“For the memorial service the church was packed. Many members of the Uruguayan Government were present, and representatives from nearly every country in the world either sent wreaths or came in person. The President of Uruguay came into the church and stood a few minutes in silent contemplation before the rough wooden coffin which, covered by the Union Jack, stood in front of the altar. The Republic of Uruguay also sent a magnificent bronze wreath to be placed on the grave. The French Maritime Society sent a bronze palm, and Mr. Ogden Armour, representing the United States of America, brought a huge wreath of lilies. The British Minister at Monte Video came with a bronze wreath and a memorial plaque, both of which I screwed up later on the walls of the little wooden church in South Georgia. “At the conclusion of the service the coffin was carried to a waiting gun-carriage by ten British ex-Service men. Huge crowds had assembled to pay their last tribute to the great explorer, and the whole of the route from the church to the quay where the _Woodville_ was lying was lined by troops. Along one part of the route women showered rose petals down on to the coffin from overhanging balconies. “On arrival at the ship the coffin was taken aboard and the Uruguayan Minister for Foreign Affairs made a short speech, in which he said that not only England but the whole world was made the poorer by Sir Ernest’s death. The British Minister replied, thanking the President and the Republic of Uruguay for the way in which they had honoured the dead explorer’s memory. “The coffin was then lowered into the hold, and the _Woodville_ put out into the harbour. “The Uruguayan Government had asked to be allowed to take the coffin down to South Georgia in a warship, but owing to the bad ice conditions which existed at that time I considered that to take an ordinary steel ship down there would be unnecessarily risking the lives of all on board as well as the safety of the ship. So they very reluctantly gave up the idea, but when the _Woodville_ left next day the warship escorted her to the three-mile limit, fired a salute of seventeen guns—the highest possible honour that could be shown to anyone less than their own President—and steamed up alongside the _Woodville_ with the marines formed up at the salute while their buglers sounded the “Farewell,” which is usually only sounded for the fallen after victory in battle. This seemed to me to be the most touching tribute of all, symbolizing as it did their idea of Sir Ernest’s life-struggles and his triumphant passing over. “We reached South Georgia on February 27th, 1922, and in a blinding snow-storm we took the coffin ashore to the little wooden Lutheran church at Gritviken.