By the time the inquest was concluded, the mortal remains of George Cawley had already been laid to rest. News of the lifeboat's recovery, and its young occupant, had spread quickly. The apparently tragic death of this young man, alone on the open sea, seems to have struck a chord in the heart's of the Island's authorities and people. Accordingly, it was decided to hold a very public funeral in honour of this young victim of war.

On April the 15th, the body was taken from the mortuary at St Helier's General Hospital and placed in a horse-drawn, glass panelled hearse. With due solemnity, it was drawn through the streets of St Helier to the Town Church. A funeral cortege accompanied it, formed from a detachment of the Jersey Garrison Battalion, a Boy's Brigade Band and six local naval men who would act as bearers. The mourners followed: representatives from the Army, Navy and Coastguard services were present, together with the Island's Solicitor General and Viscount. Scout Masters with their troops, and more men from the local Garrison made up the remainder of the contingent. The roads to the church were lined with people, and as the procession passed, hats was removed and heads lowered as a mark of respect. Many businesses along the route had chosen to fly flags at half mast in honour of the young sailor.

At the packed church, the funeral service was conducted by the Dean of Jersey. Special prayers were offered for the young man's mother, who appears not to have attended the service. Afterwards, the coffin was again placed in the hearse, and George Cawley started out on the last journey of his young life. His final resting place was to be St Helier's Almorah Cemetery, which stands on a hill overlooking the town. The journey to it meant again traversing St Helier, and again the way was lined with people paying their respects.

At the cemetery, the body was laid to rest, with the Dean leading the internment. As a finale, a haunting "Last Post" was sounded, followed by three sharp volleys of rifle fire. With that, the mourners trailed away, and the George Cawley was left to lie in peace on a hillside above St Helier, in an Island a long way from his birth.

And there he remains to the this day. For the newspapers which reported these events, his story ended a few days later with the closure of the inquest. They had new stories to tell, new events to report; dramatic news came thick and fast in 1917. I came across the story some eight-five years later. Like the people of Jersey at the time, I found it a compelling one; drawn in by its tragic nature. And so I thought I would try to find a bit more in order to try to better understand why this young man had come to end his days lying in a cemetery in Jersey. I was interesting in finding out what ship he had been on; what had happened to it; how he had died; and how he had got to Jersey.