1928 was the last year that we saw Billy Rose for on Wednesday, 9th January 1929 by the death of Brother William Henry Rose, there passed away one of the greatest personalities which the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes under the Grand Lodge of England has ever known.
For the long period of twenty one years he was the Grand Secretary of the Order, its trusted counsellor, to whose brilliant powers of organization and administrative ability was largely due the evolution of the Order from a state of penury to one of unexampled prosperity and power.
His was a life of service to an Order which he loved, an Order of which he always recognized the potentialities for good. He was a combination of kindness, love, humour and imagination, of idealism, personality and sympathy, with cheery optimism forming a large part of his equipment.
Long before he attained any eminence in the Order he was “doing his bit”. Even in 1897 he was trying to improve the Order. He has stated more than once that he hated the conditions, which prevailed in those days, those days, happily past now, when the Order of Buffaloes usually provoked a smile from thinking people.
He could see, as many other sober minded people could see, that, properly organized and managed, the Order was capable of great things of real benefit to the community.
Provincial Grand Secretaries and Secretaries of Lodges will smile when they think of the way in which he flooded them with literature. His publicity campaigns, if one may so describe them, were elaborate, but they were never waste; they brought in the money. If it did not come in quickly enough, he would mention the matter to the Grand Lodge, and say, in his whimsical way “I do wish this money would be provided and so put a stop to this terrible ‘cadging’ by the Grand Secretary”.
Invariably he got what he wanted; he never had a failure. Strong, consistent work, and a wonderful faith, a faith always justified, in the members’ generosity carried him through. It may be said with absolute truth that he attracted thousands of pounds to the charities of the Order by the very magic of his name. It has been said that tact will carry a man much further than cleverness. Bro. Rose had both, and also he was extremely adroit. He was courageous, too. Another eminent Buffalo, Bro. Stanley Baldwin, the Prime Minister, has said “There are times when leaders have to face their supporters and tell them they are wrong, and the courage to do that is the supreme test of leadership”. Such was the leadership of Billy Rose.
Brother W. H Rose Grand Secretary Tour of India to read thi story click on the blue link 30 Grand Secs Tour of India