The Washington herald., 1918-12-02

The first military American funeral
ever held in the quaint Scottish town
of Dundee was given for a Washing
ton boy. John \. Havcner. of the
2l6th Aero Squadron, L. s. A, on
November :. according to word just
received by his parents, Mr.. and Mrs.
W. F. Havener. of 500 Conduit road,
Letters from friends tell of the won
der the fiag-draped coffin. carried by
his comrades. to the beat of muffled
drums created as the solemn process
sion passed through the village.
Private Havener died at the Dundee
Hospital on October %. two days after
he was stricken with pneumonia. Hs
name appears on today's casualty list
issued by the War Department.
First Lieut.. W F. Le'ArOn. 5l6th
Aero Squadron. under whom Private
Havencr had served since his enlist
ment. December. 1917, expressed the
high regard in which he and his
company held the dead soldier in
letter to his mother.
Like Loss of Brother.
1t is difficult" wrote Lieut..
Te'ArOn. ito express to you through
a letter the feeling which We Off
GERS and men of the 316th Aero
Squadron have in our hearts for you
in the death of your boy. John Hav-
ener. We wish it were possible for
US TO tell you with our own lips the
many fine things we know about
him and now among us his death is
like the loss of a brother.
John was one of the men who
constituted the first organization un-
der my command. They came out of
civilian life with a smile on their
faces and a light in their eyes over
their pride in being able to vOlun-
teer their services to their country.
That was eleven months ago.
other men now have come into the
organization and have gone out, but
John has remained with me since
the first day he enlisted, and always
had the same smile on his face and
the same light in his eyes. He was
one of those whom we spoke of as
our dependables.' We have tried
him and tested him and found him
always a thoroughly reliable. hon
est. cheerful and conscientious SOL
dier. These same characteristics
made him an unusually large circle
of friends among the men of the or
ganization, and to every one ne was
the truest friend.
Place Can't be Filled.
1T is to be regretted that man
Of such qualifications as he possess
ed should be taken away when the
cause for which he had offered his
life. has been won. There is no
man that can truly take his place
in our organization. He will be re-
membered long after the war is
over as one of the truest and best
comrades a man in the 316th Squad
ron ever had.
1t will be a source of comfort
to you to know that John was es-
corted to his final resting place by
the men who were the nearest and
dearest to him. His was the first
American military funeral ever held
in Dundee. Scotland. and as the flu
neral procession passed through the
main streets of the city there was
sincere grief written on the faces
of the citizens. I don't believe I
have seen a more striking tribute
paid to the last remains of a per-
son than the Scottish people paid to
John.
You would have been comforted
by it. I know. and as the last shot
was fired over his grave. the notes
of taps sounded. we walked home
ed to meet him in the land where
no sorrow. or grief, or trouble. will
ever part Us from him again.