CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

From Sunday Times article on the CTRL at St Pancras: ' Just as the
Midland had ploughed up corpses to build its tracks, so the new work
unearthed further remains. In fact, no fewer than 7,000 bodies came
out of the ground just north of the station.'

Were there really so many bodies found? When I asked a CTRL lecturer
last year whether any bodies had been unearthed the answer was ' yes,
a few'. I wonder which report is accurate.
--
Peter Lawrence

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

"Peter Lawrence" wrote in message


From Sunday Times article on the CTRL at St Pancras: ' Just as the
Midland had ploughed up corpses to build its tracks, so the new work
unearthed further remains. In fact, no fewer than 7,000 bodies came
out of the ground just north of the station.'

Were there really so many bodies found? When I asked a CTRL lecturer
last year whether any bodies had been unearthed the answer was ' yes,
a few'. I wonder which report is accurate.

"The graveyard posed the initial problems, the main line was to pass
over
on a girder bridge and the branch to the Metropolitan under in a tunnel.
The disturbance of the remains was expected but was, initially,
carelessly handled. The tunnelling was especially delayed by the
presence of decomposing matter, the many coffins encountered, and a
London-wide outbreak of cholera leading to the requirement to enclose
the Fleet River entirely in iron. Despite this the connection was
completed in January 1867".

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclop...ailway-station

I'd believe 7,000.




--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

Troy Steadman wrote:
"Peter Lawrence" wrote in message



From Sunday Times article on the CTRL at St Pancras: ' Just as the
Midland had ploughed up corpses to build its tracks, so the new work
unearthed further remains. In fact, no fewer than 7,000 bodies came
out of the ground just north of the station.'

Were there really so many bodies found? When I asked a CTRL lecturer
last year whether any bodies had been unearthed the answer was ' yes,
a few'. I wonder which report is accurate.


"The graveyard posed the initial problems, the main line was to pass
over
on a girder bridge and the branch to the Metropolitan under in a tunnel.
The disturbance of the remains was expected but was, initially,
carelessly handled. The tunnelling was especially delayed by the
presence of decomposing matter, the many coffins encountered, and a
London-wide outbreak of cholera leading to the requirement to enclose
the Fleet River entirely in iron. Despite this the connection was
completed in January 1867".

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclop...ailway-station

I'd believe 7,000.

For the Midland, yes, but was the OP not asking about the CTRL?

Robin

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

R.C. Payne wrote:
Troy Steadman wrote:
"Peter Lawrence" wrote in message



From Sunday Times article on the CTRL at St Pancras: ' Just as the
Midland had ploughed up corpses to build its tracks, so the new work
unearthed further remains. In fact, no fewer than 7,000 bodies came
out of the ground just north of the station.'

Were there really so many bodies found? When I asked a CTRL
lecturer last year whether any bodies had been unearthed the answer
was ' yes,
a few'. I wonder which report is accurate.


"The graveyard posed the initial problems, the main line was to pass
over
on a girder bridge and the branch to the Metropolitan under in a
tunnel. The disturbance of the remains was expected but was,
initially, carelessly handled. The tunnelling was especially delayed
by the presence of decomposing matter, the many coffins encountered,
and a London-wide outbreak of cholera leading to the requirement to
enclose the Fleet River entirely in iron. Despite this the
connection was completed in January 1867".

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclop...ailway-station

I'd believe 7,000.

For the Midland, yes, but was the OP not asking about the CTRL?


Can you remind us where the north London terminus of the CTRL is?

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

Brimstone wrote:
R.C. Payne wrote:

Troy Steadman wrote:

"Peter Lawrence" wrote in message




From Sunday Times article on the CTRL at St Pancras: ' Just as the
Midland had ploughed up corpses to build its tracks, so the new work
unearthed further remains. In fact, no fewer than 7,000 bodies came
out of the ground just north of the station.'

Were there really so many bodies found? When I asked a CTRL
lecturer last year whether any bodies had been unearthed the answer
was ' yes,
a few'. I wonder which report is accurate.


"The graveyard posed the initial problems, the main line was to pass
over
on a girder bridge and the branch to the Metropolitan under in a
tunnel. The disturbance of the remains was expected but was,
initially, carelessly handled. The tunnelling was especially delayed
by the presence of decomposing matter, the many coffins encountered,
and a London-wide outbreak of cholera leading to the requirement to
enclose the Fleet River entirely in iron. Despite this the
connection was completed in January 1867".

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclop...ailway-station

I'd believe 7,000.

For the Midland, yes, but was the OP not asking about the CTRL?

Can you remind us where the north London terminus of the CTRL is?

