Funeral services were held in Christ Church, Heidelberg, Germany, on December 23rd, and those were extensively reported for the Associated Press. Two army chaplains were in charge. Mrs. Patton, who sat in the front of the church, “turned her head to look at the choir loft when a soldier choir of thirty-six voices” began to sing the first hymn:
“The strife is o’er, the battle done;
The victory of life is won;
The song of triumph has begun.
Alleluia!”
“This is one of those Easter hymns which is included in almost every hymnal, but which is actually used much less than it deserves,” remarks Dr. Charles A. Boyd. Tersely he adds: “It is a historic treasure, one of those Latin hymns so old that nobody knows the exact age.”
When the choral group from the Seventh Army began to sing:
“The Son of God goes forth to war,
A kingly crown to gain;
His blood-red banner streams afar: