Abstract
A NATIONAL tribute to the memory of Sir Ernest Shackleton took the form of a special service in St. Paul's Cathedral at noon on March 2. The service was conducted by Dean Inge and the Cathedral clergy and was short and simple but impressive and of great beauty. It included o some sentences from the Burial Service, the twenty-third Psalm, the lesson from i Corinthians xv., the anthem “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,” and two special hymns, “Eternal Father, strong to save” and “For all the saints who from their labours rest.” The soft beauty of the perfect music was followed with striking effect by the shrill sounding of “The Last Post” by the boys of H.M.S. Worcester, It was impossible amid the splendour of the ceremonial and the distinguished congregation representative of the most refined civilisation not to picture in contrast the rough chapel on South Georgia and the toilstained whalers who surrounded Sir Ernest Shackleton's grave, and the little Quest carrying on the mission on which he perished, tossing in the huge waves of the Southern Ocean or beset by the Antarctic ice. The congregation at St. Paul's included the widow and three children of the explorer, several of his sisters and other relatives, representatives of the King, Queen Alexandra, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Connaught, the Colonial Secretary, the First Lord of the Admiralty, the Trinity House, and the diplomatic representatives of Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Argentina, and other countries. The Royal Geographical Society was represented by its President, a large number of the Council, and the principal officials, and many other societies and institutions sent representatives. Amongst those with special interest in the Antarctic regions were Mr. John Q. Rowett, Sir John Scott Keltic, Dr. H. R. Mill, Dr. H. O. Forbes, and a strong muster of Sir Ernest's old comrades, including Captain C. W. R. Royds, R.N., and Mr. L. C. Bernacchi of the Discovery expedition, Capt. W. Colbeck of the Morning, Sir Philip Brocklehurst of the Nimrod expedition, Mr. J. M. Wordie, Mr. Greenstreet, and Mr. Rickenson of the Endurance expedition, and Mr. Mason, who had sailed on the Quest, but had to return on account of his health. No doubt others were present who were not recognized in the great congregation.
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Current Topics and Events. Nature 109, 315–317 (1922). https://doi.org/10.1038/109315b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/109315b0