BODY SHOCKER
Horror as coffin bursts open during funeral
A family recoiled in shock as the lid of their dad’s coffin was wrenched open as they tried to bury him for the FOURTH time.
Bungling grave diggers are being blamed for putting Wullie Gardiner’s family through a living nightmare.
Three attempts had been made to lower 91- year- old Wullie into his grave.
At the fourth the coffin seal was broken as it caught on the side of the hole. Three of his daughters and his two sons were met with the opened casket and the sight of his feet. Fortunately his widow Hope, also 91, did not witness the
appalling moment.
The ghastly scene unfolded at Drongan Cemetery last Monday.
East Ayrshire Council has now promised a high- level investigation into what went wrong.
Eldest daughter Susan Galt, 62, said: “If we had been a hysterical family we would have all been in bits.
“But we are a strong family and have thought carefully about making this public.
“Our tears have now turned to anger as the shock has worn off. It would be too easy to joke that our father simply didn’t want to go.
“None of us want this to happen to any other family. It is the most horrendous thing I have ever had to go through.”
Graveside mourners had turned out in force to pay their respects to retired farm hand Wullie, of Hayhill, near Drongan.
They were asked to leave when the funeral director realised the burial had descended into a farce as the first attempt failed.
The dad- of- six was a great, great granddad and was an award winning gardener after a lifetime’s hard working on farms.
His shattered wife Hope said: “It was very upsetting. It was an upsetting time any way.”
The couple first met aged 11 in Hamilton, were engaged at 16, and celebrated their 70st wedding anniversary in January, which was covered by the Ayrshire Post.
At the same time he was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx and had just months to live.
He remained at home in his cottage until his death and wished to be taken straight to the cemetery for a humanist service at the graveside.
His sons Graham and Billy and three of his daughters - Susan, Fiona Logan and Aileen Cooper - were among eight people carrying cords.
Susan continued: “Four times we tried to get the coffin down into the grave.
“At the fourth attempt they took off the metal shoring to try and get him down.
“The eight of us tried to lower him and he just didn’t go.
“Each time we pulled it back up again and the blocks were put back underneath by the grave diggers.
“Before the funeral I had noticed earth from the grave next door had fallen into my father’s. It was collapsing into ours but I thought nothing of it at the time.
“There was no way the coffin was going down. This is not something we can do again and we have got all these memories.
“His funeral was ruined and mourners from far and wide had been sent away, so we never got to speak to them and receive their condolences.”
Fiona said: “We cannot get it out of our heads. It doesn’t get any worse than this.
“The coffin was not fully opened, but enough for me to see my father’s feet.”
And youngest daughter Aileener added: “It is in our heads now and that is it.”
The shocked family then left and were told it would be “fixed.”
Wullie ended up finally being laid to rest without any of his friends of family to see him.
Susan added: “Brian Jones from East Ayrshire Council has phoned me to apologise. The funeral director has been acting as mediator and said the council told her if we go to the Ayrshire Post the gesture of not having to pay the fee would be withdrawn.”
Wullie was well known and remembered across the farming community and doted on Clydesdale horses which, pretractor, he walked behind on the plough.
East Ayrshire Council cemeteries head Katie Kelly claimed the earth moved during the ceremony.
She said: “I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the Gardiner family and apologise for any distress caused on the day of Mr Gardiner’s funeral.
“The burial had been booked for early on Monday 20 March. This meant that the lair was dug at the end of the previous week to ensure that it was ready for the Monday morning.
“The severe weather had an impact on the newly dug lair. The Foreman was concerned about the weather and visited the cemetery over the weekend to inspect the lair. He then organised for a team to be in attendance first thing on the Monday morning.
“The ground had moved within the lair, due to the severe weather, and the shoring had been pushed in.
“They measured the lair immediately prior to the cortege arriving and determined that the lair was the correct size. Unfortunately the ground moved again during the service.
“There were limited choices available to them and were trying to avoid causing further distress to the family by stopping the funeral from going ahead.
“Bereavement Ser vices apologised to the family and the funeral director at the graveside.
“The Bereavement Services team are extremely sorry that the family were put in this position and are looking at our procedures to ensure, where possible, this does not happen again.”