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WF
Marshall The Bard of Tyrone 1888 - 1959 Death and Funeral Marshall died on 25 January 1959. He had been in failing health for some time. Two years previously he had retired from active ministerial duties but he was still senior Minister of Castlerock Presbyterian Church at the time of his death. The obituaries of the News Letter, the Northern Whig and the Belfast Telegraph provided only the bare detail of the man's life. The Omagh-based Tyrone Constitution and the Coleraine Chronicle managed to convey a stronger sense of the passing of a great man. The funeral service brought together many of the strands of his life. The service in Castlerock Presbyterian Church was conducted by the Revd WJ Vance, Moderator of the Coleraine Presbytery. The Rt Revd Dr William McAdam, Moderator of the General Assembly, and the Revd IG Graeme-Cook, Marshall's successor as Minister of Castlerock, also played a part in the service. The Revd Robert Moore, the Minister of Agriculture, a fellow Presbyterian Minister and life-long friend of Marshall's, brought together the world of politics and Presbyterianism. Moore described his old friend as a 'scholar, patriot and a preacher'. Marshall's service in the USC was but one manifestation of his patriotism. As the funeral cortege set out on the journey to Sixmilecross, the hearse was flanked by members of the local platoon of the B Specials through the village. On its arrival in Sixmilecross, the funeral cortege was met by 300 Orangemen in regalia. They escorted Marshall on his final journey to the old 'meeting house' and the adjoining graveyard. Orangemen formed a guard of honour and the coffin was borne to the graveside by members of the Institution in full regalia. The commital service was conducted by the Moderator, assisted by the Minister of Castlerock. The Revd H Patterson, Minister of Sixmilecross, conducted the ritual of the Orange Institution. James Robinson, Worshipful Master of Castlerock LOL 141, paid tribute to WF's outstanding service to the Order.
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