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brightonrock

Dodgy Hamstrings
Jan 1, 2008
2,482
Today is the funeral of 99-year old war veteran Harold Percival. As he had no close family, an advert was put in the paper, inviting people to give him a proper send off. 500 strangers have turned up in the pissing rain to pay their respects. Wonderful scenes :bowdown:
 

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Thunder Bolt

Ordinary Supporter
I think you will find a lot of them were ex servicemen who wouldn't let one of their own go without a good send off.
 








Tricky Dicky

New member
Jul 27, 2004
13,558
Sunny Shoreham
Surely it's no different to smiling at a stranger. We're all in this together.

A funeral is for someone to pay respect to the departed and think about their life and shared times - in my mind, anyway - if you don't know the person, it seems rather pointless. Perfectly harmless and maybe a nice thing to do nonetheless.
 


macky

Well-known member
Dec 28, 2004
1,651
Nice gesture. Shame he had no one when he was living
 


Thunder Bolt

Ordinary Supporter
A funeral is for someone to pay respect to the departed and think about their life and shared times - in my mind, anyway - if you don't know the person, it seems rather pointless. Perfectly harmless and maybe a nice thing to do nonetheless.

I didn't think you were having a go, but you have touched on the reason why service & ex service people would go. He had served his country and other veterans can pay respect to that.
 




Tricky Dicky

New member
Jul 27, 2004
13,558
Sunny Shoreham
I didn't think you were having a go, but you have touched on the reason why service & ex service people would go. He had served his country and other veterans can pay respect to that.

Fair enough, if you have a connection, even if you don't know them, then I can see that. Not something I would do, that's all.
 


Theatre of Trees

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
7,718
TQ2905
Nice gesture. Shame he had no one when he was living

He never married or had children, he also led a nomadic existence travelling around either Australia or UK - in other words a bit of a free spirit who preferred his own company - it was his choice. He had distant relatives he would stay with from time to time throughout his life.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24889924
 








edna krabappel

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 7, 2003
47,228


edna krabappel

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 7, 2003
47,228
I think you will find a lot of them were ex servicemen who wouldn't let one of their own go without a good send off.

Yep, the local branch of the Legion or some such ex servicemen's association put the message out, knowing that plenty of them would feel exactly that.

Such is the power of social media that it went a bit viral, I remember seeing it at least four or five times over the weekend on people's Facebook or Twitter timelines.

But yes, under normal circumstances (ie not someone with Harold's background and history) it would be extremely weird and a bit grief-touristy to go to the funeral of someone you didn't actually know.
 








edna krabappel

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 7, 2003
47,228
A funeral party consisting of a Priest and two blokes with spades......I can't think of many things more sad.

Depends on the individual, I suppose. There are probably one or two people in life who deserve little more.
 








Shropshire Seagull

Well-known member
Nov 5, 2004
8,477
Telford
I would guess there were an awful lot of folk at Princess Di's funeral that, in Tricky Dicky's terms, didn't know her.
But why criticise anyone turning up to a funeral of someone they didn't know - it's all about respect - you don't have to have known someone to respect them.
 



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