The harsh reality of infant cremations

If people don’t like to think about death and funerals

generally, they want to think about the death and

funeral of infants even less. It is, of course, one of the

worst things any family has to deal with and most of us,

thankfully, never experience it.

But this lack of experience means that parents and

families have little idea of what to expect if they are

ever in that position. A recent public outcry in

Shropshire revealed that there are issues which need to

be more widely understood, if only to prevent

heartbreak for future bereaved families.

The local BBC Radio station reported that out of 29

infant (under 6 months old) cremations at Emstrey

Crematorium between 2004 and 2012, no ashes had

been returned to families. Ashes were returned after

one cremation in 2013. Parents said that they had

either been told that there would be no ashes in

advance (but with no explanation given) or had only

discovered that ashes would not be available after the

funeral service was over. Shropshire Council ordered a

full investigation which was published at the end of

May.

What upset the families the most was that, had another

crematorium been used, it would have been possible to

recover some ashes. At that time, the equipment at

Emstrey was out of date and in poor repair (it has

subsequently been updated). There was no foetal

setting to reduce the temperature or turbulence, nor a

baby tray. The lack of consistency – both locally and

nationally – of cremation arrangements for infants

meant that other parents in the same situation were

able to take a small amount of ashes away, whilst at

Emstrey and elsewhere, parents were left with nothing.

Parents of deceased infants are probably the most

vulnerable people anyone in the funeral industry is

likely to deal with. They were almost not anticipating

the death of their baby; they are most likely young and

may well be financially constrained. Until national UK

regulations and practices are put into effect, these

desperate families will continue to find out, too late,

that they will not get the service they expected.

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