Buried at Willow Cemetery
We have now been very reliably informed that victims of the Blitz are not buried here. We were told the cross that is on the memorial is not there officially. Interned here are remains from a site in London and were brought here in 2008.
This is what really happened:
Globe Academy in Southwark was built partly on the old burial ground, 50m across at its widest point and 80m at its longest, which was thought to contain 33,000 bodies.
Quote: While the existence of the 19th century graveyard was known, the density of burials was not known to the school group until it needed to begin building works. Planning law requires that corpses must be moved if they would be disturbed by development. Archaeologists found an interview with one of the gravediggers from 1849, a Mr Haycock, who explained why the bodies were so densely packed. He said: “We dig 10 foot, and if we can get 12 foot we do, and then we pile them one upon the other …perhaps 6 or 8 or 9 [bodies] in it … just as if you were piling up bricks.”
John Harris a partner of TCS Exhumations stated that staff moved about 15,000 bodies in 2008 which were reburied at the Willows on Canvey Island.
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I thought we also Had some of the Passed away People from London that Passed away with the Plague which was Found when they was doing a Big dig I am sure it was said back in the day That they all came down to Canvey Island as was all Buried in one Long Mound at Willow Cemetery Northwick Road Canvey Island But was Not going to Have any thing to ID their Mass Grave. So what Happend to them As I remember reading The storry about This and thing Poor People after all theses years They Have to be all dug up again and Buried Mils away from where they Lived all Because they wanted to Build another very Tall Building
We are currently trying to find out the answer to that very question Vera.
Thank You
I could be wrong and it is the One that You Have photos of but would be nice to think if what I throught was right then would be good if they has some sort of a Little Plaque so Thank You for Checking out for me
Apparently the remains in this grave are from Southwark. I have more details and will update soon Vera. We also have the details re the other mass grave which apparently should have had a memorial on it by now but the pandemic has held things up. They are hoping it will be done later this year.
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