at the funeral of Edith March Smith at Christ Church, Warwick on January 26, 1993. Miss Smith, born on November 12, 1895, died on Janaury 23, 1993.

At the end of "Pilgrim's Progress'' John Bunyan describes the passing of Mr.

Valiant-for-Truth over the River of Death with these words: "So he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side.'' My sister, Edith Mary Smith, has passed over that River. We cannot hear those sounding trumpets though I believe they should be sounding for a valiant spirit. However, Edith did not approve of trumpets sounding on this side of that river -- she disapproved of eulogies at funeral services.

Nevertheless, as the lone survivor of the twelve children of Allan and Caroline Frith Smith, I think that I have the right to make some reflections on that family and Edith's role as its matriarch for the last 29 years.

The first matriarch that I knew in our family was another Edith Smith, my maternal grandmother, and wife of Henry Archibald Smith, who founded H.A. & E Smith Ltd. She was a small, vigorous and enterprising woman, who was much loved; she died in 1924 when I was 13.

After my father's death in 1935 my mother ruled as matriarch for 29 years. She was one who gave abundant love to each of her twelve children and their progeny without neglecting her other interests and her deep concern for the welfare of the community. Even at the age of 90, my mother would knit socks for her great-grandchildren, and she had 101 direct descendants when she died at age 94 in 1964.

Finally for the last 29 years Edith has been our matriarch, and we feel her loss because she has no obvious successor.

Outwardly, Edith might not have appeared suitable as a matriarch, but she did have the essential quality -- a concern for the whole family. She was unmarried so she had no husband or children to distract her from that concern.

Our common allegiance to her gave the whole Smith family an unusual unity.

Edith grew up in an age before women of her class were educated and trained for a job, and that a million British men were killed in the First World War probably explains why she never married.

Between the wars she did some teaching and various other jobs, and then and later she was for many years a counsellor helping to run girls' camps in the mountains of New England, teaching tennis, canoeing and mountain-climbing.

Then for 17 years from 1940 she taught small boys at Saltus Grammar School. I think it is significant that the small boys she taught called her "Mrs.

Smith''while they called Mrs. Edith Trott, who had been married and had children, "Miss Trott''.

Edith was the third of my parents' twelve children and one of the minority who stayed in Bermuda most of their lives. Allan (born a hundred years ago) and Donald were both at Oxford in 1914, and both returned to Bermuda to practise law after their war service, but 14 years later Allan went off as a judge, and was knighted for his services before he retired as Chief Justice of Sierra Leone. Edith's three sisters married. Lucy married a naval officer, who became Captain Brian Simpson RN CBE. Esther married Bill Davidson, later Colonial Treasurer, also CBE. Barbara married John Smith who rejoined the Merchant Navy in the Second World War, was a P.O.W. for three years, and they settled in South Africa after that. Henry, the eldest of the six younger boys, became head of the Government Survey Dept., first of Kenya, then of Nigeria, and was also warded the CBE. Roger died tragically as a young man. Christopher worked in Canada for some years before returning to Bermuda. Anthony also worked in Bermuda before going off to the Second World War and being killed in action.

Philip and I also served in the Army in that war and stayed on in Britain, he for a dozen years and I for 30 years before returning to Bermuda.

As I am 15 years younger than Edith, I have dim recollections of her in her prime, but old photographs confirm my recollections that she was as pretty, lively and vigorous in mind and body as her sisters. The First World War prevented all of them except Barbara from having any schooling abroad.

In contrast, seven of the eight boys won scholarships that took them to school and/or university in Britain and five of us won Rhodes Scholarships to Oxford.

That number from a single family must always be a world record, especially when you add my nephew Peter, who also won a Rhodes Scholarship 10 years after me. It is a record of which the Smith family can be proud though Bermuda may be reproached for not finding anyone better! Edith was a communicant member of this Church for over 80 years. Dr. McDonald and Rev. Sarah Nicol brought communion to her when she was in hospital on January 6th, 1993, three weeks ago, and in spite of her feebleness she seemed to understand. The Smith family have been active members of this church since its foundation in 1719. Before the deaths of two of my brothers and of my wife there were six of our family who were Elders of this Church. Edith's active participation in this Church over her long life has also been a unifying factor in the Smith family.

As I was the youngest of the family, it is not surprising that I am the last survivor, but that does not prevent me from feeling somewhat forlorn.

"They are all gone into the world of light And I alone sit ling'ring here: Their very memory is clear and bright And my sad thoughts doth clear.'' This is not a eulogy, Edith, not an account of your enthusiasm for mountains, for gardening, for animals, for bird-watching, for games, and for tennis and croquet in particular. As the lone survivor of my generation of the Smith family, I present these reflections on your long life.

"Moriturus, te saluto!''