Following his 10 very successful years in office, E Comp George Pipon Francis retired on 10th November.
To mark this special occasion, a retirement dinner was held at Freemasons' Hall in London. The invited guests were all those Grand Superintendents that the ME 2nd Grand Principal had installed during his tenure. With the exception of two who were unavoidably absent, all others, which included E Comp Wayne Williams, Grand Superintendent of the Province of Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire, were in attendance. Collectively this group was known as ‘George’s Boys’. 
On arrival at the Private Apartment, the invited guests enjoyed a Champagne Reception where they were then joined by E Comp George together with his successor, ME 2nd Grand Principal Designate, E Comp Russell Race. All went on to enjoy a delightful dinner, prepared by Chef Franco, in a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere, which, while tinged with sadness that ME 2nd Grand Principal was retiring, celebrated his many achievements over ten very successful years.
On behalf of all those present, E Comp George was presented with a beautifully inscribed crystal bowl by E Comp Graham Glazier, Grand Superintendent of Dorset, as a token of their appreciation and affection. E Comp John Saint, Grand Superintendent of Warwickshire, and the most senior Grand Superintendent present, then went on to propose a toast which reflected on the many achievements of the ME Second Grand Principal, and in particular his huge contribution in raising the profile of the Holy Royal Arch to the high levels it enjoys today.
E Comp George Pipon Francis (left) is pictured below with the ME 2nd Grand Principal Designate, E Comp Russell Race.
