MY father passed away in November after a long illness.
He was an ex-POW of the Japanese for four years, and one of his tasks was to bury his fellow prisoners when they died. A bugler would play The Last Post in the camp.
I thought it would be fitting to ask the British Legion to do the same for my father. This they did by sending along a standard bearer, bugler, and several British Legion comrades. They also covered his coffin with the Union Jack.
I wore his medals with pride as they lowered him into the ground to the sounds of the bugle.
A plane flew close over our heads and I would like to think the pilot saw the flag and standard and paid a fitting tribute to my father.
Wearing dad's medals made me so proud. It is hard to understand how the old soldiers feel when they wear theirs that have been earned.
I am sure I saw his comrades grow two inches as they played The Last Post. I do not think there was a dry eye in the cemetery, even the gravediggers stood to attention.
So thank you again Jack Corbett, and comrades of the British Legion, for a fitting tribute.
M J Rowland and family,
Bow Road, Leigh
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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