The coffin bearers too proud to hand over mighty burden
THE eight coffin-bearers at Sir Winston’s funeral defied a ruling that they must transfer the coffin to eight reliefs half-way to Tower Pier. On the Friday rehearsal before the funeral, they proved to their company sergeant-major that they could take the quarterton, lead-lined coffin all the way.
Said Guardsman Nigel Wright, 20, of Boultham Moor, Lincoln, yesterday: ‘We refused to hand over the coffin to reliefs half-way. We did not see any honour or glory in only doing half the job.
‘So on the day before the funeral, carrying a weighted coffin, we proved to our sergeant-major that we could do what he said was “not humanly possible”, and carried it the whole way to the pier.’ Said Guardsman Michael Kimpton, 22, one of the two ‘swing men’ who helped guide the coffin: ‘We had very little sleep for a week, rehearsing for the funeral.
‘Night after night we got to bed at half-past ten and were parading the streets at two or three in the morning, but no one would have missed this tremendous occasion for anything.’
But for millions of tensely watching television viewers, there seemed to be heart- stopping moments when the coffin came within an ace of slipping. The ordeal of the eight Grenadier Guardsmen was plainly visible.
And yesterday another Guardsman, 27-year-old Michael Ryan, told of one anxious moment on the second flight of steps leading up to the cathedral.
Guardsman Ryan was at the rear of the bearer party. He said: ‘Suddenly I felt the coffin go, and for a moment I thought I’d lost him. I hung on grimly, although there was a terrific strain on my shoulder.’
Another bearer Guardsman, Lance-Sergeant Lincoln Perkins, took up the story of that heartstopping moment. At his home in Cressex Close, Binfield, Berkshire, he said yesterday: ‘We knew that the steps of St Paul’s would be the toughest test, and we rehearsed that part on a dozen occasions. But we couldn’t have anticipated the snag that almost put us off balance.
‘As we mounted the centre steps to the cathedral, Lord Attlee, who was ascending in front of the party, paused. The front bearers hesitated and a dead weight fell back on the rest of us. We guessed what had happened and just held tight, gritting our teeth.
‘We understood. For we were very impressed by Lord Attlee’s attendance on the steps. His carriage was something the men could understand and admire, for he could have remained in the warmth of the cathedral.’ But the strain on the 6ft Guardsmen — all members of the 2nd Bn of the Grenadier Guards stationed at Victoria Barracks, Windsor — was not all on the steps of St Paul’s, or even on their long march on Tower Hill.
Guardsman Ryan said: ‘ The most gruelling moment was when we had put the coffin at the cathedral altar and turned round to see that the eyes of all the Heads of State were on us.
‘I felt sick to the pit of my stomach and was particularly nervous when we had to pick up the coffin and go out again after the Last Post. Everyone was looking then.’
The last word came from the 22year-old officer commanding the party, Lieut. Anthony Mather, ‘ The men,’ he said, ‘ were magnificent.’