Councillor urges national memorial for babies in mass graves

A local councillor is advocating for the government to establish a national memorial, following the discovery of a mass grave in her constituency containing the remains of approximately 300 stillborn and miscarried infants. This year, an unmarked burial ground in Oldham, Greater Manchester, came to light when a woman sought the graves of her twin brothers, who passed away in 1962. Prior to the 1980s, hospital staff frequently removed the bodies of stillborn and miscarried infants from families, who were then provided no information regarding their final resting places. Independent councillor Maggie Hurley stated that, based on Freedom of Information requests, it has been verified that the remains of at least 89,000 miscarried or stillborn babies have been interred in mass graves nationwide. Before a local church service scheduled for Sunday to commemorate those interred, she characterized the practice as a “social injustice” and urged the establishment of a national memorial. “We can’t rewrite history no matter how much we would love to, but we need the government to accept that this has happened.” A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care indicated that the independent Law Commission is engaged in a project focused on “improving burial records.” The spokesman added, “Once published, we will consider their recommendations to create a framework for modern, consistent regulation across the system.” In the period preceding the 1980s, medical personnel were known to offer explanations to grieving parents, such as informing them their children would be laid to rest with “a nice person” being buried on the same day – frequently without allowing them a chance to bid farewell. “They were just taken,” Ms Hurley informed BBC Radio Manchester. She continued, “The belief at that time was the best thing to do was not to look at it – don’t look at it, don’t hold it, you’ll get on better.” She further quoted, “Go and have another baby, we’ll deal with this, we’ll bury it today with someone who’s nice.” She concluded, “Back then, no one questioned authority – it was a very different world.” Nevertheless, the infants’ remains were frequently interred in communal graves within cemeteries. Warning: Some readers may find the details below distressing Ms Hurley described the location discovered at Royton Cemetery in Oldham as “12 ft by 12ft by 12ft – it was a pit and it was just full.” Approximately 30 adults were among those interred in that specific mass grave. Ms Hurley noted that families whose relatives were buried at the site expressed being “angry” yet also relieved to finally ascertain their location. She stated, “I’ve got mums who have walked past that grave to go to their [deceased] relatives, who were further on in the cemetery for 20, 30, 40 years and never known their child was there.” “No one is pointing the finger and blaming anyone. We can’t go back in time.” Ms Hurley echoed calls for the government to “accept that this has happened and provide a statement, do a national memorial somewhere.” She mentioned that Sunday’s service at St Paul’s Church would be open to anyone impacted by the matter, further stating: “This has never been done before because it’s been hidden.”