Funeral Service

Wednesday 5th May 2021 at 1pm BST, Honor Oak Crematorium

The number of people who can attend is restricted, due to COVID-19 regulations and is by invitation only. The funeral will be livestreamed and anyone may follow online. Instead of flowers we ask that you consider a gift to a fund we are establishing in Derek’s memory.

There will be a memorial event later in the year to celebrate Derek's life and his enormous contribution to historical research.

Download: Order of service booklet [13mb].

Download: Words spoken at the service [97kb].

Download: Nunhead Cemetery walk [4.6mb].

Running order

Celebrant: Jo Beddington
  • Entrance music
  • Opening words
  • Eulogy
  • Memories of Derek
  • A moment of contemplation
  • Closing words
  • Exit with music

After the ceremony we will walk around Nunhead Cemetary. Derek enjoyed walking around the Cemetery and it became his daily walk during the last year of his life. Here is a route around a handful of his favourite memorials and of course, the tremendous view of St Paul’s. Derek’s ashes will be interred at West Norwood, one of the Magnificent Seven London cemeteries, Nunhead being full!