@blondie
Thanks for your research Barbera I was only commenting on what I had read, and as Ninja said the knights Templar are of a different order, I specified niether, only that he was a Freemason.
Masons don't like to disclose information easily they are a secretive lot so perhaps there will never be conclusive proof that Russel was a member of a paricular order.
The person I spoke to told me that is indeed the way 33rd degree freemasons want to die (I'm not sure if that's only Knights Templar).
However I think it's of more than passing interest that he made this request, the logo's on the publications only confirm to me that he had tacit knowledge of Freemasonry even if it cannot be proved he was a member.
M