Cemetery in Memorial Way Norwich

Image: © Adrian S Pye Taken: 7 Sep 2017

The Thorpe St. Andrew's hospital cemetery has been desecrated by the systematic removal of all headstones and grave markers. The hospital over its lifetime has served the community in many ways. It was originally built as the Norfolk County Asylum (1814 – 1915), then as the Norfolk War Hospital (1915 – 1919) followed by Norfolk Mental Hospital (1919 – 1923) and finally Thorpe St. Andrew's Hospital (1923 – 1998). During the Second World war it was again used for the troops returning wounded from the war. Among the War wounded were refugees and many who survived settled in the area. Those who didn't survive were laid to rest here along with others who died in the hospital as late as 1966. Among the many were three Polish airmen who stayed after the war and were eventually buried in the cemetery. Their names are recorded in the Norfolk Record Office and recalled here: Mykola Zaluckyj from Huntington, buried 7 Nov 1951 aged 29. Grave # 631. Dmytr Jeluk from Sleaford, buried 12 Oct 1955 aged 45. Grave # 657. Wladyslaw Pawel Bartnicki from Thorpe St Andrew, buried 1 Dec 1960 aged 64. Grave # 688. Despite the hospital board being advised otherwise, in their infinite wisdom they sold all the metal grave markers for scrap to cut down on the expense of maintaining the cemetery in an appropriate manner and maintaining respect for the dead. The cemetery contains 217 graves, most with two bodies. The first grave is no 495 and dates to the 1940s/50s, the last is no 711, dating 14 Oct 1966. Have they no respect for the dead? http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5528900 http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5528897

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