Mass grave containing 300 bodies found in UK town | UK | News


A harrowing mass grave with over 300 bodies has been unearthed in Oldham, Manchester, sending shockwaves through the local community. Councillors have confirmed the gruesome find includes 145 stillborn infants, 128 children, and 29 adults.

The site was located by a woman from Royton who was on a mission to find the final resting place of her infant twin brothers, born in 1962 but tragically lost soon after. Further possibly unmarked graves may yet be discovered at Royton Cemetery as this one measured 12×12.

The woman’s harrowing tale deepened when she revealed to local councillors that one brother was stillborn and the other died only hours later, leaving their parents without a chance for a proper farewell.

This Oldham discovery mirrors a similar case highlighted by Gina Jacobs, a 79-year-old from the Wirral. She managed to locate her own stillborn son after 53 years, revealing an “outrageous lie” where hospitals, until the late 20th century, would deceive grieving parents about the burial arrangements of their babies.

Mass gravesites like this were also found across the UKfrom Lancashire to Devon and from Middlesbrough to Huddersfieldover the last two decades, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Heartbroken families were led to believe their babies would be laid to rest next to ‘a nice person’ burying on the same day. However, the truth was far grimmer as these infants were buried en masse, often denying parents any real closure.

Councillors Maggie Hurley and Jade Hughes of the Royton Independents have been deeply moved by the ‘heartbreaking revelation’ that numerous babies lie in unmarked mass graves at Royton Cemetery, their identities a mystery to their sorrowful families.

In a poignant statement, they expressed their dismay: “How many babies are laying in Royton Cemetery in mass graves, their identities unknown to their grieving relatives? It’s a stark injustice that parents were denied the fundamental right to bury their babies, a right that should be inherent and unquestionable. This situation should stir our collective sense of fairness and empathy..”

They continued with a call to action, saying, “We cannot change what has happened, but we can ensure that the babies born sleeping are named, recognised, and never forgotten.”

The councillors have tabled a motion for Oldham Council to “recognise the injustice” of these burials. The motion, set for debate on Wednesday, September 11, urges the council to establish a memorial for the children and to improve access to burial records by digitising them, as well as providing support to the bereaved families.

It is believed that the adults buried alongside the infants received what are known as “pauper’s burials” due to their families’ inability to afford private graves.

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