Samuel Franklin Cody funeral procession RAE-O1003

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War
Cody's funeral procession. Soldiers in full dress uniform carrying wreaths. Despite the fact that he was not in the armed forces as a sign of the respect and esteem he was held in Cody was giving a funeral with full military honours, his coffin being borne on a gun carriage that was part of a 1/2 mile long procession, before being buried at the military cemetery in Aldershot. It is thought that every battalion based at Aldershot was represented at the funeral, along with virtually the entire compliment of the RFC. The whole of the 2 1/2 mile funeral route was lined with crowds, with around 100,000 people attending. Hundreds of telegraphs of commiseration were sent to Lela Cody including ones from King and Queen and the Secretary of State for War. Several hundred floral tributes were laid at his grave with many coming from members of the public who had never met Cody along with those from the many friends he had made during his various careers.