Denbighshire Free Press

[BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.] I FUNERAL OF KING EDWARD VII. a MANIFESTATIONS OF NATIONAL GRIEF. SOLEMN PROCESSIONS IN LONDON AND WINDSOR. A mourning people representative of all classes and from all parts of the country and the world paid a last touching tribute to the memory of King Edward at the funeral on Friday. The manifestations of affection and the evidences of grief which have been shown during the past fortnight culminated amid scenes of the most impressive and im- posing character. Personal comforts were forgotten, and rich and poor, great and arnall, young and old together vied in the measure of their homage. EARLY ARRIVALS. | Quite early on Thursday evening people in London and even people arriving alter long and fatiguing journeys, were turning their faces towards Westminster and the line of route. By midnight a swelling tide was in progress, and in the early hours huge crowds had already congregated in many places. When the police began to marshal the way, many spectators were amazed to find that their early attendance had gained them little or no advantage, and for hours an aim- less throng wandered from one spot to another in search of places. The opportunity had gone, however, and no one can specu- late how thousands who had built upon view- ing the procession fared when the final clearance of the route came. The solemnity of the occasion was almost forgotten when those who had kept vigil on the pavement saw the streets being cleared. Hound after round of cheers followed the intruders into the byways, from whence most of them would not find a way out until everything was over. THE STRESS OF WAITING. Even as early as six o'clock the shanting operation had begun. Hosts of people try- ing to wander out of one tight place wan- dered into another, and step by step they went into the inevitable outer world. It may easily be presumed that the greater number did not see the procession at all. But the end was not yet. The serried ranks of the fortunate evinced many signs of stress. Refrehmente seemed plentiful, and the ubiquitous orange everywhere pro- claimed the weary wait, but a soriio-wh--It humid atmosphere and a rising sun. --v-cr- making their power felt. There were .ro.t) drooped horxls, and the ambulance met were beginning to have their hands full. Here a shrieking woman would be can-ied away into the reserved spaces; ttarre another would be led away dazed and done; and others, particularly old lakliei-t-,Ie spirit willing but the flesh weak—were re- tiring crestfallen, unable to fulfil thedr in- tention. THE FINAL RUSH. The greatest crushes seemed to congregate in Whitehall and Piccadilly. The Mai 1 and the Eastern-road, Hyde Park, had perhaps their share, but they had the open spaces bohind them into which the overflow eould go. All along Piccadilly people an 3 con- veyances were inextricably mixed, cabw and taxi's were crawling forward two and three, and sometimes four abreast. As the con- fusion increased the traffic was divert >1 to right and left, and many who were proceed- ing to seats may never have got so f?.- as their destination. Whitehall was pracinally impassable at seven o'clock, and long before the time of the procession the road was blocked to Trafalgar-square. All along the route a perfectly-organised system of water- tight compartments regulated the vaet. con- course of peopie. The tendency was to gravi- tate towards Westminster and the Mail. At every conceivable inlet the crowd was btÍng headed off to the north; they vanish d up side streets, or were driven like sheep into the wide spaces in the Park, and saw nothing more. WAITING IN THE SUN. It was terribly hot on the sunny side of the streets. The people on the pavements waited patiently with a burning sun full on them, envying those who enjoyed the grate- ful shade. But in spite of the intense heat and the trial of the long waiting there was a wonderful spirit of kindliness abroad. Everybody was willing to pass the women and children to the front, and many a man sacrificed his own view of the procession. One could but wonder at the powers of endur- anoe shown by the women in the crowd, for it is no easy thing to stand under a blazing sun for hours, packed so tightly that even a slight change of position is almost impos- sible. The ambulance whistle blew often, but still there were many frail-looking women who withstood the ordeal splendidly. COLOUR AND INCIDENT. There was plenty of incident to enliven the hours of waiting. Officers in brilliant uniforms were continually passing and re- passing, and detachments of troops rode jingling past. A body of Lancers trotted by with lances aloft and pennons flying; then