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| Lee Rigby funeral: toddler son a reminder of pointless Woolwich death | Lee Rigby funeral: toddler son a reminder of pointless Woolwich death |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Husband. Son. Brother. Daddy. The floral tributes crammed into the windows of the hearse carrying Lee Rigby's body spelled out the many facets of a life taken too soon. | Husband. Son. Brother. Daddy. The floral tributes crammed into the windows of the hearse carrying Lee Rigby's body spelled out the many facets of a life taken too soon. |
| But it was the number on the back of the shirt of the smallest mourner that brought home the pointless and painful horror of what happened to the 25-year-old fusilier in Woolwich 50 days ago. | |
| Jack, Rigby's toddler son, was carried into Bury parish church wearing a Manchester United top with his age on the back: 2. Above it, his dad's nickname: RIGGERS. | Jack, Rigby's toddler son, was carried into Bury parish church wearing a Manchester United top with his age on the back: 2. Above it, his dad's nickname: RIGGERS. |
| The little boy looked confused – old enough to feel the pain of a life with his father no longer in it, but too young to comprehend why hundreds of people had lined the streets of Bury on Thursday afternoon to clap as the convoy of big black cars drove past. | The little boy looked confused – old enough to feel the pain of a life with his father no longer in it, but too young to comprehend why hundreds of people had lined the streets of Bury on Thursday afternoon to clap as the convoy of big black cars drove past. |
| The streets fell silent as Rigby's body was drummed into town by colleagues from the drum corps of the second battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. | |
| The pubs had shut, along with many of the shops, and Bolton Street was full of wellwishers of all description – a blue-haired teenager in a Jack Daniels crop-top; a lady in a wheelchair in a gold sequinned outfit, a cyclist in Lycra shorts and a fluorescent jersey as well as many in military regalia. | |
| Housewife Pam Hayward, 48, summed up the feelings of those who turned out. "Soldiers are out there every day putting their lives on the line. How can you not give a few hours of your time to show respect for them?" | Housewife Pam Hayward, 48, summed up the feelings of those who turned out. "Soldiers are out there every day putting their lives on the line. How can you not give a few hours of your time to show respect for them?" |
| A ripple of applause passed through the crowd as Rigby's comrades marched past, bearskin busbies straight despite the melting heat. | A ripple of applause passed through the crowd as Rigby's comrades marched past, bearskin busbies straight despite the melting heat. |
| Six had been chosen to carry their fallen friend into the church, his coffin draped in a union flag, his busby perched on top. Sweat dripped down the face of one of the pallbearers as he held the coffin at waist height. The chin of another wobbled as he blinked in the face of a dozen camera flashes. Hands shook under the weight of both the casket and the situation. | |
| Rigby – killed in broad daylight, not in the badlands of Afghanistan, where he had served as a machine gunner but on the streets of London – has earned the sort of funeral honours usually reserved for statesmen or royalty. | |
| From Thursday night until his funeral at 11am on Friday, 32 of his fellow soldiers will keep vigil over his coffin. Four at a time, they will watch over the corners of the casket: a procedure last seen the night before Margaret Thatcher's funeral. "A very rare honour," said an army spokesman. "Sixteen years I've been in the job and I've never seen a military funeral like this." | |
| Jonathan Griffiths, 21, said he was there to show his respect for "a young lad who died doing right for his country, and who was only doing his job". The NHS worker took solace from the turnout: "I think things will change in a positive way. Today shows that no matter what happens in the community, there's always going to be friends and family to show their respects and condolences." | |
| Linda Freeman, 63, who co-ordinates a Christian group of street pastors, said Rigby's death had had a big effect on Bury, the home of the fusiliers. "We often meet soldiers on the street and it has hit them hard. They're like a big family," she said. | Linda Freeman, 63, who co-ordinates a Christian group of street pastors, said Rigby's death had had a big effect on Bury, the home of the fusiliers. "We often meet soldiers on the street and it has hit them hard. They're like a big family," she said. |
| When Rigby died he was attached to the regimental recruiting team and was on his way back to barracks in Woolwich from a shift working at the Tower of London. | When Rigby died he was attached to the regimental recruiting team and was on his way back to barracks in Woolwich from a shift working at the Tower of London. |
| The two men charged with his murder, Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, will stand trial at the Old Bailey on 28 November. | The two men charged with his murder, Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, will stand trial at the Old Bailey on 28 November. |
| The horrific killing led to nationwide shock and revulsion and Friday's funeral is expected to be attended by thousands of mourners following a groundswell of public support for his relatives. The family's wishes are for a private military funeral, with the public and media asked to remain outside the church to pay their respects. | The horrific killing led to nationwide shock and revulsion and Friday's funeral is expected to be attended by thousands of mourners following a groundswell of public support for his relatives. The family's wishes are for a private military funeral, with the public and media asked to remain outside the church to pay their respects. |
| In an interview before the vigil, Rigby's widow and Jack's mother, Rebecca, said her late husband had talked about the sort of funeral he wanted. | |
| "Lee always wanted his service to be a time that people would remember him and shed the tears. But then he always said [it would be] a remembrance of his life. He wanted people to … talk about happy days and happy memories they have got of Lee and the things he used to do and say, because he was always so full of life," she said. "He just wanted to put a smile on everyone's face." | |
| She described Rigby as a fun-loving father with dubious taste in music. "He loved Westlife," she said, laughing as she remembered how he bought them tickets to see the Irish boyband. "He even pretended that the tickets he bought were for me. We all knew they were for Lee. He lived his life like a kid in a candy shop Additional reporting by Sarah Dawood | |
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