LAID TO REST

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 131, 18 July 1941, Page 5

LAID TO REST

THE LATE F. J. REYNOLDS A THOUSAND MOURNERS WIDESPREAD TRIBUTES Poppies of Remembrance showered in the open grave, by his old comrades, the members of the Whakatane Returned Soldiers' Association, were a fitting climax to> the great public tribute which attended the funeral of the late Mr Frank J. Reynolds, at the Whakatane Cemetery yesterday, and as the red canopy grew, till it enveloped the casket, a solitary member of the Maori race came forward and his "Kia Ora, to my old Boss" was probably even more touching to the hundreds who stood silently by. The was the largest ever " seen iu - .Vhakatane, and was attended by a uniformed guard and firing party from the local Territorials under Major J. W. Wilson, over si hundred Returned Soldiers, under the .command of Messrs H. McDonald and J. Runciman, and two ! undred members of the Home Guard, under Messrs V. Carter and G. Mexted. Moving off at the head of t,he •cortege these units were in them- • selves an impressive tributes to one who had apparently made a wider circle of friends then even hei himself dreamed. A hundred cars followed though many people had pre- • ceded the funeral and stood bareheaded at the cemetery gateway as ; t arrived. At the graveside the units formt-'l along three sides the firing party at the head, and as the flag-draped casket was lowered, the latter clicke.i smartly to the present. From dozen cars the floral tributes soo*.i • covered the Mljacent ground unt:l it was carpeted with flowers. The service was conducted by the Rev. J. H. Starnes of Edgecumbe ; after which the Last Post was sounded by Master Len Broadmore of Thornton. This was followed by A volley from the firing party.

Whakatane is the Poorer. Paying a public tribute to the deceased, Mr lan G. Gow said that all who stood there tendered a silent farewell to a beloved friend. No words could express even faintly the feelings Avhich were common to them all at that moment, but this thev did realise, the community would be the poorer for the passing of Frank Reynolds. "Everyone of us," said Mr Gow, "has gained something from his vivid personality. This community has never seen, or is likely to see : again so generous a giver, ifor he was one of few who could make the recipient feel that he had conferred <k favour on the donor. Our community is impoverished because we have lost 'Frank." I hardly] dire trust myself to dwell for any grea'. length upon his passing. We: Juivfe all been the better for having known "liim. He set an example which if we were all to follow would make the world a finer place. The tragedy of his death we shall forget, but his example' will always be remembered -for he brought a joy to us all." Widely Representative. The silent crowd stood, while: the -official units filed past. From all parts of the Province had come friends, and representatives of various organisations. The local body representatives from neighbouring towns' and districts were particularly strong, a rather unique tribute in itself, as the late Mr Reynolds in spite of his many other activities "had not figured very prominently in local body The Waikato was "well as was the Gisborne district and Rotorua. The pall-bearers Avere Messrs. P. 'Sisam, lan B. Gow, J. Hanright, W. Aleksieli, T'. Graddock and A. Pow--drell.