a troop of Life Guards, with shining breastplates and waving plumes; next would come Highlanders, making a brave show. There were carriages, too, with men in the Royal liveries on the box, conveying great officials to the Palace. Then a number of carriages, in which sat representatives of foreign armies and navies, Germans, French, Austrians, Russians, and Japanese —it seemed as if the fighting forces of all the world were represented here, come to do honour and to pay a last tribute to the great King who had taken Peace as his watchword all through his kindly life. Wonderful uniforms they wore, these officers, brilliant with all the colours of the rainbow. After they had passed the scarlet coats of the soldiers lining the roadway seemed almost dull. The corners of the route were held from an early hour by strong bodies of police, and by eight o'clock the military began to arrive. Detachments of cavalry were stationed at important points, while the route was lined throughout by soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder, and in some places four deep. At last all became quiet, and the people, by this time too tired even to talk, settled down to their weary waiting. And this was the longest hour of the morning, while all cars were strained to catch the first deep boom of the minute-gun which was to announce the beginning of the journey through the capital he had loved, be- tween the long lines of those subjects who had given to him a love and a loyalty unsur- passed in the history of the world. THE START FOR WESTMINSTER. Before nine o'clock the movement of dis- tinguished mourners in the direction of Westminster Hall had begun, and was con- tinued until close on 9.30. There wr.s no bustLe or confusion, and this first portion of the -programme was completed without a hitch. The Royal mourners from Bucking- ham Palace proceeded quietly to the Hall by of Birdcage Walk, and precisely at q 45 King Edward's farewell to London beeatt. The Royal coffin was reverently re- moved from the place where half a million people bad on three preceding days filed if- in humble rcapect ana awe, and, borne by in officer and twelve men of the Guards "and Household Cavalry, it was con- 71pved to the gun-carriage. The crown and cusMon, the regalia, and the insignia of the cAw Gart-r were laid thereon. The solemn pro- cession then moved on A minute-gun an- nounced the start, and the .trams of the Dead M*wh in "Saul/ played by the band of the Ro-vai Marino L?1hit Infantry-the first of the massed filing the air, slowly and with stately step the procession -came. Already the vanguard had been arranged in position along the route almost as far as Marlborough House, while the rear stretched beyond Westminster Hall. | THE PAGE-VNT. But it was not the sound of the distan* gain which gave the first warning to the Ion: 'ine of waiting people. It was somethm, infinitely more impressive. A sharp word c command broke the stillness, and the diers lining the route for this solemn Roy-n progress slowly reversed arms and with hands clasped over the butts of the: rifles, and heads bowed. And so they 1 ( mained while the great pageant move, along. An officer of the Headquarters Staff led the way, followed by the bands of the House- hold Cavalry, and the Officers' Training Corps. Then came detachments of the Terri- torial Force, the Colonials, the Honourable Artillery Company, Highlanders, the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, Infantry of the Line, the Irish, Scots, Coldstream and Grenadier Guards, the Royal Engineers, sec- tions of Artillery with guns, Household Cavalry, and Cavalry of the Lihe, their slow, solemn progress and grave, set faces in striking contrast with their brilliant uni- forms. Marines and bluejackets marched past with reversed arms, and directly he- hind these came a dazzling company of the Military Attaches of the Foreign Embassies., followed by the deputation of officers of Foreign Armies and Navies. Many of these belonged to regiments of which his late Majesty had been Chief. A FAMOUS TRIO. Half a dozen of our own General Officers Commanding-in-Chief rode next, and then came an interesting trio of Field-Marshals, who were immediately identified by the people. Lord Roberts was the centre figure, sitting his horse in an upright and soldierly fashion. On his left rode Lord Kitchener, not quite so grim as popular fancy has pic- tured him, and on his right Sir Evelyn Wood. Not far behind came representatives of the Armv Council, and two Commanders- in-Chief of the Royal Navy, followed by five Admirals of the Fleet, and the members of the Board of Admiralty, amongst whom was the First Lord, The Right Hon. R. J. McKenna, in gold-laced uniform