The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-09-14 00:00:00

FUNERAL OF THE VICTIMS.

The corresnondent of the Standard writing on Monday
morning from Woolwich, says :—" After the crush and ex-
citement of yesterday, Wool aich presented a very quiet ap-
pearance at eight o'clock this morning, and it was
expected that no farther display of feeling would be
witnessed. This, however, was by no means the case.
At ten o'clock punctually the corUge bearing the
first instalment of unidentified •bodies started from the
Dockyard for the Wickham Cemetery, and then it be-
came evident that the interest in the proceedings
had not in the slightest degree abated, as the street from
one end to the other was crowded with a patient, orderly
gathering of people. The route was kept clear by mounted
and foot police, and following these were what may be called
the chief mourners in this case, Messrs. J. Taylor and
H. Howe, the two churchwardens, and Messrs. E. Lockyer
and Naylor, the overseers. In addition to 13 coffins of un-
identified persons, containing ten women, two men, and one
child, there were the bodies of two poor persons, which the
overseers had consented to bury. The heavy load of dead
was carried by means of four Army Service waggons. Along
the route there was a great concourse of people.
"Despite the distance of the cemetery from the town of
Woolwich and the earliness of the hour several thousands of
persons are present at the funeral to-day. The cemetery is
in one of the prettiest spots in Kent, being to the westward
of Boscol Heath, and it is well laid out with ornamental
trees and shrubs. The overseers some days since took the
precaution to dig 60 graves, at that time thinking probably
that so many would not be required. Unfortunately their
estimate is far below the mark, as it is more than probable
that over 200 will be buried unidentified The procession
was met at the gate of the cemetery by the R,ctor of Wool-
wich, the Bev. A. Anson, and as each CAM was brought
from the ambulance van for burial a portion of the proles-
atonal service was read. Standing above the mound in his
distinctive canonicals, with the military around, and the
great concourse of people, the sight at the grave was one of
deep impressiveness, and one not at all likely to be forgotten
by those who saw it."

The Correspondent of The Times in describing the
scene at the funeral, says :

"At the cemetery, many eyes were brimming with tears,
and the people were all hushed and quiet. Women and
children who shrank from the tussle on the river shore or
the blackened rows of corpses in the Dockyard, had come
here to be present at the burial of the unnamed dead,
some with the view of thus paying vicarious honour to
the unfound remains of their own relations. Here, as
elsewhere, there were many spectators mixed with the
mourners, hut it might be gathered from the con-
versation that those who were not the nearest relatives of
persons lost had personal recollections of the victims of the
collision. Just such groups of women and children stood,
whole families together, on the green turf of the graveyard
as we know to have stood an I sat on the saloon decks of
the Princess Alice. Some of those who crowded round to
see the burial of the unclaimed dead had made it a
sacred duty to attend every funeral which was solemnized
in the ground that day. Many of the known as well
as of the unknown, were interred, and these former
were followed to the grave by many friends. The
thronging people broke the leaves and lower
branches of the trees, which yielded accordingly their
freshest aroma to the hot air. It was twenty minutes past
five when the ambulance waggons of the Transport Depart-
ment of the Army Service Corps containing the 32 un-
identified corpses approached. The ambulances mounted
the bill, the unloading of their freight was begun, and the
clergymen, the Hon. and Rev. A. Anson, the rector of St.
Mary's, Woolwich, and the Rev. J. T. Love, his curate, read
the earlier portion of the funeral service several times while
the later arrivals were being taken out of the ambalances.
So long was the operation that a second train of three
ambulances Joined the first with twelve more corpses,
and as the sky grew dark above the hill six more
waggons ascended with seventeen of the unidentified dead.
Thus sixty-one were brought to be buried at once, and these
added to the 13 interred at the first service made 74 for the
day. But a remarkable incident came to diminish the
number of interments. At the very moment that the 32
were leaving the Dockyard gates, two young men uncon-
nected with each other, who were searching for their friends,
had recognised among the articles of clothing preserved at
the Dockyard undoubted marks of the identity of two corpses
of persons they had lost. William Alfred Codling was thus
identified by his brother, and Mrs. Wayman by her brother-
in-law. As soon as the discovery was made, Mr. Wayman
and the surviving Mr. Codling were put in a cab and
followed the funeral procession. The admirable system of
registration adopted enabled the coffins containing their
relatives to be separated from the others as soon as they
were unloaded. They were replaced in the ambulances and
returned to the Dockyard. The survivors will have the
mournful satisfaction of burying them, with a headstone on
which the names of the deceased may be recorded. The
rest are only known by a number and a letter. When the
coffins which were deposited at Wickham cemetery had
been lowered to their place, and before the first spadefuls of
earth had been thrown upon them by strangers, a member of
Mr. Anson's congregation, Miss Broughton, of New Cross, went
to every grave, one by one, and cast into it sweet smelling
flowers, heartsease, fuchsias, and geraniums. These bodies,
although unknown, have thus not lacked care and tender
attention. There was trouble in lowering one of the earliest
batch into its place, so large have the shells been made to
contain the distended forms of those recovered from the
water after many days. Before the later arrivals, the graves
had been enlarged. The ordinary breadth of grave is lft.
some are only lit. 2M. But these are all cut to
the breadth of 21t 4in., and it was with a grave of this
width that the difficulty referred to was experienced. The
gravesfor the unidentified are on the brow of a hill a few yards
below the space reserved for little children. The officiating
clergyman stood on the top of the hill to read the service of
the Church, his figure and those of the few with him stand-
ing out in relief against the sky as he intoned to the hushed
and expectant crowd the touching words of the Burial
Service. The dissenting body, which is numerous and
influential in Woolwich, was represented by a well-known
minister, the Rev. Thomas Tuffield, who was present as
registrar. and member of the Burials Board. The evening
service did not end till twilight had deepened almost into
night, but in the morning the Rector made an impressive
address, which was taken down. The following is a summary
of it :

The Rector, addressing the assembled throng, said they
had met in most solemn circumstances to lay in their last
resting places the bodies of fellow creatures of whom they
knew nothing—not even their names. It was almost certain
that each one of the dead had somewhere a parent, hus-
band, wife, sister, brother, or child, or some relative or
friend, who would give the world to be present at that
moment if they knew the sad end they bad irset, to pay
the last tribute of affection. Before long doubtless the lost
ones would be missed from the family, and `hearts would
he breaking over the knowledge that they had gone and
would be seen no more on earth; for even before their
vacant places were noticed the grave would have closed over
them. Although no one then present could tell who these
poor creatures were or whence they came, they were laid in
the grave as Christians, in the great hope of eternal life,
leaving to the Great Judge of all to mete out their due ac-
cording to His mercy. He trusted they had entered on their
eternal rest, and prayed that God would grant to the hearts
which would be lacerated when the truth should dawn
upon them of the loss they had suffered this comfort
and consolation of His Holy Spirit. Their departed
brothers and sisters had gone to the grave without sorrow-
ing relatives to bedew their sacred earth with tears, but
the hearts of all this multitude 91 witnesses were full of
sympathy and woe. To them a voice came from those open
graves, "Be ye also ready, for no man knoweth the hour,"
and souls redeemed by the Saviour's love could cheerfully
face even sudden death, for they were always ready for the
Master's call.'"