Instead, I decided to drive over to the north eastern edge of Sheffield to visit Shiregreen Cemetery. It's something that I had been tempted to do for a while - ever since I first heard about the grave of William Collins. Anyway, today I got round to it.
"Who was William Collins?" I hear you ask. He was a member of Sheffield's traveller community with his roots in Ireland. He was born in Athlone in 1970 and died of natural causes in Puerto Pollensa, Majorca in 2020. He was without doubt a tough guy, famed for his boxing skills and at one time he was a bare knuckle fighter. In his community, he was known as "Big Willy Collins" and "The King of Sheffield". There were hundreds of mourners at his lavish funeral.
Following his interrment, his family spent thousands on a unique white marble monument with various interesting features - including a full-size statue of William in his boxing days and two large planters in the shape of boxing gloves.
Then two years ago, another of the Collins brothers died. He was Michael Collins - born in 1973. He was buried close to his older brother but this time the family chose black marble for the thirty tonne grave monument. Again, it has several interesting features - including a juke box with a pint of Guinness and a Diet Coca Cola can carved on the front of it. I guess that Michael liked records or perhaps it is there to provide background music for his afterlife.
When I got home, a little research told me two other brothers are buried in Shiregreen Cemetery. They were Terry and Anthony. Apparently, the latter was murdered by a drug dealer several years ago.
Good evening Mr. Pudding.
ReplyDeleteAuto-correct did you a disservice. The brothers you described were interred, their interment is at the cemetery you visited. They may have been interned in a POW camp if they had military service.
This discussion came up often for me as a youth; my dad owned a greenhouse that placed flowers at the cemetery at the time of interment. I'm sharing it with you as a point of information, not to critique your writing, which I enjoy greatly!
Bonnie in Minneapolis
Thank you Bonnie! I appreciate the correction based as it was on good observation and provided with kind intention.
DeleteThere also seems to be an error in the amount spent on the monument. 200,00? Shouldn‘t that be 200,000?
DeleteI shudder to think what Donald Trump's gravestone/mausoleum/what-have-you will look like when the time comes. It will, of course, be white marble and fake gold.
ReplyDeleteStick him in the fake gold ballroom as it will be no use for anything else. Better still, I would vote for him being buried at sea in the very middle of The Atlantic Ocean - food for fishes.
DeleteI'm surprised that travelers went so lavish. I thought they were much simpler in their funeral rites. But yes, why not? I can't help wondering if there was a bit of prejudice behind the objections.
ReplyDeleteIf travellers have money and influence they like such big, bold monuments to their dearly departed. They are not like the simple gypsies you would have sometimes seen in North Yorkshire.
DeleteExactly. Those we knew, who sold clothes pegs and wire toasting forks to my mom were certainly much simpler and poorer people.
DeleteThe monument is very elaborate, as can be those of wealthy Italian heritage families in Australia. Boxing must have been very lucrative and it isn't surprising that being punched for a living brings about an early death.
ReplyDeleteThey certainly are lavish, a little extreme even, but a drawcard for tourists to the cemetery.
ReplyDeleteIt is tragic for any family to lose some of their members so early, and their good right to commemorate them as they see fit. Not at all my taste (especially not the planters in the shape of boxing gloves), but as you say, it‘s not doing any harm.
ReplyDeleteLive and let…. erm… live, I guess.