Page 114

On monday I received a letter from the court in Camden saying an inquest was arranged for Wednesday 19th July at 12 noon. I couldnt believe this as that was the day of the funeral. I contacted the court but there was no way they could change the inquest. I then contacted the funeral parlour and explained the situation. They were very understanding but every day that week was booked. I then had this idea as the funeral was scheduled for 10.00am if we drove ourselves to the crematorium then after the funeral we could drive to Camden and hopefully make it for 12 noon with a fair wind and no traffic jams. The funeral people said that they would cancel the car we had booked and we would meet at the crematorium . Certainly not what I wanted to do but it seemed the only solution and I knew my Dad would would find this amusing, that was the kind of humour he liked.

I rang Lesley to tell her what I had done and she agreed that I didnt really have a choice and that her and Ian would go in their car and meet us there. My car was a bit of a banger so I decided to hire a car. Everybody agreed with what I had arranged, thank goodness. Why had I expected this to go smoothly, that just didnt happen with our family, there was always a spanner thrown in the works.

Mourners would be thin on the ground just myself, Dennis, Stephen ,Sheila, Lesley and Ian. I had informed our relatives in Rotherham and my Dads brother Jess but it was too short notice for them to come but they were going to send flowers.

All too soon wednesday came the dreaded day. We all met up at the Crematorium, the hearse was filled with flowers and wreaths. My Dad would be so thrilled. The service was quite short and just tore our hearts out, the finality was just too much. Saying goodbye to the best Dad and Grandad anyone could have, just seemed too much to bear. It didnt seem right to now be dashing off to Camden , it would have been nice to just have been able to go home and for us all to just sit and chat about him.

Myself the twins and Dennis set off to Camden. It was a rush but we made it with minutes to spare. We had never been to an inquest before so had no idea what to expect. We were shocked to find that we had to relate exactly what had happened that sunday night. Statements were read from the hospitals and a verdict of accidental death was recorded. There was other paperwork to be dealt with . Dennis went and gave all the information for the death certificate and when I read it I was shocked to see that he had put my Dads profession as a carpenter when he was a painter and decorator , Dennis couldnt believe he had done that but the day had been so awful that it was understandable.