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Funeral of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma

Summary

The ceremonial funeral of Admiral of the Fleet The 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma took place on Wednesday, 5 September 1979, at Westminster Abbey following his assassination by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on Monday, 27 August 1979, off the coast of the Mullaghmore Peninsula in County Sligo, Ireland.

Lord Mountbatten of Burma in 1976 by Allan Warren

Mountbatten's body was brought back to Great Britain after his assassination, where it briefly rested in Romsey Abbey. The day before the funeral it was brought to The Queen's Chapel, St James's Palace. On the morning of 5 September, his flag-draped coffin was carried on a gun carriage drawn by 122 Royal Navy ratings to Westminster Abbey for the ceremonial funeral.

The televised funeral service was presided over by Edward Carpenter, Dean of Westminster, with the commendation given by Donald Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury, and clergy from several Christian denominations leading prayers. It was attended by members of Mountbatten's family, the British royal family, members of European royal houses, politicians, diplomats and military leaders from around the world.

Following the service, he was interred in Romsey Abbey.

Planning edit

 
Correspondence between Sir Philip Moore, Private Secretary to the Queen, and Sir Keith Holyoake, Governor-General of New Zealand, relating to Mountbatten's death

Mountbatten himself had been heavily involved in the planning of his own funeral down to the smallest detail.[1] As a royal ceremonial funeral, it was planned in consultation with the Lord Chamberlain's Office, and given the code name "Operation Freeman."[2][3] He ensured all branches of the Armed Forces would be represented.[3] The cost of the funeral was borne by both the government and Mountbatten's family.[2]

He had originally wished to be buried alongside his parents in the Battenberg Chapel at St Mildred's Church, Whippingham, on the Isle of Wight, but later changed his mind, deciding to be buried in Romsey Abbey, near his home, Broadlands, instead.[3]

Events preceding edit

The remains of Mountbatten were embalmed by Desmond Henley and placed in a lead-lined oak coffin.[4] His coffin, along with Doreen, Lady Brabourne's, and Nicholas Knatchbull's were flown back to the United Kingdom arriving at Southampton Airport where they were met by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales. From there they were taken to Broadlands by hearse. From there, Mountbatten's coffin was taken to Romsey Abbey, where members of his staff stood vigil for two days. On 4 September, his coffin was taken to London where it lay in The Queen's Chapel, St James's Palace. Upon arriving at the chapel, Gerald Ellison, Bishop of London, and Canon Anthony Caesar, Sub-Dean of Her Majesty's Chapels Royal and Deputy Clerk of the Closet, presided over a brief service.[5]

Procession edit

At 10:30 AM BST on the morning of the funeral, Mountbatten's coffin, draped in the Union Flag, was borne from The Queen's Chapel on the Royal Navy State Funeral Gun Carriage.[5] The gun carriage was drawn by 122 Royal Navy ratings, rather than horses, an honour typically reversed for state funerals, yet a detail which emphasized Mountbatten's lifelong links with the Royal Navy.[6] His bicorne Admiral's hat, gold stick and sword of honour sat atop the coffin.

Ahead of the coffin marched the Major-General commanding the Household Division, John Swinton of Kimmerghame, six officers carried purple cushions with the insignias of his orders and decorations – including the Order of the Garter, Order of the Star of India, Legion of Honour and Legion of Merit – and the Secretary of the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, Major-General Peter Gillett.[5][7] Military personnel from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, India, Burma and the United States – including 70 American sailors and 50 United States marines[6] – all marched.[7] Mountbatten's charger, named Octave but nicknamed "Dolly," was lead before the coffin with his boots reversed in the stirrups.[6]

