Lord Clifford gave what he described as a "brief homily" at Shirley's funeral, about her campaigning work for maritime war graves.  This is an extract from his remarks:

"Although I am not by blood a member of Shirely's family, her determination, enthusiasm, and refusal to accept defeatism on the issue of the maritime war graves formed a coterie, a family or bond among many like spirits throughout this country as well as across the world.

"I mention the global nature of her influence for obvious reasons.  Shirely's father was killed on active duty aboard HMS Repulse, off Singapore, on 10 December 1941.  Twice in recent months, Shirley has tackled, on the spot and at her own expense, our Defence Attache at the Singapore HIgh Commission, tackled him on the subject of marauding divers "interfering with her father's grave for commercial benefit".......

"Shirley made use of her journalistic talents and contacts to broadcast the unforgivable desecration of Maritime War Cemeteries to the extent that the last Teignbridge Member of Parliament was granted an Early Day Motion to question the Government Minister on the uselessness of the 1986 Protection of Military Remains Act.

"Such pressure resulted in a "Consultation Paper" being produced, comments being presented by all interested parties, and a Ministerial Report being produced in November 2001; a report which achieved at least some of the goals Shirley hoped to achieve.  The best of which was the designation as "Protected Ships" both of her father's cemetery, HMS Repulse, and her sister ship, HMS Princess of Wales.

"My Great Grandfather, Jackie Fisher, First Sea Lord and father of those great battleships, "The Dreadnoughts" would have been proud of the spirit shown by Shirley, indeed grateful, and I believe all of us here today would share that opinion."

Does anyone have the text of the Prospero piece, for posterity's sake?
T.B.

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