- Contributed byÌý
- actiondesksheffield
- People in story:Ìý
- Leonard Chambers
- Location of story:Ìý
- Sheffield and North Africa.
- Background to story:Ìý
- Army
- Article ID:Ìý
- A5544272
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 06 September 2005
Letter From The Chaplain
This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Bill Ross of the ‘Action Desk — Sheffield’ Team on behalf of Rosalind Hallam and has been added to the site with the her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
The presentation is in several parts, which will show the sequence of the communication that informed of her father’s eventual death in service.
==========================================
84 General
Hospital BNAF
11.4.43
Dear Mrs. Chambers,
I am the chaplain at the hospital your husband was taken to and I was with him when he died, and also took his funeral, so I want to tell you something about it.
He was terribly badly injured and it was not to be hoped that he would ever be a whole man again — if he had lived, it would have meant that he could never have been strong and it was better for him to go. I could not speak to him a lot, as he was mostly asleep or unconscious, but the morning of the last day, he felt much better and said he was getting better soon — he never realised he was dying and when he relapsed that afternoon, he was never conscious again. I was called about 5 am on the morning of the 9th and he died about 6 am.
I said prayers by his bedside, but he could not hear me. I saw him constantly and am sure he was not in great pain, but was uncomfortable. Certainly, he did not suffer; he was buried at the European Country here, no doubt the authorities will tell you the name of the place which I am not allowed to do.
He was covered with the Union Jack and the Welsh Guards made the funeral party — it is a lovely spot on the Hillside with high mountains all around. About 50 British soldiers are buried there. Each grave has a black cross with the name and particulars on it — it is a real bit of England and he does not rest alone among foreigners. I took the C. of E. funeral service at the graveside and everything was done in good order.
May God give you strength to beat your loss. He died for his country and will not be forgotten.
Yours in our Lord,
The Chaplain
C.F.
Other Parts to this story are at:
Pt 1: A5544128
Pt 2: A5544191
Pt 4: A5544425
Pt 5: A5544623
Pt 6: A5544849
Pt 7:
A5545334
Pt 8: A5545569
Pr-BR
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