Message from comrades read at funeral of UN soldier

An only son who "lived and died" for the Army - in the words of his father - was laid to rest in Mayo soil at the weekend as a drummer and trumpeter from the band of the 4th Western Brigade played The Last Post.

Many miles away, in south Lebanon, his fellow battalion members gathered at a remote outpost to mark his passing.

"We want Billy's parents and sisters to know that at this very moment we too are gathered in our outpost to pray and grieve with you in your sorrow," the message from members of the 85th Infantry Battalion with UNIFIL read.

"No words of ours can take away your awful sense of loss and emptiness. We would like you to know that in Billy's last moments his sole concern was for our safety when the attack began. This sense of concern for the wellbeing of others was typical of the Billy we knew and worked with," said the message, which was read out at the funeral Mass in Ballyhaunis by Mgr John Crowley, head chaplain of the Defence Forces.

Condolences were also conveyed by Lt-Col Rabukawaqa, the Fijian senior plans and military forces officer based at UNIFIL's headquarters.

Pte Kedian was killed last Monday by mortar fire from an Israeli look-out position overlooking the town of Brashit in southern Lebanon.

At the funeral Mass, special prayers were said for his friend, Pte Ronnie Rushe, from Boggagh, Co Offaly, who suffered serious shrapnel injuries and is in a critical condition in hospital in Haifa.

The President, Mrs McAleese, accompanied by her husband, Martin, the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, and the Chief-of-Staff of the Defence Forces, Lt-Gen David Stapleton, attended the full military funeral in St Patrick's Church, Ballyhaunis, on Saturday.

The mourners were led by Pte Kedian's parents, Bill and Doris, his sisters Mary (24) and AnneMarie (23), and brother-in-law, Mr Michael Lenihan.

The Taoiseach was represented by Capt Michael Kiernan. The Archbishop of Tuam, Dr Michael Neary, and the Bishop of Galway, Dr James McLoughlin, and 13 priests concelebrated the Mass.

Paying tribute to the men and women of the Defence Forces, Canon Joe Cooney, parish priest of Ballyhaunis, said that Irish people should remember with pride and gratitude those members who had made the ultimate sacrifice over the last 40 years. Describing Pte Kedian as "a pleasant, happy fun-loving young man", Canon Cooney said he was idealistic, and the Army was the fulfilment of that idealism. "I know his family have no regrets that he chose that life . . . and he died in uniform doing what he liked best."

Fifty-four members of An Chead Cath, the 1st Battalion at Dun Mhaoiliosa Barracks in Renmore, Galway, where Pte Kedian was based, formed the bearer, escort and pallbearer parties at the ceremony. As the gun carriage moved through the town to the cemetery, arms were pointed to the ground in the traditional military salute to fallen comrades.

Prayers were said at the graveside by Father Michael Ruddy, chaplain to the 6th Battalion, Athlone, and the peacekeeper was given a 21-gun salute. Unlike his great-grand-uncle, who fell at the Somme almost 83 years before at the age of 26, Pte Kedian was carried home for burial to his native county. The grave of Lance Cpl Thomas Kedian of the 10th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers has never been found since he was killed on July 7th, 1916, but his death is marked at the Thiepval Memorial in France.

Pte Kedian's second cousin, Mr Anthony Jordan, dedicated his book, Churchill: A Founder of Modern Ireland, published in 1995, to Lance Cpl Kedian. Mr Jordan is principal at the Cerebral Palsy Ireland school and clinic in Sandymount, Dublin.