Of 48,112 pigeons dispatched since 1847, approximately 11,044 have not returned. Some we assume are at liberty. Some we assume are at peace. We honour the rest here, in a small chapel built chiefly for the purpose of admitting we do not know.
“We do not mourn them. We acknowledge them. There is a difference. The chaplain insists on it.”
— From the chapel plaque, carved 1853
Forty-seven seconds. One for every twenty-three pigeons presumed lost. The duration is recalculated every February. It gets longer.
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