Some 100 unmarked graves have been detected and identified in the cemetery of a small village in South Western Australia.
The find completes almost five years of dedicated work by Capel volunteers who tried to learn more about their local cemetery.
Key points:
- Old photographs and modern technology were used to locate the unmarked tombs
- Among the finds were couples buried side by side
- Some of the burials date back to the early 19th century
The group set out to create a record of existing tombstones in Capel Cemetery in 2017, but soon realized that the figures “were not quite adding up”.
Pertina Prowse District Cemetery Project President Pertina Prowse said the information gathered during the process of creating the record led the group to believe in the existence of unmarked graves.
“We have written burial stories and old photographs that led us to realize that the tombs were here, but they were never marked in the first place, or the tombstone may have been removed or destroyed over the years,” he said. Mrs. Prowse.
Land was reserved for Capel Cemetery in 1854. (Supplied)
“It was important for us to find as many of them as we could because we feel we are the custodians of the cemetery, and those buried here should be told their stories.”
Not always six feet below
The group raised funds to use a utility locator that deployed a ground penetration radar over areas of the cemetery that were believed to contain remains of coffins or shrouds that contained evidence of remains.
Archive images were used to refer to possible burial sites. (ABC South West WA: Anthony Belly)
Utility locator Paul Stevenson said the wreckage was shown as an anomaly on the radar waveform screen.
“Then the location is combined with the evidence the group has of where a grave might be, which generally leads us to believe that it is the site of the grave,” Stevenson said.
“It helps us build a picture of what’s underground without having to dig and bother what’s in it.”
Stevenson said burial depths had varied, probably due to alterations to the cemetery or “hard-to-dig” terrain at the time.
“He’s been a little bit right to be honest,” Stevenson said.
“Six feet below is certainly the standard depth considered, but we’re finding some answers as low as 600 mm or up to about two meters.”
The remains will not be excavated, but the data of the deceased will be incorporated into an online record set by the group last year.
“You’ll see on a headstone a date of birth and death with a hyphen in between,” Ms. Prowse said.
“Our job is to fill this script by telling their stories.”
An exciting find
Former Capel resident Delma Cuthbert was involved in the project and was “excited” to locate and identify the final resting place of her great aunt, Grace Elizabeth Chapman.
The grave of Delma Cuthbert’s great aunt Grace Elizabeth Chapman (pictured right) was found. (ABC South West WA: Anthony Belly)
Ms. Cuthbert made a cross-reference to the burial site, which had been detected by ground penetration radar, with information gathered from other relatives of Ms. Chapman.
“She is buried next to her parents and there were only bricks in a rectangular area and those bricks were placed by her. [Ms Chapman’s] grandson, “said Mrs. Cuthbert.
“It was pretty exciting to know that and it completes this story of knowing where people are.”