DEEP REGRET.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 138, 14 June 1938, Page 9

DEEP REGRET.

SOLDIER'S DEATH.

MILITARY FUNERAL,

TRIBUTES AT SERVICE.

"A MAN IN EVERY SENSE." Sorrow and pride were mingled.to-day in Auckland's farewell to "a man in every sense of the word, a soldier with every true soldierly instinct, a true Christian gentleman, a loyal and faithful friend."

I In St.* Mary's Cathedral Church, crowded, but hushed, silent heads this afternoon bowed in agrecmenC with this last tribute paid by Archbishop Averill to the late Major-General Sir George Richardson. On a cold grey day, the body of Sir George, in its flag-draped, flower-strewn coffin, was borne with full military honours to the open Waikunicte fields, where many more soldiers lie.

It was not Auckland alone which said farewell. Both in the church and at the graveside, the respect qnd grief of New Zealand as a whole were reflected in the presence of representatives not only of the City Council, local bodies, public and private organisations and countless friends, but also of the Government and the Services. It is only on j rare occasions that Auckland sees such 1 striking homage paid.

Fittingly, the duty of carrying out the service in the church fell to a personal friend of Sir George—the port chaplain, the Rev.-.H. K. Vickery. As the casket, draped in a Union Jack, surmounted by the soldier's peaked cap and sheathed sword, lay in a garden of floral ' emblems near the altar, the massed congregation rose in the singing of Sir George's favourite hyman, "Lead Kindly Light." A psalm was read, the lesson said, and Archbishop Averill gave his inspiring address. Real Sense of Loss. After the many splendid tributes which had been offered concerning the life and character of Sir George, the archbishop said,' it seemed superfluous to add anything further, but as the representative of the church to which Sir George had belonged he would claim the privilege, before the soldier's mortal remains were committed to their last resting place, of conveying to Lady Richardson and to the family the very real sense of loss experienced by the whole community by the death of Sir George. By his obvious sincerity, natural kindness of heart, personal disinterestedness and high ideals, he appealed to the hearts and affections of all v/lio knew him.

"To-day there are thousands and tens of thousands in New Zealand to whom his sudden death has come as a very real personal loss," the archbishop continued. "The great service which lie rendered to New Zealand and to England before, during, and after the great war was owing largely to his natural genius, devotion to duty, capacity for taking pains, and his own stately and upright character. i

"One feels instinctively that lie ~>vas indeed worthy of every honour and promotion bestowed upon him. Whereas the rapid promotion which fell to the lot of Major-General Richardson might have had an adverse effect on the personality and outlook, on the life of men of a lesser breed than Sir George, yet, „as we know,, he remained the same humble, self-effacing, kindly and genuine soul which he had always been."

The very ideal of service had been an essential part of Sir George's being. After his successful military career liad ended, instead of resting on his laurels he at once had directed his energies into social services and into channels calculated to help his returned fellow soldiers, and to increase the health and happiness of the rising generation. His work as 'Administrator of Western Samoa had been largely directed towards tlie welfare and wellbeing of the native inhabitants, and on his return he had at once found many practical outlets for the exercise of that, deeply-rooted human trait which had been an integral part of his real self. Passion For Service. "It was in accordance with his passion for service that he liumbly placed his many gifts and talents at the disposal of. his fellow citizens and served as a member of the City Council," -his Grace continued. "The position of deputyMayor to . which he was recently appointed, and which gave great pleasure to thousands of his friends and admirers, was accepted by him in the spirit which we should have expected.

"Only a few days ago, in a letter which I received rrom. him in reply to my congratulations on the honour conferred upon him, lie said—and the words are characteristic of him: 'It was a position I did not seek, preferring as I do to give service in a quiet and unostentatious way. However, I will play my part in helping to further the interests of Auckland ond its people. 1 >

"The next time I saw Sir George was in St. Matthew's Church, when he came to seek the help of the Almighty in carrying out his civic duties.

"Auckland and" the manhood of Auckland have gained much by the character and service of Sir George Richardson. He was a man in every sense of the word, a soldier with every true soldierly instinct, a true Christian gentleman, a loyal and faithful friend.

"May God rest his soul, and give comfort and support to those who are left behind to mourn their loss." Salute from North Head. The singing of the hymn, "Abide With Me," the reading by the archbishop of the final prayers—concluding with the blessing and "Nunc Diniittis" —and the playing by the organist, Mr. Edgar .Randall, of the "Funeral March," were other portions of the service which contributed to its impressiveness. The archbishop had with him as chaplain Canon Averill.

Meanwhile, the long funeral procession had drawn up in Manukau Road outside. At its head were a firing party drawn from the Royal New Zealand Artillery and the band of the Auckland Regiment.

As bearers representing the Returned Soldiers' Association and the Old Contemptibles' Association carried the coffin from the church to a horse-drawn gun carriage manned by men of the artillery/ 5, the sound of the firing of 13 minute guns, the customary salute for a major-general, was heard' from North Head, "»

An impressive characteristic of the military funeral was the unmounted charger which followed the gun carriage. Behind it, as the procession moved slowly oft, came members of Sir George Richardson's family, followed by oflicers of various unite, headed by the official representatives, Commodore I. G. Glennie, commodore commanding the New Zealand Squadron, Colonel 0. H. Head, oflicer commanding the Northern Military district, who was.in charge of arrangements for the funeral, and Squadron-Leader E. G. Olson, officer commanding the Hobsonville Air Base. Service at Graveside. The Royal New Zealand Artillery, the Royal Navy, the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve were represented by detachments of officers and men, and also in the procession were parties from various units of the territorial forces, the Police Force, members of the Legion of Frontiersmen and the Returned Soldiem' Association.

Along Manukau Road and into Carlton Gore Road the procession travelled oil foot. Then the coffin was transferred from the gun-carriage to a hearse, and many of the hundreds of people who had followed from the church joined the long cortege of cars to the Waikumetc Cemetery.

For the last rites at the graVeside, the arrangements were that the Rev. G. V. Gerard, M.C.", should conduct the service, which would conclude with a volley of rifle shots after the committal, and, finally, the sounding of the "Last Post" and "Reveille."