Mountbatten's grandsons, Lord Romsey, Michael-John Knatchbull, Philip Knatchbull and Ashley Hicks, and son-in-law David Hicks walked behind the coffin, as did the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and Prince Michael of Kent. Members of the royal family were followed by the Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Terence Lewin, and the chiefs of staff of the three branches of the armed forces, Admiral Sir Henry Leach, Field Marshal Sir Edwin Bramall and Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Beetham. Behind them followed three senior officers representing the United States Armed Forces, three senior officers from the Burmese Army and Air Force, Elder Brethren of Trinity House, the Viscount Slim, President and Vice Chairman of the Burma Star Association, detachments of the Royal Navy Association, survivors of the HMS Kelly (which had been under Mountbatten's command), and the standards of the Royal British Legion and the Burma Star Association. A detachment of the Blues and Royals mounted squadron brought up the rear of the procession.[5]

Eight honorary pallbearers, Sir Edward Ashmore, Sir Robert Ford, John T. Hayward, Ronald Lynsdale Pereira, Sir John Richards, Sir William Dickson, Alain de Boissieu and Chit Hlaing, walked beside the coffin.[3]

Music during the procession was provided by the Central Band of the Royal Air Force, Royal Marines Band Service, Band of the Grenadier Guards and the Band of the Coldstream Guards, and the tenor bell at Westminster Abbey tolled.[8] The procession passed down Marlborough Road, The Mall, through Horse Guards Parade, down Whitehall, through Parliament Square and Sanctuary Road to the abbey.[5]

Service edit

The service began at 11:30 AM BST and was conducted by the Dean of Westminster, Edward Carpenter, according to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The Prince of Wales read the lesson, taken from Psalm 107: 23–26, 28–30. The commendation was given by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Donald Coggan. Prayers were said by clergy from several Christian denominations.[9] The service lasted thirty minutes.

The music during the service was under the direction of Douglas Guest, the organist and master of the choristers of Westminster Abbey. The organ was played by the sub-organist, Christopher Herrick. The fanfare, composed by Sir Vivian Dunn, "Last Post" and "Reveille" were played by trumpeters and buglers from Royal Marines School of Music. As the coffin was carried into the abbey, William Croft's funeral sentences were sung by the choir.[9]

The hymns sung during the service were "God of our fathers, known of old," words taken from the poem "Recessional" by Rudyard Kipling and sung to the tune "Lest We Forget" by George Frederic Blanchard, "I Vow to Thee, My Country," words by Sir Cecil Spring Rice and sung to the tune "Thaxted" by Gustav Holst, "And did those feet in ancient time," words taken from the poem "Jerusalem" by William Blake and sung to the tune of the same name by Sir Hubert Parry, and "Eternal Father, Strong to Save", words by William Whiting and sung to the tune "Melita" by John Bacchus Dykes.[9]

The choir sang two anthems during the service; "Faire is the heaven," a setting of Edmund Spenser's poem "An Hymne of Heavenly Beautie" by Sir William Henry Harris, and "God Be in My Head," words from the Sarum Primer and music by Sir Walford Davies.[9]

The "Dead March" from Act Three of Saul (HWV 53) by George Frideric Handel was played on the organ as the coffin was carried out of the abbey.[9]

Guests and participants edit

The service was attended by 1,800 invited guests. Due to the injuries they sustained in the explosion, Mountbatten's elder daughter and son-in-law, the now 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma and Lord Brabourne, and grandson, Timothy Knatchbull, were absent from the funeral. His younger daughter, Lady Pamela Hicks, and her family led the Mountbatten family, Queen Elizabeth II and the entire British royal family attended, as did numerous members of European royal families. It was the largest gathering of royalty in London since the funeral of King George VI in 1952.[7] Mountbatten, who had been Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia Command and oversaw the recapture of Burma and Singapore from the Japanese in the Second World War, had requested that no representatives from Japan be invited.[10] Notable guests in attendance and participants in the service include:

