A family who discovered they had been visiting their dad at the wrong grave for 17 years after the death of their mum have finally been able to move their gravestone to their actual burial place one year after her death.
Hilda Bell sadly passed away from COPD a year ago this week on June 16 and son Tom and sisters Denise, 59, and Debra, 53, planned to bury her alongside her doting husband Thomas after a funeral service on July 1.
In July last year, The Northern Echo exposed how just two days before the funeral the family were shocked to be told that someone else had been found in their dad’s grave whom they had been visiting for 17 years, and that his coffin was nowhere to be seen.
They then endured a painful six-week delay while gravediggers dug up 11 plots and uncovered several errors searching for their father, Thomas Bell's, resting place as Hilda lay in a funeral home.
Thomas’ grave was eventually found just four feet away and the pair laid to rest together in a burial service on August 12, 2022.
Now the family have unveiled a gravestone in memory of their parents marking one year since Hilda’s death, finally placed on the correct grave where they were buried together.
“Reunited”, reads the gravestone.
It says: “Always in our hearts. Thomas Bell, a much-loved husband, dad and grandad. Died 29th January 2005 aged 63 years.
“Reunited with Hilda Bell, a loving wife, mam and nana. Died 16th June 2022 aged 79 years.”
Tom Bell, 58, a factory worker from Easington, told The Northern Echo: “I’m pleased we’ve finally got the gravestone on a year after she died.
“I came down to see them put it on as I needed to see it was in the right place.
“Mam used to come and visit what she thought was dad’s grave every Friday for 17 years on her way to the hairdressers – I’m going to be coming down every week too.
“I’ve taken the day off work on Friday as it’s a year since she died.
“When they rang us to say dad wasn’t buried where we thought and I had to tell the family we could have the funeral, but mum would have to go back to the funeral home, they thought I was joking.
“We still don’t have all the answers we wanted.”
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A report published into the blunder last year blamed it on a ‘perfect storm’ of errors.
It identified ‘insufficient process’ and ‘poor record keeping’ when Thomas Bell was buried in 2005 which led to his headstone being placed on the wrong grave.
No marker was placed on Thomas’ grave following his burial, nor did anyone from the church attend while his gravestone was put in place to make sure it was in the correct place.
Former Reverend Martin Vaizey, who retired in 2007, also ‘did not keep records to the extent that would be considered a best practice’.
But the Bells said it left them with more questions than answers, and only found out the report had been published after being contacted by The Northern Echo.
Speaking of his mam Tom added: “I really miss her.
“Christmas was hard the first one without her. I just wanted to be on my own.
“My son has just got a new house with his girlfriend, and I wish she was here to see it.
“She loved her holidays, they’d go on about three or four a year.”
A Durham Diocese spokesperson said: “The Diocese of Durham offers our ongoing prayerful support of the Bell family, especially at this moment of the anniversary of Mrs Bell’s death.
“Following the publication of the report into Wingate churchyard, the Diocese of Durham held a training event on processes and procedures concerning record keeping and churchyard management. This event was over-subscribed and will therefore be repeated."
Read next:
- Investigation into Wingate grave mix-up finds 'perfect storm' that led to blunder
- Another Durham family left 'devastated' after visiting wrong grave for 43 years
- Shock as SEVEN more families endure distressing mix-ups in burying loved ones
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In September last year, the Bell family received an apology in the House of Commons from Conservative MP Andrew Selous, who acts as the Second Church Estates Commissioner.
Mr Selous told the Commons: “This has been a deeply troubling time for the Bell family and I’d like to pass on my heartfelt apologies for what has happened.”
It came after an exclusive Northern Echo investigation discovered that seven more North East families had endured disturbing mix-ups in burying their loved ones, including a loved one who was buried where a footpath was due to go.
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