Life Events Park 7r Churchills funeral On occasion a decision you make changes the course of your life. That happened when I chose to go to Churchills funeral instead of spending the weekend with Jim in the Black Forest in Germany. Jim made a previous appearance in the section on dancing. Jane Herndon and I flew to London with the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. We were, of course, not a part of his entourage. Our only connection was proximity. We sat behind him on the plane, neither of us officially royalty. When we landed at Heathrow, no one made a move until the Arch Duke and his party had left the plane. From the window of the plane, Jane and I could them see getting in a limousine that sported a crown on the top and driving away no doubt to a five star hotel. Jane and I took a taxi to a small hotel that was unquestionably not in pursuit of a star. My overriding memory of that hotel was that it was cold. We would have been more comfortable in an igloo. Even though we put an impressive number of English coins in a small heater, the temperature in our room never reached a level commensurate with comfort. That evening we joined a long line of people who were going to Westminster Hall where Churchill was lying in state. The mood was somber. We listened to the English people who were near us reminisce about Churchills crucial role during World War II. They also talked about Eisenhower with a reverence that was much greater than I would have expected. It was obvious to us as we listened to those people that Churchills death marked the end of an era. When we entered Westminster Hall, no one said a word. The silence was profound. The following day Jane and I were fortunate to secure a place in the second row of the huge crowd that lined the route Churchills funeral procession took from Westminster Hall to St. Pauls Cathedral. We were about a hundred yards from the entrance to the cathedral. David Brinkley and his television crew were filming the procession from across the street. I said I havent been this cold since I marched with my high school band in the parade in Nashville that followed the governors inauguration. Then we had one of those can you believe this moments. Jane said, I was going to say the same thing, except I marched in Atlanta. An English woman who was standing behind us had obviously overheard our comments. She tapped Jane on the shoulder and asked if we would like some of her anti cold medication. We would. When she handed me a small bottle of scotch, I turned my back to the street and told her I didnt want Mother to see me on television drinking scotch. She and Jane laughed, assuming that wouldnt happen. Actually it was my aunt not my mother who saw me on channel 4. When she called Mother and told her she had seen me on television in the crowd watching Churchills funeral procession go by. Mother said she was wrong, that I was in France. My aunt said she wouldnt be wrong, that she would recognize my coat anywhere. The caisson bearing Churchills coffin was in front of the procession. The coffin was draped with the Union Jack and also displayed an impressive number of medals. His family was behind him. I recognized Clementine because she was the only one old enough to be the mother of Churchills children. Sarah was the only one of the children I recognized because I had seen her on the television program Hallmark Hall of Fame. The procession was replete with members of royalty not only from England but from a number of other countries as well. Many world leaders who had achieved their position the old fashioned way followed the royals. After the massive doors of St. Pauls were closed, Jane, the English woman, and I walked to the Tower Pier where we found a good vantage point to watch the boat that transported Churchills body for some distance on the Thames, a homage to his service as Secretary of the Navy, to the next stage of the journey. He chose to be buried in his family cemetery on the grounds of Bleheim Palace, his birthplace. When he was offered the opportunity to be buried in Westminster Abbey he declined. It is said that his response was I dont want to be buried in Westminster Abbey; there are too man people lying there already that I dont like. Do I regret making the decision I mentioned at the beginning of this segment? No, I dont.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 23:48:10 +0000
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