Hundreds to attend Donington service for Matthew Flinders, whose remains were found during digging for HS2
When the remains of the famous explorer Capt Matthew Flinders – credited with naming Australia – were discovered during the digging for, where Flinders was born in 1774, has been preparing for his arrival for months, and is gearing up to welcome a host of Australian dignitaries travelling over for his reburial in July.
“My son said to me, ‘Mum, you do realise that you’re involved in doing something that’s going to be in the history books?’ That was a bit woah, a bit scary.” About 300 schoolchildren will attend a church service the day prior to the reburial, and 400 people will get to watch the event in person, led by the Lord Bishop of Lincoln. Spots were allocated randomly via a ballot drawn on Flinders’ 250th birthday earlier this year, with much of the demand coming from locals and Australia.
He will lie beneath a stained glass window dedicated to his memory, while soil from the countries he visited – Australia, Tasmania, Mauritius – will be scattered over his coffin. The ledger stone that will mark his grave features his beloved cat and travel companion, Trim, sat on top of Australia.
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