SINGAPORE — The worst hazy day that occurred here in months did not stop people from turning up outdoors for the State Funeral Procession of former President S R Nathan, whether they were students who only learnt of his contributions through media reports, or retirees who lived through the early periods during his service in Government.

They started gathering at the roads around Parliament House — where his body was placed for the lying-in-state ceremony — more than an hour before the cortege was due to depart at 2pm. Some were workers from nearby offices, while others wanted to pay their respects because they could not do so on Thursday when the lying-in-state was opened to the public. The crowds were thickest on the road along High Street Centre, directly opposite the entrance of Parliament House.

The mood was sombre as people waited, some wearing masks because of the haze, but their sights were trained on the entrance. The buzz of the usual traffic was gone — Parliament Place, Saint Andrew’s Road, Coleman Street, Connaught Drive and Fullerton Road were shut to vehicles because of the procession.

Retiree Steven Phua, 63, had been following all the proceedings since Mr Nathan died on Monday night. Mr Phua, a former air traffic controller, was there when condolence books were set up at the Istana for members of the public to sign, he paid his respects at the lying-in-state, and he was among the crowds outside High Street Centre waiting for the cortege to emerge.

“He had done so much for Singapore ... I thought he handled the Laju incident very well,” Mr Phua said, referring to the Laju hijacking and hostage situation in 1974. Mr Nathan had offered to be part of the group of guarantors to be taken by terrorists in exchange for crew members held hostage on a ferry boat.

“At that time, there was no protocol on terrorism (and) security was non-existent, not like today. I’m proud of him. He’s an unsung hero.”

Singapore Polytechnic students Annabelle Sang and Chelsea Teo, both 18, were some of the younger people waiting outside Parliament House. “We couldn’t make it for the lying-in-state because we had exams, so we decided to come down today,” Annabelle said. “Mr Nathan made a lot of contributions, and helped Singapore a lot.”

At around 2pm, nine uniformed officers from the Singapore Armed Forces and the Singapore Police Force transferred the casket onto a ceremonial 25-pounder gun carriage. Escorted by police outriders and other vehicles, the carriage left Parliament House, and the people along the road clapped. Some shouted his name, while others took photos and shot videos.

The procession passed three landmarks closely associated with Mr Nathan and his long career in public service: City Hall, the Fullerton Hotel and NTUC Centre.

En route to the University Cultural Centre at the National University of Singapore, where the State Funeral service was held, the procession went along Alexandra Road, Commonwealth Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue West.

Near Commonwealth MRT Station, hordes of chattering primary school children who gathered there at around 1.45pm, were jostling behind the barricades and craning their necks eagerly to catch a glimpse the cortege. As the procession went past, the crowd waved Singapore flags and frantically snapped pictures and shot videos on their mobile phones.

Madam Ng Kam Siew, a 76-year-old retiree, said that she had made the trip from her home in Jurong to reach there at 1.30pm, because she had missed attending the lying-in-state due to the long queues. “It’s our last day to see (him), our nation’s pride ... It’s worth coming down to see him on his last journey,” she said.

Mr Suhaini Ahmad, 50, who is unemployed, said: “(Mr Nathan) served our country well, it’s only right that we send him off.”

Outside Singapore Polytechnic, about 10 staff members were there before 2pm. By 2.30pm, the crowd had grown to about 50 people. Some were watching the live video stream of the funeral procession on their phones before the cortege passed at 2.40pm.

Ms Aw Yeong Yuk Chin, 37, an IT specialist, said: “Mr Nathan did a lot of things for Singapore, the least that I can do is just to come out and wait for (the cortege) to pass by, as a mark of respect for him.”

Housing agent Lisa Goh, 67, reached the Commonwealth MRT Station stretch five minutes after the cortege left. Crushed when she heard she had missed it, she turned to the side and burst into tears.

She said later: “My friend lives opposite Mr Nathan’s home, and she would tell me how he often waved at the neighbours ... He was so friendly ... Never mind, I will watch the (news) tonight.”