Now the labourer's task is o'er;
Now the battle day is past;
Now upon the farther shore
Lands the voyager at last.
Father, in thy gracious keeping
Leave we now Thy servant sleeping

There the tears of earth are dried;
There its hideous things are clear:
There the work of life is tried
By a juster Judge than here.
Father, in thy gracious keeping
Leave we now Thy servant sleeping

There the sinful souls, that turn
To the Cross their dying eyes,
All the love of Christ shall learn
At His Feet in Paradise.
Father, in thy gracious keeping
Leave we now Thy servant sleeping

There no more the powers of hell
Can prevail to mar their peace;
Christ the Lord shall guard them well
He Who died for their release.
Father, in thy gracious keeping
Leave we now Thy servant sleeping

"Earth to earth, and dust to dust,"
Calmly now the words we say,
Leaving him to sleep in trust
Till the Resurrection-day.
Father, in thy gracious keeping
Leave we now Thy servant sleeping

THE TWO WORLDS

In the valley down below,
Where the fairest flowers blow,
And the brooks run babbling nonsense to the sea,
Underneath the shady trees,
We two sauntered at our ease,
Just a pleasant little world for you and me.

Then the summons of the Lord,
Like a sudden silver sword,
Came and cut our little pleasant world in two,
One fierce world of strife and hate,
One sad world where women wait,
And we wander far apart dear, I and you.

And it may be with this breath,
There will come the call of death,
And will put another world 'twixt you and me,
You will stand with God above,
I will stand 'twixt pride and love,
Looking out through mists of sorrow o'er the sea.

Yet the world in God is one,
And when all our strife is done,
There will dawn the perfect world for you and me,
When we two together stand,
Looking upwards hand in hand,
When the fires of love have burned up every sea.

G. A. Studdert Kennedy

Hymn:  Army Prayer Book No. 45  -  "Holy Father in Thy Mercy".
(Army Prayer Book India No. 56).

Holy Father, in Thy mercy, Hear our anxious prayer,
Keep our loved ones, now far distant, 'Neath Thy care.

Jesus, Saviour, let Thy presence, Be their light and guide;
Keep, oh, keep them, in their weakness, At Thy Side.

When in sorrow, when in danger, When in loneliness,
In Thy love look down and comfort, Their distress.

May the joy of Thy salvation, Be their strength and stay;
May they love and may they praise Thee, Day by Day.

Holy Spirit, let Thy teaching, Sanctify their life;
Send Thy grace, that they may conquer, In the strife.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God the One in Three,
Bless them, guide them, save them, keep them,
Near to Thee.

Address by the Rev. J. Good, O.B.E., D.A.C.G., 15 Indian Corps

"They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old, age shall not weary them nor the years condemn.  At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them."

     Officers and men of the 8th (Belfast( Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, we are gathered here to-day in this war battered Church of St. Mark in Akyab, to pay tribute to our comrades whose tour of duty in this world has been completed. They have in God's mercy been called to higher service.

     I cannot think of a more fitting day in the whole year to do this than to-day - the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  Good Friday recalls self sacrifice and absolute devotion to duty of the highest order.  Easter Day recalls the joy and the glory resulting from the Great Victory won through that sacrifice and devotion to the world's greatest cause.  On the first Good Friday Jesus paid the price of our sins that the Father might be reconciled to His children who had gone astray.  He died for the people - His brothers and sisters.  He was called upon to pay the Supreme Sacrifice for those He loved and He answered willingly knowing the cost.

     Your comrades died too in the great cause for which we are all fighting.  They answered the call of King and Country willingly and were asked to pay with their lives in a foreign and far distant land.  Why? Why are we out here when we all long to be back in our homes, in our own country, sharing those homes in joy with our loved ones? Many answers might be given.

     But first of all surely it is because we want to make those homes secure for our loved ones, and no sacrifice is too great in such a cause.
     Secondly, we want to put an end to tyranny and oppression - the trampling of the weak by the strong and warlike.
     Thirdly and most important of all, we want to carry on the battle which Jesus began.  Never was Christianity so menaced as in the last 20 years when all sorts of so called ideals were set up in the place of Christianity and the right to think and speak and act freely denied to thousands of freedom loving people.

     We want to see a world won for Christ and no sacrifice is too great in such a cause.

