Farnborough Abbey Burglary - theft from the Prince Imperial's tomb.

Posts : 2558 Join date : 2009-04-06 Age : 57 Location : UK

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Posts : 2558 Join date : 2009-04-06 Age : 57 Location : UK

I'm assuming this is what was stolen. Can anyone confirm!

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This is my first post on the Zulu War Forum and it relates to the theft of three framed prayers from the tomb of the Prince Imperial, during a burglary, which took place at St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough over the weekend.

I am delighted that John noted my post on the Great War Forum and placed the above link. I was going to add photographs of two of the three stolen frames but am struggling to link them here. Until I work out how to do this. please refer to the above link which now shows them.

If anyone is offered, or comes across these items, please contact Hampshire Police via 101. If you are calling from outside England and Wales, dial 01962 841534. Also please drop me a PM and I will advise the Abbey.

Many thanks

Trevor (Sepoy)

Last edited by Sepoy on Mon Feb 24, 2014 10:22 pm; edited 1 time in total

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This was been posted on Facebook, on 23rd February, 2014, by David Cuthbert Brogan, a Monk at the St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough, Hampshire.

There has been a serious burglary at the Abbey. Thieves broke into the Abbey Crypt and stole historic framed prayers in French and Latin from the Prince Imperial's Tomb. The items stolen are easily identified as coming from Farnborough Abbey and are of no use except at the Abbey. My hope is it that it is youths who have broken in and mistakenly thought that they had found something they could sell on. The Prayers are specific to the Prince Louis, who died with 18 spear wounds when he was 23 fighting with the British in the Zulu War. The thieves have done worse than stealing from a church, they have stolen from a grave of a young soldier who died a particularly horrendous death. We simply want the prayers to return and for the Prince's soul to rest undisturbed.

Tomorrow we will be issuing further information and asking members of the group to help us in trying to work with CID to find the stolen items. The best scenario is that these items be delivered to somewhere safe where we can return them to the Prince's tomb. Given the international significance of the Abbey as the burial place of a foreign Head of State, and the forensic and other evidence already gained since the crime, we are urging the thieves to return these objects to us at the earliest opportunity.

If anyone is offered, or comes across these items, please contact Hampshire Police via 101. If you are calling from outside England and Wales, dial 01962 841534. Also please drop me a PM and I will advise David.

Many thanks

Trevor (Sepoy)

Posts : 1605 Join date : 2009-09-21

Spoy, thanks for posting the images. Hopefully this theft will be so well publicised, they will have no where to take them, hopefully they might realise the terrible deed they have committed, and return them in some way!
Only bad things happens to those who steal from the house of god.

Isn't odd that a matter of weeks after the crypt was featured on a television programme, that this should happen...

Just my musings,

John Y.

Posts : 1605 Join date : 2009-09-21

That's the media for you, let's everyone know what's what & where! You thinking stolen to order?

Posts : 2308 Join date : 2010-07-02 Age : 40

Do they not have CCTV in these places. Was the Chaple broken into, or is it left open and unattended.
The items stolen would they have been easy to remove, or was force used.

Not the first time a theft as taken place. This from 1974.

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Guest

Good thinking Dave, yes no doubt stolen,
with some thought in mind, such secular
item's would, i think be beyond your average
tealeaf! ( unless he had delusions of grandeur )
but seriously..it seem's this person/people knew
what they wanted, and i'm sure previewing arti-
facts on tv could well attract the more discerning
villain,

Posts : 2583 Join date : 2009-04-24

CCTV, Admin perhaps you should advise!

I have been requested by Sepoy on behalf of the Abbey to post more photos of the Prince Imperial grave site, I think in order to drum up more support in the fight against the thieves. I do so with the greatest of pleasure and would confirm that you have my permission to use the photos for whatever purpose you deem fit.

Regards

Frank Allewell

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Posts : 2308 Join date : 2010-07-02 Age : 40

Last photo, lefthand side on pillar , was there once a plaque of some sort.

Once upon a time there was a National Monuments plaque. Now in some bodies private collection or being used as a door stop.
One lives in hope the present owner will trip on it and develop gangrene. agree

Impi it does appear that there may've been something there at some stage .
90th

PS
Springy you posted as I did , love your retort , I hope your right . I thought you had tickets for the Test Match ? , dont tell me you decided not to go ? . I cant for the lie of me understand why !! Rolling Eyes

LOL.
90th

Spent the weekend there. Lots of fun Even had the chance to barrack Shane Warne, he took it all in good grace and wandered across to chat with the crowd, one of the guys offered him a beer, he accepted and spent some time entertaining the boys. Not many people/Aussies can get away with standing at the Oaks drinking a beer and telling all and sundry why Aussi was going to kick SA Arse. And then walk away with the guys clapping him. Good bloke. ( Arrogant opinionated a hole, but still a good bloke).
Cheers

Why when the replaced the Queen's Cross could they have not based it on the original?

Here's how the original Queen's Cross looked:

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The Queen's Cross at the Prince Imperial's Death site - 1880.
John Young Collection.

John Y.

Guest

Quite Right JY. all that ' concrete ' around
the base..i cant think off the top of my head
when the original was vandalized, but you
would think a faithful copy would be the order
of the day. i don't know the formal arrangements
re maintaining the site, but you would think that
some one with just a tiny amount of vision could
faithfully restore it!.

Can I publicly thank Springbok9 for posting photographs of the Prince Imperial Memorial and for allowing me to repost them on the "Welcome to Historic Farnborough, Hampshire" Facebook group.

This is to keep the Prince Imperial in peoples' mind in the hope it leads to the recovery of the stolen items.

Regretfully, as far as I am aware, nothing has come to light so far.

Sepoy

I'll throw a few things into the mix if it helps.

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The Exiled Prince Imperial of France, photographed in Natal, 1879.
John Young Collection

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The Departure of the Exiled Prince Imperial of France from Natal, 1879.
Note a certain skittish white horse in line with the funnel of the tug.
John Young Collection

John Y.

But no sign of the saddle.!

No there was some evidence tampering going on with the saddle before it got home. Joker

John Y.

Guest

So, that is the clearest of that popular
image of the P.I. i have seen. thank you!.
yes the white horse, his name was, tommy,
percy, fate, or some such. cheers xhosa

Guest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nm8pekcn21I

I would like thank John Young for his support in allowing me to post his photographs on our local Facebook Group.

The photographs from Springbok9 and John have helped to give local Farnborough residents an idea of what exactly happened to the Prince, beyond the story of the St Michael's Abbey. It is unfortunately, that the Prince Imperial's memorial has been subjected to vandalism and is a replacement - one sharp eyed FB Group member has noted that the date of death on the memorial actually says 1st June, 1979!

I am currently recovering from a long term illness, but as soon as I can get about, I will visit the Abbey and take some current photographs of St Michael's Abbey and the Crypt and post them here.

Thank you for everyone's support.

Sepoy

Subject: Farnborough Abbey Burglary Tue Mar 04, 2014 1:07 pm

Hi Les
Percy from memory was the name of the P.Imp's horse ? .
Cheers 90th

90th,

That was the name I also knew the horse by as well. However, some cast doubts on that being the case.

In haste,

John Y.