The OP was talking about more bodies being exhumed during the CTRL works
recently, in addition to those originally exhumed for the construction
of the Midland.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

Dave Arquati wrote:
Brimstone wrote:
R.C. Payne wrote:

Troy Steadman wrote:

"Peter Lawrence" wrote in message




From Sunday Times article on the CTRL at St Pancras: ' Just as the
Midland had ploughed up corpses to build its tracks, so the new
work unearthed further remains. In fact, no fewer than 7,000
bodies came out of the ground just north of the station.'

Were there really so many bodies found? When I asked a CTRL
lecturer last year whether any bodies had been unearthed the
answer was ' yes,
a few'. I wonder which report is accurate.


"The graveyard posed the initial problems, the main line was to
pass over
on a girder bridge and the branch to the Metropolitan under in a
tunnel. The disturbance of the remains was expected but was,
initially, carelessly handled. The tunnelling was especially
delayed by the presence of decomposing matter, the many coffins
encountered, and a London-wide outbreak of cholera leading to the
requirement to enclose the Fleet River entirely in iron. Despite
this the connection was completed in January 1867".

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclop...ailway-station

I'd believe 7,000.

For the Midland, yes, but was the OP not asking about the CTRL?

Can you remind us where the north London terminus of the CTRL is?

The OP was talking about more bodies being exhumed during the CTRL
works recently, in addition to those originally exhumed for the
construction of the Midland.

Quite.

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

"Peter Lawrence" wrote in message
...
From Sunday Times article on the CTRL at St Pancras: ' Just as the
Midland had ploughed up corpses to build its tracks, so the new work
unearthed further remains. In fact, no fewer than 7,000 bodies came
out of the ground just north of the station.'

Were there really so many bodies found? When I asked a CTRL lecturer
last year whether any bodies had been unearthed the answer was ' yes,
a few'. I wonder which report is accurate.

The Sunday Times article is ambiguous - I think the 7000 is meant to refer
to the original construcion of the Midland Railway, but it could be read to
refer to the CTRL.

Another 19th century railway where a graveyard was disturbed was the Charing
Cross extension of the SER, where at least 7950 bodies were removed from the
College Burial Ground of the parish of St Mary's, Lambeth, and reburied in
Woking (presumably Brookwood) cemetery.

Peter

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

Peter Masson wrote:
The Sunday Times article is ambiguous - I think the 7000 is meant to refer
to the original construcion of the Midland Railway, but it could be read to
refer to the CTRL.

It must refer to building the Midland route and the Metropolitan (now
Thameslink) connection. If 7,000 bodies had been exhumed during the
CTRL work then we'd have heard about it beforehand. The Guardian G2
article on Friday (27/05/05) has no such mention of this.

It sounds like the CTRL lecturer the OP spoke to is correct - a 'few'
bodies were exhumed. 7,000 is not a 'few'!

When on Thameslink it's certainly an odd to think that you're
travelling through a burial ground.

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

On Tue, 31 May 2005 11:40:18 UTC, "Mizter T"
wrote:

When on Thameslink it's certainly an odd to think that you're
travelling through a burial ground.

Could have been worse ... "the old Indian burial ground" ... wooooooo
.....


Ian


--

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

Ian Johnston wrote:
On Tue, 31 May 2005 11:40:18 UTC, "Mizter T"
wrote:
When on Thameslink it's certainly an odd to think that you're
travelling through a burial ground.

Could have been worse ... "the old Indian burial ground" ... wooooooo
....


Ian


Perhaps that's why they're too scared to fit out the station...

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

What follows sounds pretty gorey - I wonder if similar care was taken
during the Midland constuction:

E.D. Wivens wrote:
In 'The Condition of the Working-class in England in 1844'Friedrich
Engels describes the building of a railway *through* the pauper burial
ground on the banks of the River Irk near Manchester.

His description of the works, (which included some pile-driving
operations), ends "The disgusting brutality which accompanied this
work I cannot describe in further detail."

(original post at
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk....06a01d61?hl=en)

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

In article .com,
wrote:

Ian Johnston wrote:
On Tue, 31 May 2005 11:40:18 UTC, "Mizter T"
wrote:
When on Thameslink it's certainly an odd to think that you're
travelling through a burial ground.

Could have been worse ... "the old Indian burial ground" ... wooooooo
....

Perhaps that's why they're too scared to fit out the station...

Is it too soon to jump in with "I'd have gotten away with if it hadn't
been for you pesky kids"?

Sam

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

"Brimstone" wrote in message

Dave Arquati wrote:

The OP was talking about more bodies being exhumed during the CTRL
works recently, in addition to those originally exhumed for the
construction of the Midland.