Mountbatten family edit

British royal family edit

Extended royal family edit

Foreign royalty edit

Politicians edit

Religious figures edit

  • The Most Rev. and Rt Hon. Donald Coggan,[9] Archbishop of Canterbury
  • The Very Rev. Edward Carpenter,[9] Dean of Westminster
  • The Rev. Roger Job,[9] Precentor and Sacrist of Westminster Abbey
  • The Rt Rev. Prof. Robin Barbour,[9] Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
  • The Most Rev. Cardinal Basil Hume,[9] Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster
  • The Ven. Basil O'Ferrall,[9] Chaplain of the Fleet
  • The Rev. Raymond George,[9] Moderator of the National Free Church Federal Council

Pallbearers edit

Other notable guests edit

Internment and subsequent events edit

 
Mountbatten's tomb in Romsey Abbey

From the abbey, the coffin was taken to Waterloo Station on a Land Rover 101 Forward Control of the Life Guards, a regiment of which Mountbatten had been colonel, led by six armoured reconnaissance cars. From Waterloo, his coffin was taken by special train to Romsey, Hampshire, near Broadlands, Mountbatten's home.

Mountbatten's remains were interred in Romsey Abbey.[8] Per his wishes, his tomb was aligned north–south, rather than the conventional east–west, so that it faced the sea where his wife Edwina's ashes were scattered.[15]

The following day, 6 September, a private family funeral for Nicholas Knatchbull and Doreen, Lady Brabourne, was held at St John the Baptist Church in Mersham, Kent, near Newhouse, the Knatchbull's family seat. It was attended by 500 guests including the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales.[16] This service was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Donald Coggan, assisted by the Bishop of Maidstone, Richard Third.[3]

A memorial service for victims of the bombing which killed Mountbatten was held on Thursday, 27 December 1979 at St Paul's Cathedral. Lady Mountbatten, Lord Brabourne, and Timothy Knatchbull, who were unable to present at the funeral due to their injuries, were present for this service, the former two on crutches.[3]

In popular culture edit

The events of Mountbatten's assassination and funeral are portrayed in "Gold Stick," the first episode of the fourth series of the Netflix original historical drama series, The Crown.[17]

References edit

  1. ^ Range, Matthew. "8 - The Royal Return to the Public: From Lord Mountbatten to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1979–2002)". Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 2 September 2023 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b "Mountbatten's family had to foot bill for funeral catering". The Daily Telegraph. 29 December 2005. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Stewart-Johns, Philip A. "1979: A Royal Ceremonial Funeral". Memorial & Tribute to Lord Mountbatten. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  4. ^ "In memoriam Desmond C. Henley". Internet. Christopher Henley Limited 2008 – 2010. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e Dykes, Godfrey. "Ceremonial Funeral of Lord Louis Moutbatten of Burma". RN Communications Branch Museum/Library. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Apple Jr., R. W. (6 September 1979). "Hushed London Bids Mountbatten Farewell". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Downie, Leonard (6 September 1979). "Grieving Britons, Royal Family Bid Farewell to Lord Mountbatten". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  8. ^ a b "1979: Mountbatten buried after final parade". BBC News. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Order of Service at the Funeral of Admiral of the Fleet The Earl Mountbatten of Burma 1900–1979" (PDF). Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Japan Is Not Invited to Lord Mountbatten's Funeral". The New York Times. 5 September 1979. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d e f "The Ceremonial Funeral of Earl Mountbatten of Burma". AP Newsroon. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  12. ^ "Prince Philip and his sister, Princess Sophie of Hanover". Alamy. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  13. ^ McCann, Graham (1997). Cary Grant: A Class Apart. London: Fourth Estate. p. 264. ISBN 978-1-85702-574-3.
  14. ^ Vickers, Hugo (17 April 2021). "It was a funeral that only the Duke of Edinburgh could have devised". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  15. ^ Sledge, Tim (2011). Romsey Abbey. Pitkin. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-84165-357-0.
  16. ^ Britcher, Chris (19 April 2021). "How IRA bomb which killed Lord Mountbatten ripped a hole in the lives of Lord and Lady Brabourne from Mersham". KentOnline. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  17. ^ Leeds, Serene (15 November 2020). "The Crown Season-Premiere Recap:The Troubles". Vulture.com. Retrieved 1 September 2023.

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