HARRY HAYTER SWAITE

WEDDED & WIDOWED WITHIN A MONTH

A month ago we recorded the marriage of Miss Gladys Lewis to Mr Harry Swaite.  Yesterday (Wednesday),exactly twenty eight days since the wedding day, the body of the bridegroom was laid to rest in Newbury Cemetery. Such a sad severance after so short a spell of matrimonial happiness has evoked the sympathy of the townspeople generally, and particularly of relatives and friends of the deceased, who were thus plunged into a sudden tragedy.  The widow is the only daughter of Mr and Mrs w R Lewis, of “Marston” Chesterfield road, and the deceased the only son of Mr and Mrs F J Swaite of London street, Reading.  The sorrow which has so suddenly been brought to the hearts if these two families can only be realised by those who had gone through a similar experience, for to lose one who was in the prime of his manhood and with a life of promise and bright prospects is indeed a hard burden to bear.

Harry Swaite had a kindly disposition towards all who met with him; his business colleagues spoke of him as an affectionate comrade and a conscientious worker.  Upon leaving school he entered the service of the Great Western Railway Company and continued in their employ until the time of his death.  He was for many years engaged as a clerk at Newbury station, but about a twelve month or so ago was transferred to other places as relief clerk.  Everywhere he did duty, Basingstoke, Reading, Lambourn, Wooburn Green and West Norwood, he was esteemed by his fellow workers, who paid their last tribute of respect to him by their presence at the funeral and their contribution of wreaths.  During the was the deceased saw active service I France with the Machine Gun Corps, was wounded during some heavy fighting around Arras, and conveyed to a hospital in Lancashire.  He was a great lover of music, a most capable pianist, and very popular with the troops who frequented the Y.M.C.A huts, in which he spent hours at the piano.  The effect of his wound in the war was felt for some considerable time, though no serious developments were contemplated.   E did not enjoy the best of health whilst on h is honeymoon at the Channel Ilsles, but he did not complain until after lifting the luggage upon return to Weymouth, when he suspected that he had strained himself.  He reached Newbury on September 20^th and on the following day, a fortnight following his wedding, he was admitted to a nursing home in St Joh’s road, and operated on for n abscess on the appendix.  Four days later another operation was necessary, peritonitis having set in ,and just when he seemed to be rallying for the better, septic poisoning intervened, and he died last Saturday morning.

At the funeral yesterday,  both at the service and at the graveside, there was an unusually large crowd of people, whose feelings were sympathetically extended to the bereaved relatives.  The service was held in the Primitive Methodist Church, the officiating ministers being the Revs. Percy Jackson and A B Gowers.  The hymn sung was “Christ will gather in His own” and the music played by the organist, Mr Charles Griffin, “Blest are the departed” (Sphohr), “I know that my Redeemer liveth” (Handel and  “O Rest in the Lord” (Mendelssohn).  The Rev. J A Alderson of Queens Park, London, who also officiated at the wedding, took part in the committal service, offering prayers for those that mourned. 

The coffin bore the inscription “Harry Hayter Swaite, died October 1^st, 1921, aged 25 years”

The mourners were Mr and Mrs F J Swaite (father and stepmother), Mr and Mrs Frank Rosier (uncle and aunt), Mr W R Lewis (father-in-law) and Miss Lewis, Mr And Mrs J H Simpson (Andover), Mr and Mrs W Hayter (Reading), Mrs H Edwards(Reading), Mr R C Hayter sen and Mr Hayter jun (Reading), ), Mr Blea (Station-master, West Drayton), Messrs Thornton and Kennedy (representatives of G W R West Drayton) Messrs H L Archard, W J Elsey,  R, A Perry, and W E Twaddle (of G W R Newbury), Messrs F Daldry, A L Fereday and G F Jeffrey (Y M C A Reading), Messrs F W Drewe, R C Chaney and C H Leach (representatives of London street Primitive Methodist Church Reading) etc

Floral tributes were sent by the sorrowing wife, father and mother, Mr and Mrs W R Lewis; Uncle Frank, Auntie Phyll and the boys; Auntie; Nell; Grandad, Auntie Rose and Uncle Tom; Grandpa Hayter and family; Will and Olive Elsey; Mr and Mrs J H Simpson, Mr and Mrs Weaver, Dorothy and Grace; Mr and Mrs P Sellwood; Mrs L M Grimes; Mr and Mrs G Griffin and family; Cliff and Mr and Mrs Ridsdale; Mr and Mrs Arthur Rosier; Mr and Mrs W J Britton; Mr and Mrs A Samuels; Mr and Mrs Bert Morton; Mr and Mrs Maccabee (Wash Common); Mr and Mrs A J Fisher and Mrs G Parker; Mr and Mrs Dudley C Finn; Mr and Mrs S H Pavier; Mr and Mrs Heath; Tolfree, Reggie ND Miss Clinch; Mr and Mrs S Maccabee; Mr and Mrs W Lipscombe and Mr F Shepherd; Mrs Marrack and Miss Hutchinson; Recce Lewis, Doncaster;  Mrs F B Langridge; Newbury G W R Staff; a friend and the Lambourn Valley Staff; Reading G W R Clerical Staff; friends and colleagues at West Drayton; President and Members of the Reading Grocers Association; Officers, Members and General Secretary, Reading Y M C A; friends at London street, Reading, Primitive Methodist Church and School