The Funeral
It seems somewhat erroneous that given both the horrific nature of the tragedy and the high regard with which Henry was held by his colleagues that his funeral at the Aldershot Military Cemetery was not reported upon in the local press. Although he was not as famous as some aviators who are buried there, or those who would be buried there, he was never the less a courageous and talented young aviator who in the service of his country pursued and pushed the boundaries of aeronautics and in so doing made the ultimate sacrifice.
While his funeral was not reported upon in the local papers, he was buried with full military honours and afforded all the dignity, pomp and ceremony that such an observance affords. It is sad that as a result, the full details of such an event cannot be included in this dedication to his memory. However, one can make a reasonable comparison as to what his journey from this life to his final resting place might have looked like, …show more content…
Once lowered into his final resting place a firing party of eight soldiers would have fired three shots over the open grave signalling the bugler to sound the last post and reveille.
Reflecting upon such traditions one can imagine only too clearly the poignant yet marvellous spectacle that would have marked Henry’s passing.
Although his grave is maintained by the Commonwealth War Grave Commission, it’s location is marked by a private stone memorial. A simple yet imposing white stone cross set upon three descending white stone blocks.
On the centre of the cross member is a beautifully carved image of the R.F.C cap badge, topped by the king’s crown under the wings inscribed in Latin the R.F.C motto ‘Per Ardua ad Astra.’ ‘Through Adversity to the Stars’. Upon the die block are inscribed the words:
In Loving Memory
It seems somewhat erroneous that given both the horrific nature of the tragedy and the high regard with which Henry was held by his colleagues that his funeral at the Aldershot Military Cemetery was not reported upon in the local press. Although he was not as famous as some aviators who are buried there, or those who would be buried there, he was never the less a courageous and talented young aviator who in the service of his country pursued and pushed the boundaries of aeronautics and in so doing made the ultimate sacrifice.
While his funeral was not reported upon in the local papers, he was buried with full military honours and afforded all the dignity, pomp and ceremony that such an observance affords. It is sad that as a result, the full details of such an event cannot be included in this dedication to his memory. However, one can make a reasonable comparison as to what his journey from this life to his final resting place might have looked like, …show more content…
Once lowered into his final resting place a firing party of eight soldiers would have fired three shots over the open grave signalling the bugler to sound the last post and reveille.
Reflecting upon such traditions one can imagine only too clearly the poignant yet marvellous spectacle that would have marked Henry’s passing.
Although his grave is maintained by the Commonwealth War Grave Commission, it’s location is marked by a private stone memorial. A simple yet imposing white stone cross set upon three descending white stone blocks.
On the centre of the cross member is a beautifully carved image of the R.F.C cap badge, topped by the king’s crown under the wings inscribed in Latin the R.F.C motto ‘Per Ardua ad Astra.’ ‘Through Adversity to the Stars’. Upon the die block are inscribed the words:
In Loving Memory