Camden New Journal - News: Exhumed pensioner now 'deserves his own grave'

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

Camden New Journal - by RICHARD OSLEY
Published: 26 April 2007

Fred Newman

Exhumed pensioner now ‘deserves his own grave’

CLOSE friends of a man whose body is due to be exhumed from a public grave have called for him to be given a private burial plot of his own.
The London Diocese last week agreed to allow three bodies to be raised from the ground at St Pancras Cemetery.
The rare practice of exhumation has been permitted so that Paul Startup’s body, buried without his family’s knowledge, can be moved closer to his mother Millie Goodbourn in Maidstone.
But it is unclear what will happen to the remains of pensioner Fred Newman. His body lies closest to ground level in the six-body grave in the cemetery, which although is in East Finchley is the graveyard most commonly used by Camden residents.
Barry Sullivan – Mr Newman’s closest friend who had to give his permission for the grave to be opened – said: “After everything that we have been through, I think Freddie deserves to be given his own grave so that he can finally rest in peace. This is not the kind of thing that you expect to happen. We didn’t even know that a public grave meant that people were buried in the same grave.”
It is unclear how much money Mr Newman, who lived in Bayham Street, Camden Town, until his death from heart difficulties two years ago, had in savings. He was unable to look after his own financial affairs and Camden Council managed his account. At first the Town Hall said that there was not enough money for a private burial but a second check on the account appears to show otherwise.
A council legal said: “At the time of Mr Newman’s passing he left sufficient funds to cover the cost of his funeral.”
A provisional date for grave 179a to be opened has been scheduled for May 16. A service for Mr Newman is likely to be held on the same day.
The third body in the grave is thought to be a middle-aged man called Anthony Myers, although it is unclear whether his next of kin have been located.

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment: