Mass grave of over 300 bodies including children and babies found in heartbreaking discovery

Warning: This article contains discussion of stillbirth some may find distressing

A woman searching for the final resting place of her twin brothers has uncovered an mass grave containing more than 300 bodies.

An unmarked burial site, measuring around 3.6 x 3.6 metres, has been declared discovered at Royton Cemetery in Oldham.

According to local councillors, the grave contained 303 bodies: 146 stillborn children, 128 babies and young children, and 29 adults.

The heartbreaking finding was made by a Royton local who was looking for the graves of her young brothers.

According to the BBC, one of the boys was born stillborn in 1962 while the other died within five hours after birth.

The mass grave was unearthed at Royton Cemetery in Oldham (Google Maps)

It’s claimed her parents had never been able to bid their children farewell, hence her search for their bodies 62 years later.

Following the unsettling discovery, Royton Independent councillors Maggie Hurley and Jade Hughes took to social media to issue a ‘plea for social justice’.

“We must fight for the recognition of those innocent babies buried in mass graves in Royton Cemetery, their resting places unmarked, and their lives unrecognised,” a statement posted on Facebook read.

“As councillors, we deal with numerous issues every week, but the discovery of stillborn babies in unmarked graves at Royton Cemetery has profoundly affected us.

“This heartbreaking revelation has underscored the importance of addressing this issue.”

Councillors also expressed their ‘gratitude’ towards cemetery staff for their ‘hard work and dedication’ before issuing a request for other cemeteries across the borough.

“We also asked about the other cemeteries across the borough, and we were informed that there is missing information for these cemeteries as well,” they continued.

“We understand that this practice occurred throughout the country so in addition to Royton, all our other Oldham cemeteries will have the same unmarked graves.”

According to Facebook post, the Royton Independents are planning on submitting a notion to publicly mark out each mass grave as well as provide affected relatives with a dedicated point of contact to provide support and assistance.

A member of Oldham Council claimed the grave was not a 'new' discovery (Google Maps)

“We cannot change what has happened, but we can ensure that the babies born sleeping are named, recognised, and never forgotten.”

Following the plea, Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council said they would be ‘consider the suggestion being made’ with a ‘matter of urgency’ before claiming the grave is not ‘newly discovered’, as per ITV.

“Sadly, the burying of people, including babies and children, in unmarked graves happened in graveyards all around the country years ago,” she continued.

“Thankfully, things have changed and improved over the years. The Government now pay for the funerals of stillborn babies and anyone up to the age of 18 if necessary. Public graves are no longer used.”

Shah added that hospitals and Oldham Council have records of burials which can be ‘located by families whenever they want’.

If you have been affected by anything in this article, you can contact Sands, a stillbirth and neonatal death charity founded in 1978.

Sands exists to reduce the number of babies dying and to ensure that anyone affected by the death of a baby receives the best possible care and support for as long as they need it, wherever they are in the UK. Call 0808 164 3332 or email: [email protected] to contact Sands.