West Mersea Church Gazette, page 5.
Church and City Notes

The Memorial Service of our late Queen was held at 2 o'clock on February 2nd. It consisted of the Burial Office with the special substituted prayers ordered by Authority. At 1.30 p.m. by special invitation of the Vicar, whose earnest desire it was to make the Service as Catholic as possible, in the sense of being representative of all classes and opinions, ecclesiastical, political and social, a procession was formed at the Church Institute which moved to the Church along High street, in the following order :-
Coastguards and Royal Naval Eeserve, under Chief Officer J.H. Smith.
Cross Bearer.
Choir.
Sidesmen:- Inspector Fletcher and Mr Jas. Hempstead,
Mr. J. Thorpe.
Mr. Churchwarden Cross
bearing their wands of Office.
Representatives of Court Sailor's Home A.O.F.

Arrived at the Church, the Procession entered singing Hymn 165 "O God our help in ages past." During the Service Hymns 537 "Peace perfect Peace" and 401 "Now the labourer's task is o'er" were effectively rendered. The Sacred Edifice was crowded to its utmost capacity by a reverent congregation, attired in deep mourning. Besides those Sidesmen mentioned above, Messrs H. Banks and Alfred Mussett were in the procession with the Foresters. At the conclusion of the Service the Organist, Miss R. Hempstead, played with much feeling the Dead March from "Saul." Messrs M. Thorp and W. Moyse very kindly undertook the difficult task of seating the worshippers, a task rendered the more difficult by the unseemly behaviour of just a few, who on a solemn occasion like that, might have been expected to know how to conduct themselves.

At 3.30 p.m. another largely attended Service was held for the children, who had necessarily been excluded from the former Service. Under the superintendence of Mr. John Thorpe, the Headmaster, ably assisted by the entire staff, the children of the Board School marched in procession to the Church and joined attentively in a repetition of the preceding Service only slightly varied.

The Church and Porch outside were tastefully draped in Black with large white rosettes and the Processional Cross, Lectern, Churchwarden's and Sidesmen's Staves also bore crape tokens of mourning. Six vases containing violets and lilies of the valley, given by a parishioner, adorned the altar, and a picture of the Queen draped in crape and bearing a garland of the same flowers, hung near the pulpit.

At 8 o'clock on the morning of February 2nd there was a Celebration of the Holy Communion with special Collect, Epistle and Gospel.

Date: March 1901