The parish was plunged in gloom on Thursday, 4th January, when at midday our beloved Vicar and guide, Rev. Richard Coad-Pryor, died suddenly in the Vicarage. While for some time past, his health had not been good, he appeared to be fairly well up to the last, and he had arranged to take the midday celebration on the day of his death.

The affectionate regard in which he was held by his parishioners, the village generally, and all sections of the Christian Church was strikingly exemplified at the funeral in the churchyard on 9th January. The church was filled to overflowing, with not only the members of his own flock but with members of the Wesleyan, Primitive, and Congregational and Roman Catholic Churches.

The carriageway from the Vicarage to the church was lined with a guard of honour composed of our company of the Church Lads’ Brigade, under Captain Basey and Lieutenant Nightingale, and of the Girl Guides under Captain W. Newman and Lieutenant H. Newman. Following the bearers from the Vicarage to the church were Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter, MIr. and Mrs. Evans, Mr. Elliott, Mr. Ovington Jones, and Mrs. Cooper (wife of Mr. Cooper, who, together, looked after the Vicarage). As the cortege entered the church the opening sentences were read by the Rev. J. Fairfax Scott, rector of Hanworth. The service was conducted by the Rev. Prebendary H. P. Prosser (rural dean and vicar of Twickenham). Besides relatives there were several of the local clergy, an official representative of the Middlesex Education Committee, the Chairman of the District Council, and representatives from his old parish of Bengeo (Herts).

Never was a vicar loved more by the children, nor who took a keener interest in the young people of his parish, and large numbers of the school children were present under Mr. Willis, Miss Williams, Miss Mellish, and Miss Toswell.

The hymn, “Now the labourer’s task is o’er,” was sung at the commencement of the service, and after the lesson. Sullivan’s anthem, “Brother, thou art gone before us,” was very beautifully rendered by the choir. At the close of the service in church the hymn, “Peace, perfect peace,” was sung. “O rest in the Lord” was played by the organist as the cortege passed to the graveside. At the graveside the Nunc Dimittis was sung and the “Last Post” was sounded.

The grave (near the west entrance to the church and war shrine) was lined with evergreens, with a large cross of white flowers at the head. Upon the coffin there rested a chaplet of laurels and choice flowers from his only brother Canon Michael Pryor (who was in Bavaria), a wreath made with the flowers from his own garden, and two bunches of violets from Cornwall, his native county. The churchwardens had placed their wreath in the vicar’s stall before the commencement of the service, whilst the other floral tributes were placed in the baptistry.

There were some beautiful flowers from the parochial institutions with which the vicar was conected and other bodies, including the members of the Mothers’ Union, Working Party, Church of England Temperance Society, teachers and children of the Sunday school, staff of the boys’ girls’ and infants’ schools; the boys’ girls’ and infants’ schools; vicar’s Bible class; Hampton Hill tradesmen; Bengeo Working Men’s Club; churchwardens and congregation of Holy Trinity, Bengeo; and the Boys’ Home (Fairlight). Other floral tokens were received from :— Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Tanner and children; Miss Mabel Gunner; Mr. and Mrs. Ovington Jones and family; Mr. and Mrs. Cooper (the Vicarage); Mrs. Elliott and family; Thirlestane family abroad; Mrs. E. M. Goldie and family; the Rev. H. C. Orpwood; Mrs. and Miss G. O’Bryen; Dick and Philip Carpenter; Mr. and Mrs. W. Newton; Mr. C. J. W. Jakeman and family; Mrs. and Miss Joseph and Mrs. Selwyn; Mr. and Mrs. J. Roberts and family and Mr. and Mrs. Archbold; Mr. C. E. Westlake; Mrs. Cameron and children; Alice, Agnes, Muriel, and Vida; Miss Gertrude Roberts; Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Sherwood and family; Miss Brewer; Mr., Mrs., and Miss Faraker; Mr. and Mrs. Davies; Commander and Mrs. G. J. Coidwell; Mary and Eric; Mr. and Mrs. Simmons; Miss Newman; Joan; Mr., Mrs., and Miss Norton (Laurel Dene); Mr. and Mrs. Lowdell and Ken and Doris.

Concurrent with the funeral at a memorial service was held at the Bengeo, where Mr. Coad-Pryor was vicar for many years.

Amongst the numerous messages of condolence that have been received is one from the Bishop of London, who wrote that he was very sorry indeed to learn of the death and desired to express his sympathy with the family. Sir Philip Pilditch, our M.,P., wrote expressing Lady Pilditch’s and his own sorrow and condelence with the members of the church in their great loss. The Congregation of S. Michael and S. George, Fulwell, also sent their sympathy with S. James, Hampton Hill. The Congregational Church expressed its deep sense of the loss the church had sustained by the death of the vicar, to whose christian charity and readiness to co-operate in good work they bore testimony. Commander Coldwell, a parishioner, who is captain of the P. and 0. steamer, “Assaye,” sent a message by wireless expressing his sincere sympathy with the whole parish.

On the following Sunday evening, the Rev. R. Fairfax Scott (Rector of Hanworth), preached in our church. Taking as his text, “Fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim” (St. John ii. 7), the preacher said that their late vicar was brimful in all good works for the church and his parish, and he felt proud that they had honoured him by asking him to come there to express what was uppermost in their minds regarding him whose loss they all mourned, and whom they all reverenced and loved. He was not only proud that they had asked him, but would be still more proud if he could help them by any word of sympathy in their sorrow and bereavement. He met their late vicar for the first time when he came amongst them though they were at Cambridge at the same time forty years ago. Many men with less zeal for work would have felt justified more often in sparing themselves and might have been tempted to do less. If they wanted to be Christlike they must first of all learn to be human, and their late vicar was a man to whom every kind of human interest appealed. He was human through and through. They all knew that every case of illness or distress he always answered and answered promptly. They knew, too, how he loved the children, and how concerned he was in the problems of their education and in anything that appertained to their development - their Band of Hope, Sunday school, there was also his Bible class. They knew, too, his human kindliness, charity, courtesy, sympathy, and gentle consideration for his people in their sorrows and troubles. They knew, too, of his spiritual devotion in starting and continuing the daily celebration of the holy communion in that church. This had meant no little strain upon him for he suffered seriously from heart trouble. He (the preacher) had been most touched with the fact that their late vicar had made a careful note of the anniversary of the death of the men from the parish who had fallen in the great war, and always made a point of inviting their parents and relatives to commemorate the anniversary with a celebration of holy communion on that particular day. Not many of their clergy could say as much as that, and it was a great thing to be able to say it. Whilst that evening they remembered him and the lessons of his life, let them look towards the future and pray for his successor, so that when he came to them they would be ready to support him with their prayers and with the best loyalty that they could command. It was thus that they could best carry on the work of their late vicar and what would have been his heartfelt wishes.

There were several press references to our late beloved vicar’s death and funeral, and this account is based largely on the reports in “The Thames Valley Times.”

At a Special Meeting of the Church Council on 11th January, the following resolution was passed unanimously
“That the Church Council do record its deep grief at the sudden death of the Rev. Richard Coad-Pryor, our Vicar since 4th February, 1914. He endeared himself to the whole congregation by his scholarly and helpful guidance which he always expressed in terms appropriate to the occasion and his listeners. His ministrations to those in sickness or trouble were always rendered promptly, and with a full and sympathetic heart to all parishioners alike, quite irrespective of whether they were regular Church people. He was beloved of the children of the parish, and was highly esteemed and respected by all who knew him, and he will be greatly missed.

Source: The Hampton Hill Parish Magazine - 1923 January