and cocked hat. At the rear of the Aides-de-Camp to his late Majesty Lord Fisher walked alone, and was easily recognised. Then four bands, that of the Royal Artillery playing Chopin's mournful march. The Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal, was an imposing figure on horse- back. His Grace rode at the head of the suites of King George and the English Royal Princes. Immediately following him on foot were the Royal Officials entitled the Three Gold Sticks. Lord Rosebery was in the centre with Lord Denman and Lord Allen- dale on either hand. The Three White Staves, the Lord Chamberlain, and the Lord Steward, with his late Majesty's equerries were a brilliant group directly preceding the un-carriage, on which rested all that was mortal of King Edward. THE BIER AND THE EMPTY SADDLE. All eyes were turned with reverence to the Royal tier, and all heads bared in a last act of homage as the relics were borne along. The prevailing colour of the drapings of the coffin was purple, and on the top lay the emblems of monarchy. It was the end of a great reign. Prince Louis of Battenberg, in command of the officers escorting the body, followed immediately behind the Royal bier. None in the crowd of onlookers had been unmoved as regiment after regiment passed in mournful procession with arms reversed one omitted a last lingering look at the Royal coffin but touching beyond descrip- tion was the presence of the dead monarch's favourite charger as it followed, with empty saddle, the remains of its Royal master whom it had borne at many another time amid ac- clamations and' the pomp of kings. But per- haps most touching of all was the sight of the late King's rough-coated terrier Csesar. as it trotted along in charge of a Highland at.tendant. Cresar had been King Edward's grent pet, and was taken into the sick-room on the fatal Friday at his master's request. THE NINE KINGS. General Sir Ian Hamilton rode by the side of the Royal Standard, following which came the most remarkable gathering of monarchs ever seen in this city of pageants. King George rode in the front rank, im- pressing all observers by his kingly and dig- nified bearing. Next to his Majesty, his cousin, the Kaiser, was the most interesting figure to the people. His Imperial Majesty rode on the right of King George, with whom he was conversing. There he sat, the man who has at his command the greatest military force in the world, whom Europe has been taught to fear as a War Lord. He rode along, talking gravely with his cousin. Decidedly the multitude were inte- rested in him. On the other side of Kinp George rode his and the Kaiser's uncle, the Duke of Connaught. King Alfonso and King Manuel are so well-known in London that they were easily identified, and Ferdi- nand of Bulgaria, so lately become a king, was an interesting figure. The othei monarchs in this notable group were the Kings of Norway, the Hellenes, Denmark and Belgium, and there was a brilliantly- uniformed assemblage of Princes and Royal Dukes. THE QUEEN MOTHER. So far, in spite of the slow pace, the reversed arms, and the other signs of mourning, the prevailing impression made by the pageant had been one of splendid pomp and dazzling brilliance; but with the passing of the first carriage there came in the human touch which brought many of the onlookers to sympathetic tears. In an elabo- rately gilded State coach sat the widowed Queen Alexandra, robed entirely in black crape, and wearing a small bonnet, edged with white. Ordinarily received amid joyful thunders of applause, on this occasion the solemn stillness seemed to deepen as all eyes gazed wistfully upon the lonely widow who, though stricken with grief, was mind- ful of her people, and acknowledged with quiet and simple grace the silent evidences of their love and sympathy. With Queen Alexandra were the Empress Marie of Russia, the Princess Royal, and the Pin- cess Victoria. Queen Mary was in the second carriage, with the Queen of Norway, the Princess Mary, and the young Duke of Cornwall, who was wearing the uniform of a Naval cadet, and gazed out ot the window of the carriage with a boy's frank interest. