Matthew Flinders - rediscovered

Am I the only person excited by the finding of the remains of Matthew Flinders, cited on news media this week?

The grave of the man who effectively 'named' Australia - and the first European to circumnavigate the continent fully - has been 'lost' for over 100 years.

Lost in the sense that scholars 'knew' it was somewhere near Euston Station, but possibly was buried under the footings of the new terminus built several yearas ago.

Now proven to have been incorrect, with the finding of his grave, helpfully, with a lead plaque on the coffin to identify him, or he'd have gone back to anonymous immediately after excavation and reburial in yet another 'unmarked' grave.

The Australian government should offer to fund a memorial headstone or monument to the famous circumnavigator. There are more places named after him in Australia than possibly any other European (other than perhaps Queen Victoria).

I read his book, a recent Text Publishing reprint, of Terra Australis, and later read James Mack's Matthew Flinders, with considerable interest.

Has he been forgotten by the Australian community (with the possibly exception of South Oz, where there are indeed monuments to him)?

 

Great minds thinking alike here, I thought exactly the same, when I heard that news, it's either he or Queen Vic for the most named after, I'd say he has the lead with geographical landmarks. In my vicinity there is Flinders Reef, Flinders Beach, Flinders Peak. Further afield, Flinders Ranges, Flinders River, the list goes on, across the country. One can't deny his seamanship, and mapping skills.

 

The finding of his grave was due to the excavation of 60,000 sets of remains alongside Euston station, Sadly most others had only a tin name plate which have rusted away.
He died in 1814, but his sister tried to visit the grave in 1852 and the grave stone was already missing.

The entire grave yard is being excavated under a huge tent, in preparation for the building of the HS2 railway line. The occupants will be reinterred elsewhere once the archaeologists have finished, I can see some debate on the new grave site for Flinders or any other famous person found.

The HS2 railway is the recreation of the Great Central Railway, this was completed in 1899 as a link from the channel tunnel to Manchester up the spine of the UK and built to the "Berne" international loading gauge, not to a smaller UK loading gauge. Sadly between 1960 and 1969 the line was scrapped, and some of it built over. Due politicians dreams of grandeur, they want a 250mph railway, which means straightening the route and avoiding the now built on areas..