Woodhouse Cemetery: Relatives want burial ground at St George's Field renamed by University of Leeds

The sunny Australian town of Crib Point is a far cry from Yorkshire. Nestled on the eastern coast of the idyllic Mornington Peninsula, it could not be more different to the English city.

But it is where retired serviceman Gary Walters, 63, does his best work. From his air-conditioned office, he spends his time studying a little-known burial ground in Leeds.

St George’s Field – or, as it was formerly known, Woodhouse Cemetery – is the final resting place of between 97,000 and 100,000 people.

Situated on the University of Leeds campus, most visitors to the grounds are blissfully unaware of its original use.

Students enjoy breaks on the lawn, workers pass through on the way to their next meetings, and dogwalkers wander across the field at leisure – with little knowledge of the thousands of people buried underneath.

The relatives of those buried there have been upset that the space is not always recognised as a cemetery and, this week, renewed calls for it to be renamed.

Gary, who was born in the UK but moved to Australia when he was 18, discovered over the last decade that his great-great-grandparents were buried in St George’s Field. That prompted a visit to Leeds where he located their plots – and it was not long before he was helping others to do the same.

“I actively help people locate their relatives’ plots using death records, spreadsheets and my own research,” he said.

“It takes a day or two of nutting around on Google Earth, but it’s supposed to be accurate to within six inches, which is good enough for me.”

Most of the people Gary helps live in England, but he did find the ancestors of one American woman after she called on his skills.

He said: “I use various means and methods. I have all sorts of information about graveyards. Some of it is easily available, some of it is not so easily available. I reckon I know more about this cemetery than just about anyone.”

Christine Bairstow, 78, visits the cemetery regularly, as it is the final resting place of her twin sister Pauline, who died at just six months old.

She has previously argued that the site has been disrespected by students – a claim that the University of Leeds has refuted – which is why she wants her sister’s body exhumed.

With other relatives of the burial ground’s occupants, Christine has renewed calls for St George’s Field to be given a name that reflects its original use.

Lynn Rayner, 75, often visits her late grandparents in the cemetery. She said: “We want the university to get rid of the word ‘field’. It should be called something peaceful.

“I worked on the campus for 10 years and had no idea that this was a cemetery. I’ve since found out that my mother’s aunts and uncles are also buried here.”

Gary, Christine and Lynn are part of an online community, called the ‘Friends of Woodhouse Cemetery’. They share information through the group and organise campaigns, such as their lobbying for the university to rename the site.

In 1965, the university secured an act of parliament to remove most of the headstones and memorials, so it could be landscaped and provide an open space. By the time burials stopped four years later, the site had reverted back to its pre-cemetery name – St George’s Field.

The campaigners said that the graves, including a number of war graves, deserve more recognition.

A University of Leeds spokesperson said: “After the university acquired the land in 1956 from Leeds General Cemetery Company, the grounds reverted to the former name of St George’s Field.

“The area is a public space and protected part of our campus where students, staff and members of the public can reflect and relax in a respectful manner. There are signs around the field and a Leeds Civic Trust blue plaque that detail the heritage of this peaceful space and to learn and appreciate its history.”