Choir practice at Hartley Parish Church on the evening of Thursday, 2 October 1879, was a sombre affair. All 70 singers, 35 men and 35 boys, turned up, partly because they always had done, and partly because they wanted to find out what had happened, and what might be happening next. After discussion with Dr Banks and his churchwardens, Charles Verney had been asked to assume the post of Organist and Choirmaster on a temporary basis until a worthy successor to Dr Burchill could be found. A date had yet to be fixed for TAB’s funeral, but the adult choir members (including the older boys) agreed that it would have to be a grand affair, with the choral society and the church choir festival singers also invited. Some of the boys burst into tears when Verney announced what had happened, though there can have bee...

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