Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Funeral to be held for local duck in Somerset village

Desmond Drake had been at the pond in Compton Martin for more than 25 years

Serina Sandhu
Thursday 28 May 2015 16:32 BST
Comments
The Ring O'Bells pub announced the death of Desmond Drake
The Ring O'Bells pub announced the death of Desmond Drake (The Ring O'Bells)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Residents from a village in Somerset will hold a funeral for an “icon” this week - their local duck.

They were saddened when they discovered that the duck, called Desmond Drake, had been eaten by a fox. He had spent more than 25 years at the village pond in Compton Martin.

“He became family, he became a village icon. There was even a little society, the blood of the duck, and we would drink whisky with a duck egg in,” said resident Andrew Griffiths.

He told Western Daily Press: “[Desmond Drake] has been a permanent fixture of the pond, for in excess of 25 years, outliving all his contemporaries.”

The male duck, well known for eating stale bread, would be “sadly missed” said Griffiths, adding that he could never be replaced.

The 68-year-old said that he had brought “joy and happiness to people of all ages”.

The village church’s flag will be lowered to half-mast and a wake for Desmond Drake will be held at the pub, The Ring O’Bells, although a date has not yet been decided.

“We will all have a drink in the pub. He was a very long serving duck and a member of the community,” said Griffiths.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in