The funeral of Bert Vickery (see blog post of 2 April 2019) took place at St Mary’s parish church, Thorncombe, Dorset, on Friday 12 April.  As seems to be usual at present, there was one large florist’s wreath from the family, which was placed on the coffin and later on the grave, and other people were requested to make donations in Bert’s memory.  In this case donations were requested for St Mary’s church, which Bert and his wife Elsie had been steadfast supporters for many years, and of which Bert had been a churchwarden.

After the funeral Bert’s coffin was lowered into his wife’s grave, after which the undertakers invited members of his immediate family to throw yellow roses into the grave and on to the coffin.  This idea seems to be a recent innovation, when Elsie was buried in 2003 people were invited to throw a small amount of soil into the grave.