Who Made The Prince Imperial's Coffin?

Posts : 3379 Join date : 2009-03-03 Location : Devon

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Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser 19 July 1879

Subject: Re: Who Made The Prince Imperial's Coffin? Tue Jun 27, 2017 6:13 am

Sapper George Harding wrote that

We advanced to a dried up river bed and had to cut away the banks to get the ambulance across. Eventually, we reached a kraal beside a large mealie field where we found the bodies of the Prince and some of his party. They had been surprised by Zulus as they rested in the kraal. The Zulus broke out of the mealie field and killed them before they could remount their horses. The Prince had been stabbed 16 times with assegais. We made a rough coffin and put his body in the ambulance. After burying the other bodies where they were found, we went back to the column. The Prince's body was taken back to England for burial

But I don't know if he came from Wiltshire or if he actually did the wood working......still its a name to start with..... Surprised

Posts : 3379 Join date : 2009-03-03 Location : Devon

Hi SRB1965

Many thanks for the information.

Subject: The Prince Imperial's Coffin Wed Jun 28, 2017 1:34 am

The following is from Ian Knight's ' With His Face To The Foe ' referring to Louis once they had found his body .
According to Footnote 128 the following description was from a letter by an anonymous correspondent dated ' Nongwin River June 4th 1879 ' , Natal Mercury 11th June 1879 .

'' His examintion complete , Scott ordered ' the body enveloped in a white cotton blanket that had been used as a saddle cloth , and then a bier was improvised by roiling a couple of lances long-wise in the sides of a horse - blanket , two more Lances being then lashed with reims crosswise at the head and feet for the bearers . The Ambulance wagon had not been able to descend the hill .
( footnote 129 by Molyneux ) and the body was carried towards it by Maj Gen Marshall , Capt Stewart , Col Drury - Lowe , and three officers of the 17thLancers , Scott , Bartle Frere , and myself , with M. Deleage , correspondent of the Figaro , who expressed a wish to assist , which was immediately granted . It was not long before we met the Ambulance , in which the body was then laid and escorted back to camp by officers' parties of the Dragoon Guards and Lancers .
90th

Subject: The Prince Imperial's Coffin Wed Jun 28, 2017 1:55 am

More on Louis , there is no mention of a coffin being made ready at the Ambulance , there is no mention of it at the Funeral service later that evening , this also is from I.K's ' With His Face To The Foe '
'' Never Shall I forget that simple field gun , on which was laid the Prince's body , wrapped only in a blanket with which we had covered him that same morning '' , and then further on , '' For myself , who alone in that sad procession had the civilian's privilege f walking bare- headed , seeing as we passed the flag of England droop slowly to the ground , a Royal Salute , before this corpse wrapped in the Tricolor '' Footnote 136 Deleage ; Quoted in Filon Memoirs .
After Surgeon Scott's crude attempt to embalm the body of Louis which took until 4am , the following is from Footnote 138 Filon Memoirs . '' The Princes' remains were then carefully wrapped up , and placed in a Zinc Box hastily put together . A coffin is a luxury unknown in an army campaigning so far from home ; the Engineers made one as well as they could out of Tea cases ''.
90th

Posts : 3379 Join date : 2009-03-03 Location : Devon

90th wrote:: A coffin is a luxury unknown in an army campaigning so far from home ; the Engineers made one as well as they could out of Tea cases ''.

Many thanks 90th

Salute

Subject: Who made the Prince Imperials Coffin ? Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:56 am

No worries Andy .
90th Salute

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