     On Saturday our Lord's Body lay in the grave but He was not there.  He was not dead, nor gone for ever.  He was not in the rock-hewn tomb in the garden of Joseph of Arimathaea.  He was helping others.  He went and taught the spirits - the people who had passed on before Him.  They then were living even as our comrades are living, though in the sight of the world they seemed to die. Our comrades are not dead.  Their bodies are lying in obscure graves it is true - obscure at any rate so far as their loved ones are concerned but they are alive for evermore. "Dust thou art to dust returned was not spoken of the soul."

     In God's providence we cannot see them or hear them, but they may hear and see us even now as we remember them.  And when you go home and see their loved ones and tell them how they died that is the way I want you who are Christians to look at it.  You must think of them as living.  Look forward to the Resurrection when as Christ rose, triumphant and glorified, so too shall they and we.

     I know that whatever sacrifices you may be called upon to make before the war ends you will make them in the same spirit as they did.  You will never let them down. You will keep up the spirit and the good name of the 8th (Belfast) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery - whose motto is "Where right and glory lead."  Your Regiment of which you may be justly proud.  But that is not quite enough.  When the war ends and you go back unless you keep up that spirit of comradeship and self sacrificing service you will be letting them down.  They died to make the world a better place - see to it that you do your best to carry on that ideal, and then you will really be paying tribute to their memory.

Opening Sentence.
Short Morning Prayer.
Psalm:  23. Army Prayer Book page 3  -  "The Lord is my Shepherd".
(Army Prayer Book India page 11).

The Lord is my shepherd; therefore can I lack nothing.
He shall feed me in a green pasture: and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort.
He shall convert my soul: and bring me forth in the paths of righteousness, for his Name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff comfort me.
Thou shalt prepare a table before me against them that trouble me: thou hast anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be full.
But thy loving kindness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

Lesson:  Ecclesiasticus 44, Verses 1 - 15. Read by Brigadier L. A. Harris, D.S.O., M.C., C.C.R.A., 15 Indian Corps.

Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us,
The Lord hath wrought great glory by them through his great power from the beginning.
Such as did bear rule in their kingdoms, men renowned for their power, giving counsel by their understanding, and declaring prophecies:
Leaders of the people by their counsels, and by their knowledge of learning meet for the people, wise and eloquent in their instructions:
Such as found out musical tunes, and recited verses in writing:
Rich men furnished with ability, living peaceably in their habitations;
All these were honoured in their generations, and were the glory of their times.
There be of them, that have left a name behind them, that their praises might be reported.
And some there be, which have no memorial; who are perished, as though they had never been; and are become as though they had never been born, and their children after them.
But these were merciful men, whose righteousness hath not been forgotten.
With their seed shall continually remain a good inheritance, and their children are within the covenant.
Their seed standeth fast, and their children for their sakes.
Their seed shall remain for ever, and their glory shall not be blotted out.
Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth for evermore.
The people will tell of their wisdom, and the congregation will show forth their praise.

C.C.R.A. Address :

     I am very conscious of the great honour that the 8th (Belfast) H.A.A. Regiment have shewn me in asking me to unveil this memorial to those of your comrade-in-arms who have fought and won their last battle with us in Arakan.

     Your Regiment's record in this, the greatest of all wars, is indeed a magnificent one.  You have fought with distinction in three widely separated areas ... France, Great Britain and Burma.  You have remained throughout and still remain a corporate body of free God-fearing men who, fully conscious of all that is at stake, have never hesitated to face the dangers of war together.

     No finer, nor more fitting, place than this little, battle-torn Church of Akyab could have been chosen by you in which to place this memorial.  This Church is one of the first to be retaken in all Burma and the present state of the restored fabric bears witness to many hours of devoted service to God on the part of many of you.

     We deeply mourn our comrades whose names are on this memorial, but you and I know that they are the victors and that their supreme sacrifice has not been in vain.  We who remain will continue the fight assured of God's blessing and strengthened by the love we bear these men.

Reading of Memorial

Last Post

One Minute's Silence.

Reveille.

Short Prayers.

   1. For faithful service, and strength to dedicate ourselves to God's cause.

   2. For all who are suffering through the war.

   3. For peace, goodwill and understanding among the nations of the world, and the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth.

   4. For loved ones, remembering the loved ones of our fallen comrades.

   5. Dedication of ourselves to the service of God.

Hymn:  Army Prayer Book No. 84  -  "O God Our Help".
(Army Prayer Book India No. 102).

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hopes for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Beneath the shadow of Thy Throne
Thy Saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine Arm alone,
And our defence is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.

A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.

National Anthem.

Blessing.