Oldham Council to remember those buried in unmarked graves with permanent memorials
Oldham Council is installing permanent memorials, including inscribed plinths and benches, in seven cemeteries to honor babies, children, and adults buried in unmarked graves. The decision follows consultations with affected families, who requested privacy. The council has also stopped charging for death certificates related to unmarked communal graves and is offering refunds for those charged in the past year. Support services and contact details are provided for affected families.
Oldham Council will install permanent memorials at all seven of its cemeteries to acknowledge babies, children and adults buried in unmarked graves, a practice that continued for decades across the borough.
Memorial plinths carved with a short verse and quiet benches will appear in each burial ground over the next few weeks. The design was chosen after council officers met bereaved families who asked that their identities remain private.
Councillor Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council, said the discoveries had caused fresh anguish. “The last few months must have been horrible for anyone who has discovered their relative was buried in an unmarked grave. Our thoughts and sympathies continue to go out to them,” she said. “Sadly, the burying of people - including babies and children - in unmarked communal graves happened in cemeteries across the country for many years. Thankfully, this no longer happens, but it is wrong there was no acknowledgement of this in our cemeteries.”
The council has scrapped fees for death certificates relating to unmarked communal graves and will refund anyone charged in the past year. Relatives searching for graves, including stillborn children, can email [email protected] or call 0161 770 7777 (option 2).
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