Public graves for the L& D hospital

[Gordon Beaney]

Hi,

Im looking to trace the public grave of an infant born around 1945 in the Luton & Dunstable hospital.

At that time babies deaths were swept under the carpet and I believe the child would have been 'taken care of' by the hospital to save shame to the family, We are unable to find where she was buried as chances are it was in a public unmarked garve along with other babies.

if anyone can shed any light on possible cemeteries used I would be very grateful.

Many thanks

Serena Beaney

[CaroleW]

Was the child living at birth in which case there will be a birth and death registration?

If it was a stillbirth, it would still have been registered but hospitals did "dispose" as you say but only with parental consent.

I don't think they were disposed of in the way you are thinking

[Gordon Beaney]

Hi Carole,

Many thanks for the reply, yes she was living at birth but died after a few days. We do have the birth and death certificatesand that is how we know she died at the hospital. sadly the certificates do not give burial informarion.

My grandmother in law (childs mother) never knew what happened to the baby after death as she was very distressed and there was a great stigma attached to having a severely disabled child in those times. We know there was never a funeral held and the childs father worked at the hospital so we believe he gave the hospital permission to bury the baby.

Babies wernt 'disposed' of but were sent for burial in a publc grave usually and i was just wondering if maybe this was the case?

many thanks

Serena