Crowds gathered at the weekend to celebrate the return of Donington explorer Matthew Flinders.
People travelled from as far as Australia for the ceremony which took years to organise.
Cap Flinders died in 1814 and was the first known person to navigate around the Australian coast, confirming it as a continent. But the location of his burial was lost by the end of the 19th century.
He died just a day after a book he wrote about Australia was published.
On Saturday some of his descendants were joined by the Bishop of Lincoln and dignitaries from Australia and Mauritius. Capt Flinders’ remains were uncovered during work on the HS2 high speed rail line project near Euston station in London in 2019, and were brought home to Donington after a campaign.
Held captive in Mauritius during the Napoleonic wars, the explorer’s final journey saw him laid to rest in the Church of St Mary and the Holy Rood in Donington.
Crowds had gathered for the occasion, with the streets lined.
Among those attending the service were members of his family who had travelled from Australia. Personnel from the Royal Navy acted as pallbearers for the service on Saturday and Sea Cadets lined the route as a guard of honour.
The event took place following a Bring Him Home campaign led by villager Jane Pearson, pictured far left with guest Frances Adamson, Governor of South Australia.
There was an 18-gun salute and international interest with media crews from the southern hemisphere also attending.
The Bring Him Home project received £35,000 as part of the previous government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
“This project highlights what can be achieved when a great team works together to deliver something special,” said South Holland District Council deputy leader Coun Paul Redgate.
Tulip Talk with Jan Whitbourn.
On Saturday it was my absolute pleasure to attend the Bring Matthew Flinders Home’ ceremonies in Donington.
This is such a big deal not just here in South Holland but around the country and in certain parts of the world, especially Australia and Mauritius.
This is underlined by the fact that so many people were watching the live stream around the world.
Dignitaries and media travelled from across the planet to participate in the ceremonies.
Capt Flinders is undoubtedly one of the most famous people to have come from Donington.
He lived an extraordinary life by being the first person to circumnavigate Australia.
He was then captured by the French, and held as a spy on his return voyage but sadly passed away shortly after returning to England.
His journey was portrayed throughout the afternoon’s ceremony with some people shedding a tear listening to his life story.
His story might have ended there if the remains of Capt Flinders had not been discovered during excavations of a London graveyard as part of construction works related to HS2 in 2019.
It was at this time that Donington residents such as Jane Pearson fought to bring his remains back to South Holland where they could receive a proper reinterment.
With his remains now brought back to the village of his birth, Capt Flinders has become the first person in 300 years to be buried within the confines of St Mary and the Holy Rood Church, close to members of his family.
Jane Pearson had worked on this amazing event for so long said: “To all our many guests, on behalf of Donington, I would like to extend a huge thank you for the part you played in the Flinders Return this weekend.
“Back in 2019, when we had the idea to start this campaign, we could not have anticipated that the outcome would have been as wonderful for the whole village as it was.
“We are delighted and owe huge debts of gratitude to many people including the clergy, the military and the very many wise people who have counselled us over the months to try to ensure we achieved all the correct protocols.
“We did our best and you have all contributed to make this a weekend that will go down in the history of Donington for a long time.
“I know, over the months, I have bombarded you all with emails, information, questions etc.
“The grave has been filled and the ledger stone will be in place this week and then we can reflect.
“Thank you all for playing your part in our special day.”
Bell ringers from Long Sutton had St Mary’s ringing out from 10am.
Shortly before 2pm, the hearse carrying Capt Flinders followed a procession route through the village with people lining the streets to pay their respects.
His remains were then carried into the church in a procession involving clergy led by the Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Rev Stephen Conway and the sea cadets, followed by the firing of a Naval salute before the service began and a guard of honour was formed outside the church in his honour.
The governor of South Australia, the honourable Frances Adamson welcomed attendees to the service, which included a reading by Rachel Flinders Lewis, a direct descendant of the celebrated explorer.
The national anthems of the United Kingdom and Australia marked the ending of this historical service.
Festivities took place to mark the occasion throughout the village which ended with a fireworks display around 10pm.
All in all, it was such a special occasion and it was such a privilege to be there alongside council colleagues and Sir John Hayes MP and Lady Susan.
“This was a fantastic occasion for South Holland, bringing visitors to the area from all over the world,” Sir John said. “Captain Flinders is a celebrated figure in history and I was proud to be here for this ceremony. South Holland is a place with rich history that we ought to celebrate more, I look forward to working with constituents to do more to celebrate our roots and to encourage more visitors to our area.”
Pictures by Seven Daniels and Nigel Cookson.
