An urn containing cremated remains labelled with the name Gary Bonsor and the message "MY DAD MY HERO" was left on a burger van counter at Newbury racecourse on 24 July 2023. Despite extensive inquiries by the racecourse and Thames Valley Police, no next of kin have been identified. The urn will now be buried in the churchyard of St Mary's, Greenham, after a petition to the consistory court of the Diocese of Oxford was granted.
Discovery at the Racecourse
The urn was discovered at a race meeting on 24 July 2023. Two printed stickers on the side read "RIP GARY BONSOR" and "MY DAD MY HERO". Racecourse staff checked all tickets issued that day for the surname Bonsor and wrote to all ticket-holders, but received no response. Eventually, a staff member took the urn to Newbury police station.
Police Investigation
Thames Valley Police conducted their own searches and contacted local crematoriums, who were unable to provide information. According to a document from the consistory court of the Diocese of Oxford, "the police attempted to trace the next of kin and although they thought they knew the family, said family denied any link to the urn." The police drew a blank, and the urn was passed to a churchwarden from St Mary's, Greenham, last September.
Church Efforts and Legal Process
At St Mary's, further efforts to trace family members were unsuccessful. The parochial church council unanimously agreed to bury the ashes in the churchyard, but the vicar, the Rev Gail Minter, judged she could not legally do so without a faculty from the consistory court of the Diocese of Oxford. In her petition, Minter wrote: "The church is well used, well kept and is full of the graves of local people, many of whom did not profess a Christian faith or come to church. So we feel that although we cannot know the wishes of the deceased or the family, it would not be inappropriate to bury the remains in the parish churchyard."
Court Decision
David R Hodge KC, worshipful chancellor of the court, granted permission for the burial on 21 June, the Third Sunday after Trinity. The burial must take place within four weeks. The grave will be unmarked, though its location will be noted. The Diocese of Oxford stated: "The dignity and the privacy of the deceased have been the principal factors in all decisions taken in this case."
Ongoing Mystery
Despite the resolution, the identity of the deceased and the circumstances of the urn's abandonment remain unknown. Newbury racecourse and Thames Valley police were contacted for comment but did not respond.
