Gina Jacobs, a mother from Greasby on the Wirral, has joined calls for a formal government apology after discovering her stillborn son in a mass grave more than 50 years after his death. She gave birth to Robert in February 1969, but he was stillborn and she was never allowed to see him.
Her husband was told to collect the baby from the hospital and leave him at the cemetery without formally giving him a name. Before the mid-1980s, mothers across Liverpool and the UK were routinely denied the chance to see or hold their babies who died at birth or shortly after.
Discovery at Landican Cemetery
Half a century later, Gina found that Robert was buried at Landican Cemetery in Wirral alongside more than 60 other stillborn children born between 1968 and 1969. She told Liverpool councillors that her husband had been given an "outrageous lie" that the baby would be buried next to a woman who died around the same time.
Describing the mass grave, she said: "These graves were 10 feet deep and a man went down on a ladder. Imagine if you can, a thin layer of soil placed along each ledge, then a plank of wood."
Demand for national action
Speaking at Liverpool Town Hall, Gina described the "despicable and inhumane way" mothers and babies were treated as late as the 1990s in a so-called civilised country. She added: "As you can imagine, the loss, the shock and the trauma still haunts me to this day."
A motion brought before Liverpool Town Hall last week by Cllr Kris Brown and supported across all political parties demands that ministers take immediate national action to address decades of unresolved grief and institutional injustice. Cllr Brown said: "For decades, thousands of parents were denied the basic human right to say goodbye to their children, left in the dark about where they were buried. While local authorities like Liverpool are waiving cemetery fees and building local memorials, true healing requires national accountability.
"I know that Andy Burnham has strong convictions and a history of fighting for justice – just look at Hillsborough. Now is the chance for his government to take another step for historic justice. The government must deliver a formal apology in Parliament and take responsibility for these historic practices."
Other families still searching
Gina is not alone in her search. Linda and Eddie Bruchez from Gateacre have also spent 50 years looking for their stillborn baby. Wirral and Oldham councils have previously supported families and raised the issue with MPs and ministers.
Gina added: "All we ask is that the babies and these families get some recognition and that all cemeteries are instructed by all councils to give every assistance possible in helping people find where their baby is sleeping."
Council leader pledges support
Addressing the motion, Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool Council, said: "Gina, I’m so sorry to hear all of those stories. We will do everything as a council to support you and other people that have had to go through that and equally we will do everything we can to work with the government to get that justice that you and others rightfully deserve."
