Help with father’s missing headstone

My father died in late 1977, by which time I was married and living in Yorkshire. My mother had my fathers ashes buried in Udimore churchyard, and a small headstone placed there. This headstone is now missing; I was first aware of it’s disappearance in March 2012. The current vicar of the parish has had a search done of the churchyard but there is no trace of it. No one seems to know what has happened to it. I have contacted the diocese, the archdeacon, the diocesan registrar, the funeral directors who undertook the burial of the ashes – all tell me that this is an unusual case, but have no answers.

I am hoping that an appeal may jog someone’s memory, perhaps someone who moved out of the village some years ago. My mother moved into Rye a few years after Dads’ death, but visited Udimore from time to time – I also visited the churchyard a few times, once with my husband. My mother is still alive, but sadly has had advancing dementia for the last ten years and so is not a source of information.

So – a rather odd circumstance! Please will you help me in my search for information?

Caroline Crabtree

by email