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I've been following this with enormous sadness, yet joy that you have finally found your Father. I echo the girl's sentiments. I've been looking for the very last person in the Bradford Hartley chain on behalf of her family here in Oz for the last 7 years. I know how important it is to them to find out what happened and where she is laid to rest. I'm so glad you no longer have to search and wonder.

I reckon your Dad will be mighty pleased to see you, even if you can't see him...he'll know you are there.

Travel safe and God's speed.
Helen. Melbourne. Australia

I am so thankful for all of your kind thoughts and wishes. It is fantastically encouraging, my wife too has been brilliant at keeping me supported and sound of mind. I can`t tell you all enough how the help I have found on this forum has been in working out where my family fits.

We are going to Lincoln on Saturday, I think I am looking forward to it but I really feel terrible too. What a mix up!

Thank you all

Cedric

We visited Lincoln City Crematorium but despite having the information that Dennis was buried in the October 1980 area in the garden of rememberance we never found him. Couldn`t even find the correct area, terribly dissapointed. If only there was a site plan on view we would at least have know if we were even in the right area. There are 3 very large areas to the crem plot but nothing to indicate year plots etc.

Got home to find his death cert had arrived, so now I have his last address and what caused his demise.

Thanks again for everyones kind thoughts and encouragement.

Cedric

Were his ashes actually buried? In which case there should be a plot. But a lot of people scattered the ashes in the Garden of Remembrance, that is what was done with my father and mother in law, so there isn't a specific place. It was what they both wanted. My dad's ashes were scattered on the same area, so I have three relatives there.

This is what I had come back from Lincoln Bereavment Services." Mr Dennis Lawrence Hartley is buried here at the City of Lincoln Crematorium, in our garden of remembrance. He is interred in October 1980 area."

So still some unanswered questions, Lincoln I think refer to the whole cemetary as the crematorium. As he was buried it could mean he was buried whole or cremated and his ashes buried. As for locating the October 1980 area? there is nothing to indicate years or months on the ground. I wonder if I have to visit the council offices in person in order to find the burial plot. Another point to confuse is we couldn`t find a remembrance garden but they do have a memorial garden. Have to assume they are one and the same. It doesn`t help when you are a bit stressed and anxious though. Certainly not a person friendly place.

Cedric

Oh, that's so disappointing. I would go back to them and ask what they mean by "buried". From their website they seem to indicate that the crematorium is separate from the adjoining cemeteries, so I doubt he would be buried in the cemetery (whether whole or as ashes).

Maybe different authorities have different procedures, but I was under the impression that if ashes were buried, there would be something to mark the spot - our local crematorium charge quite a lot for this service. Perhaps rather than scattering the ashes on a garden, they actually bury them, but not in the casket, and so don't record the exact spot. Even so, there should be some way of finding out where October 1980 area is.

My two local cemeteries/crematoria would certainly have this information and one of them, I know, has a detailed map at the entrace to the cemetery and also online.

I would ask them for clarification, Cedric.

Thanks, e mailed them again this afternoon. Hopefully will get an answer or a plot layout, it is not a very people friendly place. There is not a sign or plan of the layout to be seen anywhere. I can`t magine what it could be like for a distaught person trying to locate a burial plot at Lincoln. There is no need to cause extra grief by local authority missmanagement.

Cedric

I wholly agree with you. Not a pleasant experience at all. But don't let it stop you from finding the right place when you have worked so hard to find the location. Do everything you can to ascertain what I imagine will be a plot that was commenced in 1980 for ashes to be scattered, and you wlll find him there. I hope so. It is important to you, so I hope you succeed.

Best wishes

Margaret

Cedric,

I was so sorry to read your story, and like the others happy that you found the cemetery for your father.

I hope that the council is able to assist you, there must be more detailed records somewhere that would assist.

Kind regards

Rachelle

Thank you, I had a response today from Lincoln bereavment services. Around the area there are small plates in the ground, some numbered and others lettered. From 1986 to 2011 they are numbered, prior to 1986 they are lettered. So I now know my dad is somewhere in area "K." what a shame there is nothing to indicate this. I feel terribly sad, I never saw him to remember. The last time would have been around my birth I guess, 57 years later I was standing within feet of him and I didn`t know. Still, planning another trip later this month.

Cedric

Cedric, I suggest that if you go to visit again, you ask the registrat to accompany you, to point you extactly to the location you are looking for.

It might mean you making an appointment, but I would do that, to ensure you get the right place. Take you camera to record it.

Kind regards

Margaret

Thanks Margaret, good idea.

Cedric

Well, it`s been a while since my last post but I was found by two sisters and a brother thanks to this thread.

Now it`s back to locating our ancestors. :-D