GROUP: Lost & Found Property on Great Western Railway

AUTHOR: Laura Bayliss

MISSING SUITCASE CONTAINING ASHES – please read and share.

Yesterday (Friday 7th August) I travelled with my sister down to Cornwall to spread the ashes of my deceased fiancé Gav. We were due to spread them close to where we used to go on holiday each year, and five years on from Gav’s passing, I felt it was time to make the journey.

My black carry-on-sized suitcase contained Gav’s ashes as well as our dogs’ ashes, Jed and Ralfy, but my case was taken from the train we were travelling on. Please help me locate their ashes.

The train was really busy, and there were people standing all in the aisles so we had to put the cases in the luggage racks rather than keep them with us. We boarded a train at Bristol Parkway at 13:22 and took this as far as Par (due in at 16:38). The train had first started in Edinburgh at 7:03 am and was going all the way to Penzance.

When we went to collect the case and get off the train at Par, my case was gone, and an almost identical black case was left in the same luggage rack. It had a small silver badge on the front with some red detail. At this point we realised someone had probably picked up my case from the rack and Gav, Ralfy and Jed’s ashes were gone.

We had booked and travelled with Great Western Railway via the Trainline app, but the line is also managed by National Rail, and the train between Bristol Parkway and Par was a Cross Country train. It was due to continue to Penzance and had the train headcode 1V52. We have reported the case as missing but are now waiting, hoping the person realises and hands it in.

Their case was handed to the train driver. The process is that they take it to the final destination station (Penzance). The driver confirmed he would do this so the other person can claim their lost case.

My case contained one large rectangular box that was almost as tall as the case (Gav’s ashes), a cylindrical tube containing our dog Ralfy’s ashes, and a wooden box with the name Jed on it that had our dog Jed’s ashes. There were a couple of packing cubes of clothes, a pink wash bag, some flip-flops, and a beach towel that said ‘Corfu’ if these items also help someone recognise the contents.

Please may I ask people to share as widely as possible, as I’d be so grateful of any help to try and find the case so I can complete Gav’s final journey and spread his ashes.

Thank you for reading and sharing.