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth car- riages bore other Royal mourners, the seventh included a Chinese Prince, the eighth Mr. Roosevelt and M. Pichon, the ninth the three High Commissioners of British Domi- nions Beyond the Seas, and the tenth and eleventh the Royal suites. Then came the police and fire brigade detachments, and an escort of Gnarde brought up the rear of die procession. SCENES AT PADDINGTON STATION. Simplicity and dignity were the notes oi the final scene at Paddington Station, which has seen so many Royal departures, but never a farewell more impressive than this. There were no great crowds, and only two small stands for a few privileged spectators. Between nine and ten o'clock carriages and motor-cars brought many distinguished guests, British and foreign, who had been invited to attend the ccremcnial at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. The chairman and deputy-chairman of the Paris Municipal Council were among these, and the Mayor of Biarritz, the watering-place where King Edward spent his last holiday. There were also the Duke of Marlborough, the Duke weiwq4. of Rutlaod, _ord Lo^dede, THE BODY RECEIVED AT ST. GEORGE'S CHAPEL, WINDSOR. I 1.nd J..¡()T(1 iyucas. cy nan-prvst nine Guard of Honour, a detachment of the Royal Artillery, was in place. They were joined later by two companies of the Cold- streams, and a double line faced the plat- form. The funeral train was brought quietly in, and the thirty-six Grenadier sergeants, who were to be the bearers, waited for their burden. The head of the procession marched into the station a few minutes after eleven Vcloek. As the group preceding the gun- earriage approached, the Guards' Band played the "Dead March." The Guard of Honour presented arms, and the draped colour was dipped as the coffin was borne to lhe centre of the platform. While the gun- :arriages rested there, King George, wit-h the ither Kings and Princes who had ridden through London with him, rode past ind dismounted. Then the glass coaches irew up, and his Majesty went forward "tc receive the Queen-Mother as she d.e:cend.ec1 'rom the foremost. Her Majesty and Quee,. Ylary. her Majesty the Queen of Norway, hci Royal Highness the Princess Mary, and tly. -)ther Royal ladies passed to the line along ffhich the soldier bearers carried the coffin ';0 the mortuary saloon, the German Emperor, foreign kings and princes grouping ihemselves around, and saluting as the body 4ras being borne shoulder high to its place n the train. This done, Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, and the other Royal mourners were conducted to the King's saloon, in which they travelled. Just before noon the signal was given for the train to start, and a Royal (alute was rendered as King Edward passed '■vf ever from the great metropolis of the \npire to his resting-place at Windsor. ARRIVAL AT WINDSOR. To write of the early morning scenes in Windsor would be to repeat much of what took place in London. The crowds were not so overwhelmingly numerous, but from the earliest hours tens of thousands had poured into the Royal Borough, and by six o'clock huge crowds lined the entire route. The distance from the station to the gate where the route enters the Royal Park was less than half a mile, and as part of the way was through narrow streets the accommodation was taxed far beyond its capacity. By half- past ten, when the streets were closed to traffic, and the troops began to take up their positions, the streets were packed, and every window and point of vantage was occupied. On the Castle walls and on the roof of the Parish Church a large number of spec- tators had found places, while the Castle green accommodated many others. The greatest pressure was opposite the station on Castle Hill, where the roadway to the Castle had been kept open. But soon after the streets were finally closed at 11-30 the first solemn note was struck. The Blue- jackets from his Majesty's ship Excellent passed along High-street drawing the empty gun-carriage to the station. From that moment on the crowd, always quiet, grew more serious. As the minutes passed and the time for the approach of the Royal train drew near, attention became concen- trated on the flagstaff, where the Union Jack hung at half-mast. Suddenly a mur- mur ran through the crowd. The Union Jack was gone, and in its place drooped the Royal Standard. A minute later, at half- past twelve precisely, the first gun boomed from the battery in the Long Walk. King Edward had returned to Windsor. .PROCESSION THROUGH WINDSOR. The guards of honour stiffened, the naval men went back to their positions of readi- ness, and slowly the gathering of Kings and Queens approached the saloon where the Royal remains rested. Then the Queen Mother stepped out. Near her Majesty were King George, the Kaiser, and the other Royalties, and as the coffin was slowly lifted from its position in the saloon every one un- covered or stood at the salute. Then quite suddenly the rattle of drums, first very low and tender, swelling into a magnificent volume of sound, preceded the crash of brass instruments as the first bars of the Funeral March were heard amid booming guns' and tolling bells. A shrill whistle from the commander of the sailors and the lifting