LAST RESTING PLACE

Evening Star, Issue 19779, 1 February 1928, Page 6

LAST RESTING PLACE

BEMERSVDE, NOT ST. PAUL'S

LORD HAIG'S DESIRE

MANY EXPRESSIONS OF SYMPATHY.

(British Official News.) Fresi Association—By Wireless—Copyright

RUGBY, January 31. (Received February 1, at noon.)

It is now authoritatively announced that the remains of Field-marshal Haig will be buried at Bemersyde, in Scotland, among his ancestors, and not in St. Paul’s Cathedral as was expected. This is stated to be in accordance with his own desire as expressed in his will. To-morrow and Thursday the body will lie in state at St. Columba s Church in Pont street, Lomlon, which Lord Haig attended.

On Friday a short service will be held at this church, and will be attended bv members of the family and relatives. This will be followed by a public and military funeral service at some church in London yet to be decided on. Possibly it will be Westminster Abbey. 'The body will afterwards be taken to Bemersyde, whore the interment will take place on Saturday.

'The French Government has appointed Marshals Foch and Petain to represent it at the public and military funeral.

M. De Eleuriau (French Ambassador in London) will personally represent President Doumergue. The Belgian Government has also appointed a mission to attend. The French Ambassador in London to-day conveyed to Sir Austen Chamberlain the heartfelt sympathy ot. the French President and Government on the occasion of Lord Haig’s death. M. De Fleuriau stated that the whole of France regretted deeply the passing of the Commander-in-Ghief of the British Army in France. M. Jaspar (Belgian Prime Minister) has telegraphed to Mr Baldwin: “I was deeply moved by the death of Lord Haig. 1 beg your excellency to accept my sincere condolences. The loss of the illustrious field-marshal affects not only the British Empire. It is felt keenly by all my compatriots, who treasure the memory of the incomparable services rendered hy him to our common cause.”

Tho British Prime Minister replied offering his sincere thanks, and adding; “My countrymen will value highly the sympathy of their ally and the generous tribute which your Excellency pays to the services of the late field-marshal.”

Mr F. B. Kellogg (American Secretary of State) has telegraphed to Sir Austen Chamberlain: “May I express through you to the bereaved family and the British people tho deep sense of loss experienced by the Government 1 and tho people of the United States in learning of the death ol Field-Marshal Haig. The American people have grateful recollections of the splendid spirit of unity which subsisted between Lord Haig’s forces and the American troops during tho AVorld War, and their sympathy is deeply with the British nation at this time.” Sir Austen ■Chamberlain replied, offering the sincere thanks of His Majesty’s Government for the condolences of the Government and people of the United States on the irreparable loss sustained by the British Empire, adding: “In this hour of sorrow tiie British people join with you in commemorating that splendid spirit of unity which subsisted between the British forces under Field-Marshal Haig and the American army commanded hy General Pershing, and pray that no shadow of differences may ever darken the friendship of our two nations. ’ There has been to-day a remarkable demand for wreaths of Flanders poppies from the factories at Richmond and Edinburgh, which Lord Haig established,-. and where severely disabled ex-servicemen are employed. 1 hree thousand wreaths have been ordered from the Richmond factory alone, and orders have come from all parts of the Empire. PROVISION IN WILL LONDON, January 31. (Received February 1, at 1.3 U p.m.) In the absence of knowledge of the references in the will the interment arrangements proceeded for the luneral in St. Paul’s, but a Scottish solicitor brought the will to London and found in it a request to be buried at Beinersvdc, which has lieen the homo of the Haigs for nine centuries. Other arrangements were rapidly made lor the body to be taken to St. Columha’s Scottish Church in Pont street, where Lord Haig worshipped. Following the precedent in the case of Thomas Hardy,, a suggestion was made that Lord Haig’s heart should be buried in Edinburgh, but the family disapproved of this idea. The Scottisli executive of the British Legion is arranging for memorial services throughout Scotland. There was an enormous response today to Lady Haig’s request to confine the floral tributes to artificial poppies made in the disabled ex-servicemen’s factories which Lord Haig established.

BELGIAN REPRESENTATIVES

BRUSSELS, January 31

(Received February 1, at 1.45 p.-m.)

General De Cenningk, two officers, and twelve soldiers will represent the King, the Government, and the army at Lord Haig’s funeral.

VON KLUGK'S OPINION BERLIN, January 23. (Received February 1, at 1.30 p.m.) General Von Kluck stated that he had always held Lord Haig in great estimation, both as a corps leader and as an array commander; also he regretted exceedingly that he had not had an opportunity of making his personal acquaintance. He had previously asked Lord D’Ahernon to invite Lord Haig to visit him in Berlin. '