MILITARY FUNERAL
Burton Latimer Soldier Laid to Rest
There were many respectful tributes at Burton Latimer on Tuesday, at the funeral of Pte. George Whiting, of the Durham Light Infantry, whose death took place at St. Luke's War Hospital, Halifax, on Friday last, from pneumonia.
The request having been preferred that the deceased might be buried at Burton Latimer, the military authorities consented, and the body arrived by train early on Tuesday morning.Deceased had served in the Northants prior to the war, and soon after the outbreak joined up in the Sherwood Foresters. He eventually got into the Durham Light Infantry, and it was whilst attached to the Labour Battalion of this regiment, at the front, that he contracted pneumonia last December. He had lingered on for four months, and the end came soon after he had been visited by his father.
Flags were at half-mast as the cortege, headed by men of the A.S.C. from Kettering, under Sergt. Willington, wended its way slowly from the deceased home in High-street. Many blinds were drawn, and school children were lined up outside their schools, the boys standing at attention as the coffin, conveyed in a war-wagon and covered by the Union Jack, was slowly drawn by four mules. Sergt. Willington and P.C. Harding headed the procession, followed by other members of the A.S.C.and the war-wagon. When the procession reached the Parish Church, the following members of the Parish Council followed in the rear of the relatives: Messrs. J. Boardman (chairman), F.T. Freestone, T. Ambler, S. Maycock, J. Longbotham, H. Ayres, and F.W. Stokes (clerk). The Rev. G.L. Richardson (Rector) met the cortege at the gates,and the other members of the A.S.C. lining the entrance to the Churchyard. At the service Psalm xxxix. was followed by the customary lesson on the subject of the Resurrection. After the service, which was attended by many of the inhabitants, the coffin was again borne to the war-wagon, and the procession wound its way to the new cemetery, where a large concourse of people had assembled. The Rector completed the committal service, and the coffin was lowered to rest by the military, following which the "Last Post" was sounded by Bugler J. Davis.The coffin bore the following inscription: "Pte. G. Whiting, 22nd D.L.I.; died June 1st 1917; aged 27 years."
The chief mourners were: Mr. and Mrs. G. Whiting (parents), Mr. and Mrs. A. Bunyan (sister and brother-in-law), Mr. and Mrs. A. Saddington (sister and brother-in-law),Mr. and Mrs. W. Lovell (sister and brother-in-law),Misses Edith Rose and Gertie Whiting (sisters), Miss J. Saddington (niece), and Mrs. Keach, Isham.
A beautiful wreath bore the following card: "In loving remembrance of our dear brother from Will and Clara", and a cross bore the following: "In loving remembrance of our dear brother from Family."