TOPIC:

Not quite Anglo-Boer War, for which I apologise but something of historic importance relating to the Prince Imperial.
This has been posted on Facebook, this evening 23rd February, 2014, by David Cuthbert Brogan, a Monk at the Farnborough Abbey, Farnborough, Hampshire.

There has been a serious burglary at the Abbey. Thieves broke into the Abbey Crypt and stole historic framed prayers in French and Latin from the Prince Imperial's Tomb. The items stolen are easily identified as coming from Farnborough Abbey and are of no use except at the Abbey. My hope is it that it is youths who have broken in and mistakenly thought that they had found something they could sell on. The Prayers are specific to the Prince Louis, who died with 18 spear wounds when he was 23 fighting with the British in the Zulu War. The thieves have done worse than stealing from a church, they have stolen from a grave of a young soldier who died a particularly horrendous death. We simply want the prayers to return and for the Prince's soul to rest undisturbed.

Tomorrow we will be issuing further information and asking members of the group to help us in trying to work with CID to find the stolen items. The best scenario is that these items be delivered to somewhere safe where we can return them to the Prince's tomb. Given the international significance of the Abbey as the burial place of a foreign Head of State, and the forensic and other evidence already gained since the crime, we are urging the thieves to return these objects to us at the earliest opportunity.

If anyone is offered, or comes across these items, please contact Hampshire Police via 101. If you are calling from outside England and Wales, dial 01962 841534. Also please drop me a PM and I will advise David.

Many thanks

Trevor Hudson (Sepoy)

Thanks you for alerting us to that sad incident.

Hopefully the items can be identified and returned safely to the Abbey.

Here are photographs of two of the three framed prayers taken, from the tomb of the Prince Imperial (The last Napoleon), during a burglary at the Farnborough Abbey. They are stunning works of art.

Please keep your eyes open.

Sepoy