History

The NAFD’s role in the burial of the Unknown Warrior in 1920

Visitors to Westminster Abbey cannot fail to notice the black granite memorial covering the grave of the Unknown Warrior immediately inside the West door. Following a suggestion from an army chaplain, Reverend David Railton, to the Dean of Westminster, an unidentified body was brought from the battlefields of Flanders to be buried in the Abbey in November 1920. It was to be a ceremony without precedent which captured the heart of a nation scarred by war.

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History

Did the Ancient Egyptians offer funeral packages?

June 15, 2020Did the Ancient Egyptians offer funeral packages? While the tomb of Tutankhamun might show the world the glories of the burial of a king – mummified and interred in elaborately decorated coffins and roomy tombs packed with grave goods – fascinating details of the day-to-day life of undertakers in Ancient Egypt are being…

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History

Coffin Making in the 1930s

1 June, 2020Coffin Making in the 1930s Although many archive images exist of the funeral director directing funerals, few can be located that depict ‘behind the scenes’ activities. Recently, however, a set of photographs came to light depicting the task of coffin construction. Dating from 1937, they show staff working in the premises of TH…

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