E Comp Richard Stainton SANDBACH PGSupt, OSM

Companions all, 

Nearly a week has now passed since we received the sad news that our Past Grand Superintendent, E Comp Richard Sandbach, had passed peacefully away last Saturday morning at the RMBI Residential Home at Devonshire Court and where he and his late wife, Wendy, had spent their last few years together. E Comp Richard was in his 100th year.

We have already written to the family to convey our sincere condolences and to assure them that our thoughts and prayers are with them at this sad time. We understand that a memorial service will be held to commemorate his life in due course.

E Comp Richard was the ME Grand Superintendent of this Province from 1978 to 1990 – he was appointed some six years before being installed as our Provincial Grand Master in 1984. Having been initiated in 1949, he was later exalted into our St Peter’s Chapter No: 442 in 1952. There followed a very distinguished and illustrious Masonic career, not only in this Province of Northamptonshire & Huntingdonshire but also in London and in other Orders of Freemasonry in which he held high office and in which he was greatly respected and held in the highest regard.

In March 2006, he was awarded the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry (OSM) – an accolade afforded to just a privileged few. He was greatly influential in the revision of our Royal Arch ritual in 2004 when recommendations and amendments were accepted and approved by Supreme Grand Chapter in November of that year.

Indeed, we have a great deal for which to be grateful and for which we are indebted to our Past Grand Superintendent. He will be sorely missed by all those that were privileged to have known him but through our amended Royal Arch ritual, his memory will continue to live on. He certainly lived respected and he truly died regretted.

Wayne E Williams ME Grand Superintendent
Royal Arch Province of Northamptonshire & Huntingdonshire.