All Saints Parish Church, Wellington

Up to Shropshire from Kent for another funeral, the second in 4 months, of a life long acquaintance who I played cricket with in my youth and who was hale and hearty when we talked at the previous funeral in August.

I was hoping to be able to see the cortège pass the cricket ground as there was a private cremation followed by a service at Wellington Parish Church. This was not to be as the fast train from Euston to Shrewsbury was cancelled as I arrived at Euston.

I travelled instead on the long delayed 10.43 to Edinburgh which arrived at Birmingham a minute after the connection should have left. Fortunately, I was able to catch that train as it was 7 minutes late.

Anything after that was plain sailing or so I thought. It’s not Friday 13th for nothing. The return journey was just as complicated. The 17.53 I was expecting to catch was cancelled but the earlier 17.46 was delayed by 27 minutes leaving at 18.14 which was a faster train allowing me to get to Wolverhampton in time to catch my booked London train. I hope you’re keeping up with all this at the back!

The funeral service was one of the best I’ve ever attended. Crowds of people which showed the great esteem Peter was held in. Good, if poignant to meet up again, so soon, with many people from my youth. I hope it’s a longer gap before we see each other again.

It was a special moment to step inside All Saints Parish Church, Wellington again after a gap of probably 50 years. It was the church where my parents were married in 1948, where I was christened in 1954 and where I went to Sunday school until I rebelled in the late 1960s.

The church seemed smaller than I remember, the pulpit had gone as had the font. It still felt a familiar place after all these years.

Edit: Further delays as Euston was evacuated meaning our train was held at Coventry. Currently on the move. 53 minutes down.