Quite.

The Midland went over and the connection to the Metropolitan went under
St Pancras and St Giles's Churchyards.

I was under the impression that the CTRL cuts new ground through St
Pancras Churchyard.


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

Sam Wilson wrote:
In article .com,
wrote:


Ian Johnston wrote:

On Tue, 31 May 2005 11:40:18 UTC, "Mizter T"
wrote:

When on Thameslink it's certainly an odd to think that you're
travelling through a burial ground.

Could have been worse ... "the old Indian burial ground" ... wooooooo
....

Perhaps that's why they're too scared to fit out the station...


Is it too soon to jump in with "I'd have gotten away with if it hadn't
been for you pesky kids"?

fx: pulls of rubber face
It's Sam Wilson, the old hotel manager!

Robin

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

In article , R.C. Payne
wrote:

Sam Wilson wrote:
In article .com,
wrote:


Ian Johnston wrote:

On Tue, 31 May 2005 11:40:18 UTC, "Mizter T"
wrote:

When on Thameslink it's certainly an odd to think that you're
travelling through a burial ground.

Could have been worse ... "the old Indian burial ground" ... wooooooo
....

Perhaps that's why they're too scared to fit out the station...


Is it too soon to jump in with "I'd have gotten away with if it hadn't
been for you pesky kids"?

fx: pulls of rubber face
It's Sam Wilson, the old hotel manager!

Oi, you leave my rubber face out of this!

Sam

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

Peter Lawrence wrote:
From Sunday Times article on the CTRL at St Pancras: ' Just as the
Midland had ploughed up corpses to build its tracks, so the new work
unearthed further remains. In fact, no fewer than 7,000 bodies came
out of the ground just north of the station.'

Were there really so many bodies found? When I asked a CTRL
lecturer last year whether any bodies had been unearthed the answer
was ' yes, a few'. I wonder which report is accurate.

There were a number of reports about this in 2002-03. For example,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2516907.stm .
In Parliament on 23 Jan 2003, a junior transport minister said that "it
is estimated that the remains of up to 8,000 bodies will be removed from
the site".
http://www.publications.parliament.u...t/30123w23.htm

--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

On Tue, 31 May 2005 10:37:06 +0000 (UTC), "Peter Masson"
wrote:


"Peter Lawrence" wrote in message
...
From Sunday Times article on the CTRL at St Pancras: ' Just as the
Midland had ploughed up corpses to build its tracks, so the new work
unearthed further remains. In fact, no fewer than 7,000 bodies came
out of the ground just north of the station.'

Were there really so many bodies found? When I asked a CTRL lecturer
last year whether any bodies had been unearthed the answer was ' yes,
a few'. I wonder which report is accurate.

The Sunday Times article is ambiguous - I think the 7000 is meant to refer
to the original construcion of the Midland Railway, but it could be read to
refer to the CTRL.

That is how I read it. It continues ' Most were from the 18th
century; one was a French archbishop, probably an escapee from the
revolution. Modern mores required that they all be treated with
respect. "We had to match them up and re-bury them last year," says
Tim Smart, acronymic client manager, "we had the local clergy along
and re-interred them in East Finchley cemetery. '. (See
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspap...860_3,00.html).

I don't believe that 7000 bodies could be reburied without some major
fuss arising. I will attempt to get an answer from CTRL public
relations.
--
Peter Lawrence

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

Peter Lawrence wrote:


"We had to match them up and re-bury them last year," says
Tim Smart, acronymic client manager, "we had the local clergy along
and re-interred them in East Finchley cemetery. '. (See
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspap...860_3,00.html).


Does anyone know what an "acronymic client manager" is?

Andy Kirkham

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

Andy Kirkham wrote:

Does anyone know what an "acronymic client manager" is?


You have to read the piece to understand the context!

"...Over the next few years, much hard work was done on the project.
Many vital, mission-critical abbreviations had to be constructed. It is
a task that engineers love, and the resulting alphabetical thicket,
delivered in time and on budget, is engineering at its best..."

"...RLE, URN, CORBER, LUL, PPP, DfT, MRSSC, CTW, WA, DA, SRA..."

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

Richard J. wrote:

There were a number of reports about this in 2002-03. For example,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2516907.stm .
In Parliament on 23 Jan 2003, a junior transport minister said that "it
is estimated that the remains of up to 8,000 bodies will be removed from
the site".
http://www.publications.parliament.u...t/30123w23.htm


That's fascinating. I'm surprised I've heard so little about this in
the newspapers and on the broadcast news, I'd have expected more
controversy. The CTRL team seemed to have managed to keep it pretty
hush hush.

