Thatcher funeral rehearsal staged

Written By Unknown on Senin, 15 April 2013 | 19.21

15 April 2013 Last updated at 08:14 ET
Preparations ahead of funeral of Baroness Thatcher

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Members of the armed forces carry a union jack-draped coffin in the pre-dawn rehearsal

A military rehearsal of Baroness Thatcher's funeral procession has taken place in central London.

More than 700 members of the armed forces drawn from all three services took part in the practice before dawn.

They will line the route of the funeral procession from Westminster to St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday.

Lady Thatcher's coffin is to be carried in a gun carriage drawn by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, which was involved in the rehearsal.

Maj Andrew Chatburn, the man in charge of choreographing the parade, said the rehearsal "went very well" and it was "vitally important" to stage a trial of Wednesday's event.

"Timings are most important," he said.

Maj Chatburn, ceremonial staff officer for the Household Division, who was also behind the royal wedding procession two years ago and last year's Diamond Jubilee parade, added: "Bearing in mind these are sailors, soldiers and airmen who have come in to do this specific task from their routine duties, so it's new to them.

"They need to see the ground as well so they can get a feel for how it's going to go and they can perform their duties with confidence on the day."

Final portrait

The procession band played the funeral marches of Chopin, Beethoven and Mendelssohn as it made its way along the deserted streets for the rehearsal.

The Chelsea Pensioners from Royal Hospital Chelsea did not take part due to the early start, but they will line the west steps of St Paul's for the real event.

It has emerged that the last portrait of Lady Thatcher shows her relaxing on a deckchair in the garden of London's Royal Hospital Chelsea, a retirement and nursing home for ex-British soldiers. She was a strong supporter of the Chelsea Pensioners.

The BBC's Ben Ando watched the rehearsal and said it was for the benefit of the service personnel taking part.

Scotland Yard's preparations are ongoing, he added, and the force says the security operation on the day will be in line with the perceived threat level.

Lady Thatcher, who died at the age of 87 on 8 April, has been accorded a ceremonial funeral with military honours, one step down from a state funeral.

On Wednesday, the former prime minister's coffin will initially travel by hearse from the Palace of Westminster to the Church of St Clement Danes - the Central Church of the RAF - on the Strand.

It will then be transferred to the gun carriage and taken in procession to St Paul's Cathedral.

St Paul's Cathedral has published a full funeral order of service.

'Tidal wave of guff'

Respect MP George Galloway has said he will try to block plans designed to allow MPs to attend Lady Thatcher's funeral.

George Galloway

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Respect MP George Galloway says there has been "unnecessary fawning" over Lady Thatcher

Ministers want to cancel Prime Minister's Questions and delay the start of parliamentary business - an approach backed by Labour.

But Mr Galloway has said he will object on Monday evening when the motion is being read.

Under Commons rules, if one MP shouts "object", the proposal would then have to be withdrawn, or MPs would have to hold a debate followed by a vote.

Speaking on the BBC's Daily Politics Show, he said it was "absurd" to cancel PMQs, especially after the cost of recalling Parliament during the Easter break to pay tribute to Lady Thatcher.

He said Lady Thatcher had "laid waste to industrial Britain" and "there are millions of people in this country who hate the very word Thatcher".

These people were not being reflected in media coverage, and were instead being subjected to "a tidal wave of guff", he added.

On Sunday, a song at the centre of an online campaign by opponents of Baroness Thatcher, reached number two after selling 52,605 copies.

The 51-second song, Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead from the Wizard of Oz film, was not played on BBC Radio 1's Official Chart Show.

Instead, presenter Jameela Jamil linked to a Newsbeat reporter who explained why the song was in the chart.

The news report - which included a brief snippet of the song - also included two views from members of the public on the controversy, with one saying it was "quite funny", while the other said it was "disgraceful".

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Westminster

St Clement Danes

St Paul's

Downing Street

Procession

Westminster

  • The funeral procession will set out from the Palace of Westminster with Baroness Thatcher's body carried in a hearse for the first part of the journey. The coffin will be trasferred to a gun carriage at the church of St Clement Danes on the Strand.

  • Baroness Thatcher's body will lie overnight in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft which is found beneath St Stephen's Hall at the Palace of Westminster.

St Clement Danes

St Clement Danes

At the RAF Chapel at the church of St Clement Danes on the Strand, Baroness Thatcher's coffin will be borne in procession to St Paul's Cathedral on a gun carriage drawn by six horses of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery.

St Paul's Cathedral

  • There will be a Guard of Honour outside St Paul's as the coffin is transferred into the Cathedral by service personnel from regiments and ships closely associated with the Falklands campaign.

  • The ceremony in St Paul's Cathedral will be attended by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, family and friends of Baroness Thatcher, members of her cabinets and dignitaries from around the world.

Downing Street

  • The funeral passes Downing Street, which is found on the left of the route along Whitehall.

  • Baroness Thatcher was resident at Number 10 for more than ten years following her General Election victory in 1979.

Ceremonial procession

Once the procession leaves St Clement Danes, the route to St Paul's along Fleet Street and Ludgate Hill will be lined by more than 700 armed forces personnel from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, F Company Scots Guards, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, and the Royal Air Force.


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