TODAY'S CEREMONY

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 23, 28 January 1936, Page 9

TODAY'S CEREMONY

INTERMENT AT WINDSOR

EMPIRE CONGREGATION AROUND GRAVE

(British Official Wireless and United Press Association.)

(Received January 28, 11.20 a.m.)

LONDON, January 27.

Tomorrow the coffin of the late King George will be removed from, the catafalque in Westminster Hall where it has received the homage of hundreds of thousands of his subjects in the last four days, and will be borne in procession along four miles of the streets of London to Paddington, where it will be placed in the funeral coach for Windsor. The route to Paddington will be by way of Whitehall, the Horseguards Parade, the Mall, St. James' Street, Piccadilly, and Hyde Park. Immediately behind the guncarriage with the coffin will walk King Edward in naval uniform, followed by members of British and foreign Royal families on foot and her Majesty Queen Mary in a carriage. The gun-carriage will be preceded by a military and naval procession a mile long. The 11,000 troops in the procession will be dismounted and will march in slow time with arms reversed. Minute guns will be fired in Hyde Park and at the Tower of London from the time the procession leaves Westminster Hall till it reaches Paddington about two hours later. Control of Traffic. Most elaborate preparations have been made to deal with the vast crowds which will mass themselves along the route. All parts of the route will be closed to vehicular traffic from 8 a.m., and the police have arranged for carefully-planned traffic diversions covering areas reaching out to the suburbs. A description of the procession as well as of the funeral service will be broadcast to Home, and Empire listeners, and commentaries will also be made in five languages for the benefit of foreign listeners. After the service the 8.8.C. will close down all Home stations for the rest of the day. Cinemas will not open till 6 o'clock in the evening, by which time it is expected the principal houses will be showing newsreels of the day s ceremonies. Full Honours of Admiral of the Fleet. King George will be buried with the full honours of an Admiral of the Fleet. When the remains are placed on the gun-carriage at Windsor Station they will be piped aboard by two bosuns, and eight bosuns' mates. The bier will be piped alongside when it reaches the flight of steps leading to St. George's Chapel and it will again be piped aboard when the bearers carry the coffin to the chapel. The ceremonies will be analagous to the procedure observed when an Admiral boards one of the ships of the Fleet. At the most solemn moment of the funeral ceremony in St. George's Chapel the King will take part in the celebration of the last rites. When the bier carrying the coffin of the late King has been lowered beneath the floor of the chapel his Majesty will scatter a handful of earth from a silver bowl upon the coffin as the Archbishop of Canterbury speaks the committal words. Every effort will be made to ensure that the lowering of the coffin takes place during the observance of the two minutes' silence which begins at 1.30 p.m. If the carefully-prepared schedule is kept to the last words of the sentences will be spoken exactly as the silence begins. Gradually the coffin will sink from view while the British Empire will become an unseen congregation about the grave. Magnificent Flowers. k

Some 1500 wreaths from mourners in every part of the world, and of every degree, from kings to the poorest of the late King's subjects, had reached Windsor Castle this morning, and all day hundreds more have been arriving. They have come from foreign Royalties, including the Emperor of Japan, the King of Italy, the Emperor of Ethiopia, and the ex-Kaiser, from foreign and Empire Governments, from municipalities, institutions, and organisations of every kind, as well as from individuals. They include the most magnificent and complicated examples of floral art, and a few simple snowdrops sent by a child in the East End of London. Queen Mary went to Westminster Hall again this evening and stood before the coffin of the late King for some minutes. The Queen Mother was accompanied by members of her family as well as foreign Royalties who are staying at Buckingham Palace. While the Royal party remained the procession of the public was interrupted. During the day other foreign Royal personages and representatives of foreign countries arriving in London for the funeral visited Westminster Hall to pay homage at the catafalque.