"The Queen and I offer you out heartfelt sympathy in your great sorrow. We pray that your country's gratitude for a life so nobly given in its service may bring you some measure of consolation."
In a brief but moving address Mr. Rogers said:—
"We are gathered today. to pay tribute in a little ceremony to the memory of our late colleague "Bill" Holland.
"The idea of this ceremony developed rom an offer made by our esteemed fellow member Mr. H. H. Cohen to present the Association with an oil painting reproduced from one of Bill's-photographs.. This offer was gratefully accepted by your Committee who felt that the finished portrait should be panelled in a special place of honour and unveiled with appropriate ceremony. Knowing as I do how much 'Brother Bill' had endeared himself in the hearts of all members of this Association,' I am sure that you will all welcome this opportunity of paying your respects the to the memory of so worthy a colleague.
"I am not going to recapitulate the details of Bill's glorious career which is fairly well known to all of us, but I would like to quote an extract fr a recent edition of the London 'Times,' it reads:
"The death of "Bill" Holland in a flying accident on December 10 came as a great shock to his family and many friends at home and in China.
After serving through the last war in the Scottish Horse and the Royal Flying Corps he went to China, where he was a very popular figure, his good humour and genial good fellowship endearing him to all whose path met. his during his years in. Tientsin and Shanghai. Although a veteran of 48, Bill felt he must come home to do his bit for the Old Country, and he returned in the autumn of last year to take up his commission in the RAF. He was a keen soldier, the type of Englishman we can ill afford to lose. He was a great friend, a very gallant gentleman, quite without fear. He leaves a gap in our lives which it will be hard to fill'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.