Sailors Pull Queen Victoria’s Coffin

At Queen Victoria’s funeral on 2 February 1901, the procession set out in bitterly cold weather with artillery horses hitched to the gun carriage carrying her coffin. In the freezing conditions, the horses refused to move. Sailors stepped in, attached harnesses and a train communication cord, and hauled the gun carriage themselves. Their improvised solution worked and created the lasting tradition of Royal Navy sailors pulling royal coffins at state funerals.

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