of a hand made them strain at the white rope attached to the gun-carriage, on which was the Royal coffin. Thirteen rows of sailors, eight abreast, pulled, and five rows steadied the carriage from behind. Easily it moved, and as the band struck up a higher note in the street, the procession started. Solemnly it passed through the historic streets, amid tense silence, and proceeded on its way up the Long Walk to St. George's Chapel. THE CLOSING SCENE. The first King buried in St. George's Chapel at Windsor was its founder, the Sixth Edward, and here also lie Henry VI., Henry VIII., Charles I., and other dead Monarchs. King Edward's first-born son, so sincerely mourned by the nation a score of years ago, is interred here, and by his Bide King Edward has deir been buried. For two hours before the arrival of the procession the historic building was slowly filling with men in splendid uniforms and ladies in black dresses. A solemn hush fell upon the bril- liant assemblage when the far-off sound of music was heard, and the boom of the minute-gun broke upon the aix. Soon after, preceded by their crosses, the two Arch. bishops, and the Bishops of London and tow. o •lojjJx down Jdw nave, followed bv the clergy ol the carter, tuc rjisnop m Winchester, Chaplain, and the Bishop of Oxford, Chancellor of the Order, in their Garter mantles of blue velvet, and the Dean and Canons of St. George's in copes of crim- sonl silk, and the choir of the Chapel, and waited at the West Door for the procession to arrive. Funeral marches were played on the organ, and then the high military officers, the heralds in their rich tabards, and the great officials of the Court who pre- ceded the coffin, took up their positions lining the steps of the Chapel. Grenadiers carried the coffin into the building, still covered by the white pall and the Royal Standard; and more Grenadiers followed with the crown, orb, and sceptre, and the insignia of the Garter and the other Orders of which the late King was the head. The choir began che Office for the Burial of the Dead, and there was a cessation of all other sound as 9 the sad procession passed up the nave. g Behind the coffin walked King George, leading his widowed mother, her face thickly veiled. The German Emperor was leading Queen Mary, who wore the ribbon of a Lady of the Order of the Crown of India. Follow- Kg ing the Emperor William and her Majesty n the Queen came the Duke of Connaught, the seven other European Sovereigns, the Duke of Cornwall and his brother Prince Albert ill their naval cadet uniforms, and finally the representatives of the nations of the world who had been sent to do honour to Britain's King. The coffin was placed upon its cata- faloue, and King George and Queen Alex- andra knelt for a few moments in prayer. E Then rising, the Sovereign stepped half a pace behind his Royal mother, on whose right and again very slightly behind stood Queen Mary. The Duke of Connaught was to the left of and also a little behind the King, and again to the left stood the German 1 Emperor. ffl The Dean of Windsor read the Lesson. A.fter the anthem—to Handel's music—"HisS body is buried in peace; but his name liveth for evermore," the Archbishop of Canter- bury read the sentences, and the prepara- tions necessary for the actual interment were made. The King picked up the colour of the King's Company of Grenadiers, which lay on the ground, and placed it on the pall. The Primate walked down the altar steps, and, standing at the foot of the bier, began the Committal Prayer; the body was lowered slowly into the vault, and the fall of the earth was heard as it was cast on the coffin. Again Queen Alexandra knelt, and the choir sang the antiphon, "I heard a voice from heaven," to the well-known setting by Goss. Many of the congregation could not conceal their emotion, and one, Mr. Hall Jones, theB High Commissioner for New Zealand, fainted. The prayer "Almighty God, with Whom do live the spirits of them that depart hence in the Lord," was delivered by J the Bishop of Winchester, to which the hymn, "My God, my Father, while ifl stray." The Archbishop of York read the Collect. Sir Alfred Scott-Gatty, Garter Principal King of Arms, advanced to the! middle of the altar steps, near where the! coffin had stood. The Registrar of the Order, the Dean of Windsor, stood at his ■ left. Slowly, clearly, he proclaimed the styles of his late Majesty. fl This done, he proclaimed in a loud voice "God Save the King." Another hymn, "Now the labourer's task is o'er," was sung. Again! King George V. and Queen Alexandra knelt! side by side, while the Primate, taking his! Cross in his hand, pronounced the Benedic- tion. B ( MEMORIAL SERVICES, I Almost sicftultaneOufcly