Wrong coffin with a twist

This news item raises an interesting question about who is in charge. The inappropriately cosy relationships I have observed between some crems and fds could all too readily lead to dishonourable collusions.

It will be fascinating to know what ‘solution’ is worked out with the bereaved and then deceived family.

And why is the story being reported from Belfast?

I hope your presumption is wrong Charles. The FBCA Code of Cremation Practice states that “When the coffin is in place on the catafalque … [the funeral director’s] responsibility towards it ceases, and that of the Cremation Authority begins.” Furthermore “A body shall not be removed from the Crematorium after the Service of Committal”. (Before anyone says it, the capitals are from the code, not mine!)

On the surface this would perhaps appear to be a half story? But who knows what will transpire?

The independent FD is named in the article and it is clear that th family has been informed.

“A spokesman for Loughborough and District Funeral Service, which was responsible for taking the wrong coffin to the crematorium, said: “Our colleagues’ first concern is with the families of the bereaved.”

“We have already spoken to the families involved and offered our sincerest apologies. We will do all we can to bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion for everyone affected.”

I feel I have a duty to add my two penny worth though for me at present ‘silence is Golden’ where anything to do with the inner workings of the entire Dignity crematoria estate is concerned. However I will lighten the mood with a little narrative about a coffin that arrived with one of what I call part time one man concerns that doubles as a chippy. I immediately spotted that the name on the plate was the sister of the deceased, one of only 3 mourners. The poor guy and his two bearers went into complete panic, covering the… Read more »

What ought to have happened, presumably, is that the crematorium should have refused the coffin its place on the catafalque and the funeral been postponed, or what’s the procedure of checking the nameplate supposed to be for? But given that it went through, against the rules, it ought to have been kept at the crematorium until its due date for cremation and hauled back out onto the catafalque for its second funeral, as meanwhile the right coffin should have been brought for cremation. Assuming, obviously, that one is comfortable with deceiving the family that this was their dead person and… Read more »

Jonathan, yes, it goes without saying that the crematorium ought not have accepted the coffin in the first place. One would hope that with hindsight this is what everyone wishes had happened. But with hindsight the funeral director ought to have admitted the mistake and not continued with the funeral (at least, not with the wrong coffin in place). But hindsight… Yes, crematoria are allowed to hold coffins for up to 72 hours I believe. But there is the assumption that the coffin which was actually placed on the catafalque was destined for the same crematorium (or indeed, destined for… Read more »

First Twitter thingy for me. Broadcast the kick off of ‘Crem Wars’ with ref to GFG site.

Twitter name is Richard of Kingsnympton although it gets cut off at the n. Chose Lady Gaga, Paul Schofield, The Rolling Stones, Simon Cowell(to annoy him), Ozzie Osborne(Big Birmingham/Sutton Colfield character), Rev Run (whoever he is), Counting Crows and an attractive chateusse who I’m keeping a secret!

Sparing feelings is one thing, but holding a funeral for a wrong body is something else, I’d have thought. If that happens, you have to come clean, surely?

Interesting how all reports of this story talk about the wrong coffin. Right body, wrong coffin? Hardly seems possible, does it? More a case of clever wording of a press release.

Loughborough and District, of course, is a branch, healthy or rotten, of Midlands Co-op, god rest their souls.

Gentlemen – I believe avoiding such an appalling failure in the first place is the least any decent FD would do. But, yes, having made such a basic error, I think my suggestion is a reasonable one. The correct body would be cremated, the correct ashes would be returned. All of this could occur within a few minutes of the committal if the real coffin had been sent as the service proceeded. I once had a very decomposed body. The stench was very noticeable from the coffin, despite our efforts to seal the deceased inside it. To protect the family,… Read more »

Yes Kathryn. I agree the ‘slippery slope’ is certainly the enemy of good practice.

I do often wonder if some people appreciate the distressing condition that some of the people in our care can be in? Dealing with these matters is sometimes a part of our job – a part that demands a lot of sensitivity and careful thought. And often of course, some carefully chosen words.

Am I right in thinking that you come down on the side of benevolent deception, Jedeiah, but against incompetence? I don’t know that any sort of deception, however well meant, is ever permissible. It’s irrational to bring an insensate corpse to a funeral, but people feel they need to do it because presumably they feel that it in some way embodies the person they’ve come to say thanks and goodbye to, and that it is, therefore, the beneficiary of the proceedings. The corpse is the focus. The wrong corpse, or no corpse, renders the proceedings null, void and meaningless. Which… Read more »

Jehdeiah, the white lie is an absolutely essential coin in anyone’s social currency and I guess I tell upward of a dozen every day. Probably double that. My fear is that in a wrong-body scenario it becomes, for all the good intentions behind it, a cruel trick. I hope this doesn’t sound insufferably pompous.

Gentlemen!

Do keep your Dignity!

With Ja’s assistance, Mr Steve Jobs and The Sultan of Oman we will all be enjoying a new but hard working future come Monday!

It’s inevitable with all these coffins being the same, a drawback of what are essentially indentikit funerals.

Good point. Last week, my small business had ten identical coffins on the premises. Not all of them had yet been fitted with name-plates. I do trust my procedures, but to be fair can also see how mistakes are made at the Co-op and Dignity. It is but one small reason why I would not trust the care of my loved-ones to either organisation.

That’s a great-looking coffin design, Jehdeiah, even without the window. Thanks for the information.

Have you seen one ‘in the flesh’?