In July the North of England Funeral Undertakers’ Association announced that an ‘Undertakers’ Convention and Funeral Trades Exhibition’ would be held in September at the Co-operative Hall in Manchester. Suppliers of coffins, furnishings, linings, memorial cards, trestles and artificial wreaths signed up to exhibit alongside carriage builders, suppliers of embalming fluids and instrument and sundry…
The success enjoyed in the north of England clearly enthused undertakers in London. In March 1904 a gathering presided over by James Hurry formed the Metropolitan Funeral Furnishers’ Association. Its objective was, ‘To establish in the Metropolitan area an association open to master undertakers and funeral carriage proprietors, monumental masons and members of allied trades,…
Early in 1903 the North of England Funeral Undertakers’ Association was formed in Manchester. An interview revealed that the objectives of the Association were to protect the interests of undertakers, rectifying grievances and increase the efficiency of members through ensuring they receive ‘…some personal benefit…by being enlightened on trade topics.’ A benevolent fund was also…
At the beginning of 1900 a BIU conference was planned to take place in Birmingham, but by July this had been postponed; it would appear that the Institute was floundering.
During 1899, Henry Smith of Battersea was elected president of the Institute. Dialogue had commenced with undertakers in Leeds and Liverpool to form branch associations and, again, Henry Sherry spoke of the future for the BIU while looking to the rise of undertaking associations in America as the model for gaining recognition. At a meeting…
Information about the formation of the BIU is limited. Despite the appointment of a chairman, vice-chairman, secretary, treasurer, trustees and members of the council the BIU was without a president and vice-president. There was, however, modest enthusiasm and at a meeting in October 1898 a paper was read on the future of the Institute. The…