a Memorial. zer- vice was held at Westminster Abbey. A dense throng of people had waited outside for hours, hoping to gain admission, but only those with tickets were admitted. The doors were opened at one o'clock, and the seats were quickly filled with a silent and 13 I reverent congregation. The musical portion of the service began soon after the doors were opened. The organ was supplemented by a military band, which was employed with very impressive effect in Schubert s c "Marche Soleninelle." The march composed by the great English musician, Henry Pur- cell, for the funeral of Queen Man' m 1694 was next given, and 4 series of funeral marches by Beethoven, Tschaikovsky, and Mendelssohn followed. Then the service proper began with the chanting ot the fifty- first Psalm in procession from the nave to the choir. Beethoven's "Tree Equales was plaved bv four trombonists stationed in the Triforium, and produced a profound g effect. The opening sentences of the BurialH Service were uttered by the Dean and sungH to-Dr. Croft's ruusic, "0 teach us to number our days; that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Turn Thee again, Q Lord, at the last: And be gracious unto Thy ser- vints The Lesson was taken from theB 15th chapter of the First Epistle °f St-1 Paul to the Corinthians. Handel's beautirulg anthem, "The Ways of Zion do mourn and she is in bitterness," was rendered, and theng the special prayers were offered. l'lyp versesB of the hymn, "0 God, our help in ages! of the hymn, "0 God, our help in a.g" past," were sung by the congregation, and two by the choir, and after the Dean had pronounced the Benediction the congrega- tion stood silent while the Dead March in "Saul" was played. As the choir and clergy returned Chopin'8 Marche Funebre was given. Among the congregation were representa- tives of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. Professional institutions like those of the tions. Members of the London County Council were present, as well as most of the I tions. Members of thcLondon County Corporation of the City of Westminster, and there were also many prominent citizens of the oversea Dominions. A SERVICE AT ST. PAUL'S. A distinguished company gathered for the service at St. Paul's Cathedral, a.nd the vast building was crowded to its utmost capacity. The Lord Mayor was rcpresen/ted by Sir Henry Knight, the senior Alderman. A noe of colour was given by the presence of repre- sentatives of various academic bodies in their robes, the Yeomen of the Tower in their scarlet uniforms, and the City Com- panies. Among the clergy were the Bishops of Kensington, Stepnov. and Islington, Archdeacon Sinclair, and Canons Scott Hol- land, Nowbolt, and Alexander. The servicc opened with the introductory sentences to the burial service, and after the singing of some psalms, including the "Dominus illu- minatio," and the Benedictus, the Lessor, was read by Canon Scott Holland. Goss's anthem, "And the King said," which VPA first used at the funeral of the Duke of Wel- lington, was next sung. But the most im- pressive moment of the service was when the vast congregationi remained standing while the Dead March in "Saul" was played with touching effect by the band of the Royal Military Academy from Kneller Hall. WORLD-WIDE TRIBUTES. While interest centred round the funeral ceremonies in London and Windsor, it adds to the solemnity of the occasion to remem. ber that in almost every quarter of the globe impressive recognition was shown and 1 9 tribute paid to the memory of the revered dead. Among people knit to us, not by kin- ship, but by an indissoluble bond of mutual regard, the day was marked by many memorial services. Among our own neople in the Dominions beyond the Seas there were striking testimonies of affection. Services were held everywhere, and the suspension of business at an hour synchronising with the burial service at Windsor must have touched the hearts of our kyismen, and brought very near to them tue solemn rites that sorrowing people were performing at home. The Empire mourns the loss of one who was loved and honoured far in excess of anything that might have been expected after only nine all too short years of kingship; but the loss is some gain, inasmuch as it has drawn the peoples of the Empire closer together in a common bereavement. King Edward has added lustre to the Monarchy. He has ex- tended and built upon the foundations of affection so broadly laid by his illustrious mother, and in the unsupprcssed—and un- suppressable—cheers that greeted King George as he returned to London from Windsor on Friday evening one may dis- cern the great hope of all people that th« new King may still further adorn th« British throne.