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

Peter Lawrence wrote:


"We had to match them up and re-bury them last year," says
Tim Smart, acronymic client manager, "we had the local clergy along
and re-interred them in East Finchley cemetery. '. (See
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspap...860_3,00.html).


Does anyone know what an "acronymic client manager" is?

Andy Kirkham

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

"Andy Kirkham" wrote in message
oups.com...
Peter Lawrence wrote:


"We had to match them up and re-bury them last year," says
Tim Smart, acronymic client manager, "we had the local clergy along
and re-interred them in East Finchley cemetery. '. (See
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspap...860_3,00.html).


Does anyone know what an "acronymic client manager" is?


No, so I tried a Google search and got, Your search - "acronymic client
manager" - did not match any documents.

So quite obviously there is no such thing.

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

If you see my previous reply to this question then you'll realise that
the authors tongue was firmly in his proverbial cheek.

Mizter T wrote:
Andy Kirkham wrote:

Does anyone know what an "acronymic client manager" is?


You have to read the piece to understand the context!

"...Over the next few years, much hard work was done on the project.
Many vital, mission-critical abbreviations had to be constructed. It is
a task that engineers love, and the resulting alphabetical thicket,
delivered in time and on budget, is engineering at its best..."

"...RLE, URN, CORBER, LUL, PPP, DfT, MRSSC, CTW, WA, DA, SRA..."

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

"Mizter T" wrote in message
ups.com

That's fascinating. I'm surprised I've heard so little about this in
the newspapers and on the broadcast news, I'd have expected more
controversy.

If the Midland could dig up thousands of festering corpses without too
much of a kerfuffle why would there be controversy 140 years later over
a few odd bones? Frenchmen's bones at that!

I was a gravedigger in the school holidays many years ago in Epsom. In
the chalklands bodies rot away after 50 years, the gravestone is cleared
and the plot is resold.

There's an 1827 map of the St Pancras area showing the churchyards half
way down this link.

http://www.stpancras.150m.com/


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

In article ilgate.org
, Troy Steadman writes
"Mizter T" wrote in message
oups.com

That's fascinating. I'm surprised I've heard so little about this in
the newspapers and on the broadcast news, I'd have expected more
controversy.

If the Midland could dig up thousands of festering corpses without too
much of a kerfuffle why would there be controversy 140 years later over
a few odd bones? Frenchmen's bones at that!

I was a gravedigger in the school holidays many years ago in Epsom. In
the chalklands bodies rot away after 50 years, the gravestone is cleared
and the plot is resold.

What bones and all?...

There's an 1827 map of the St Pancras area showing the churchyards half
way down this link.

http://www.stpancras.150m.com/

That seems to be going nowhere?....



--
Tony Sayer

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

In article , tony sayer
wrote:

In article ilgate.org
, Troy Steadman writes

There's an 1827 map of the St Pancras area showing the churchyards half
way down this link.

http://www.stpancras.150m.com/

That seems to be going nowhere?....

Whois says:

Registrant:
150m.com
252 North Orem Blvd
Orem, Utah 84057
United States

Registered through: GoDaddy.com
Domain Name: 150M.COM
Created on: 16-Jun-00
Expires on: 16-Jun-06
Last Updated on: 29-Mar-05

Administrative Contact:
Master, Host
252 North Orem Blvd
Orem, Utah 84057
United States
(801) 765-9400
Technical Contact:
,

,



Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.SUSPENDED-FOR.SPAM-AND-ABUSE.COM
NS2.SUSPENDED-FOR.SPAM-AND-ABUSE.COM


Sam

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

"Sam Wilson" wrote in message


In article , tony sayer
wrote:

In article ilgate.org
, Troy Steadman writes

There's an 1827 map of the St Pancras area showing the churchyards half
way down this link.

http://www.stpancras.150m.com/

That seems to be going nowhere?....

Whois says:

Huh? That is a freebie website with a scrapbook I put together re
Marrantz's query about what looked like it was the Fleet River but
turned out to be the old Parcel Hall.

Or are you saying you can't download the pictures? If you can find the
St George's & Bloomsbury Burial Ground you can detect Cooks Row by the
kink in what is now Pancras Road and so overlay the modern railway on
to the 1827 map. Or do I have to do another scrapbook?

http://tinyurl.com/8o4kx

http://www.stpancras.150m.com/








--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

In article
ilgate.org, Troy
Steadman wrote:

"Sam Wilson" wrote in message


In article , tony sayer
wrote:

In article ilgate.org
, Troy Steadman writes

There's an 1827 map of the St Pancras area showing the churchyards half
way down this link.

http://www.stpancras.150m.com/

That seems to be going nowhere?....

Whois says:

[
stuff about 150m.com deleted, including:
Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.SUSPENDED-FOR.SPAM-AND-ABUSE.COM
NS2.SUSPENDED-FOR.SPAM-AND-ABUSE.COM
]

Huh? That is a freebie website ...

In case you didn't know "whois" is the official way of discovering
things about low-level stuff on the Internet - DNS names, address
assignments and so on. The entry suggests that 150m.com has breached
somebody's terms and conditions and isn't (currently) available. Some
parts of the Internet may still have working details cached but people
who haven't been there before can't get there now.

Sam

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

"Sam Wilson" wrote in message


In case you didn't know "whois" is the official way of discovering
things about low-level stuff on the Internet - DNS names, address
assignments and so on. The entry suggests that 150m.com has breached
somebody's terms and conditions and isn't (currently) available. Some
parts of the Internet may still have working details cached but people
who haven't been there before can't get there now.

Sam

http://www.150m.com/

....is very much up and running but I take your point. Here's the 1827
map, Cooks Row bottom right.

http://users.bathspa.ac.uk/greenwood...4h.html#bottom






--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

In article ilgate.org
, Troy Steadman writes
"Sam Wilson" wrote in message


In article , tony sayer
wrote:

In article ilgate.org
, Troy Steadman writes

There's an 1827 map of the St Pancras area showing the churchyards half
way down this link.

http://www.stpancras.150m.com/

That seems to be going nowhere?....

Whois says:

Huh? That is a freebie website with a scrapbook I put together re
Marrantz's query about what looked like it was the Fleet River but
turned out to be the old Parcel Hall.

Or are you saying you can't download the pictures?

No the site wasn't going any where earlier, but its fine now apart when
you click on the pictures as if to expand them, they come back original
size.

Anyway apart from that, very interesting....

If you can find the
St George's & Bloomsbury Burial Ground you can detect Cooks Row by the
kink in what is now Pancras Road and so overlay the modern railway on
to the 1827 map. Or do I have to do another scrapbook?

http://tinyurl.com/8o4kx

http://www.stpancras.150m.com/









--
Tony Sayer

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

Troy Steadman wrote:

If the Midland could dig up thousands of festering corpses without too
much of a kerfuffle why would there be controversy 140 years later over
a few odd bones? Frenchmen's bones at that!

I was a gravedigger in the school holidays many years ago in Epsom. In
the chalklands bodies rot away after 50 years, the gravestone is cleared
and the plot is resold.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
In the Cemetery: Thomas Hardy

"You see those mothers squabbling there?"
Remarks the man of the cemetery.
"One says in tears, ''Tis mine lies here!'
Another, 'Nay, mine, you Pharisee!'
Another, 'How dare you move my flowers
And put your own on this grave of ours!'
But all their children were laid therein
At different times, like sprats in a tin.
"And then the main drain had to cross,
And we moved the lot some nights ago,
And packed them away in the general foss
With hundreds more. But their folks don't know,
And as well cry over a new-laid drain
As anything else, to ease your pain!"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Andy Kirkham

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

In message , Sam Wilson
writes
In article .com,
wrote:

Ian Johnston wrote:
On Tue, 31 May 2005 11:40:18 UTC, "Mizter T"
wrote:
When on Thameslink it's certainly an odd to think that you're
travelling through a burial ground.

Could have been worse ... "the old Indian burial ground" ... wooooooo
....

Perhaps that's why they're too scared to fit out the station...

Is it too soon to jump in with "I'd have gotten away with if it hadn't
been for you pesky kids"?

Sam
Even though it years later, the station under ground zero is still
boarded off, even though you can see the platforms from the trains.
--
Clive.

CTRL St Pancras - Exhumed Bodies
 

Peter Lawrence wrote:

Were there really so many bodies found? When I asked a CTRL lecturer
last year whether any bodies had been unearthed the answer was ' yes,
a few'. I wonder which report is accurate.
--
Peter Lawrence

The waste land adjacent to the car park at Kings Cross (platform
9/10/11) was until recently used as a sealed area for removing remains.
The area was fenced off with either hoardings or tarpaulins so that
passing pedestrians and motorists could not see in. I believe this is
some form of legal requirement ? However from my office window we had a
birds eye view and could see lorry loads of spoil coming in and being
seived through. Fortunately we are far enough away to be of little use
to the original posters request of how many remains there really were.
Suffice to say the operation lasted ages and was continous 7 days a
week and was the source of many window gazings and quotes of "that
could be a skull" etc etc.

Fat Richard