Frank Thompson, the patriarch of a traveller family, was laid to rest in a solid gold coffin said to be worth six figures, following a week-long farewell tour in a Rolls Royce. The 69-year-old died from a chest infection, and his family spared no expense to give him what they described as 'the best possible send off'.
A family friend revealed that the solid gold casket was ordered from abroad and took weeks to arrive. The friend, who did not disclose the exact cost, said: 'The casket is solid gold. His son ordered it from abroad. The cost was stupendous - six figures.' The coffin was transported in a Rolls Royce on a week-long tour of locations in Nottingham and Manchester where Thompson had run businesses and tarmac yards, as well as cemeteries where his friends and family were buried.
In addition to the gold coffin, a grand marble tomb has been commissioned, which will take a year to construct around his coffin at a south London cemetery. The family friend explained that the lavish send-off was intended to show the world 'there are some really good gypsy travellers' and to honour Thompson, who was a hardworking businessman. 'He was the head of a very big family, the king of the family - everyone looked up to him,' the friend added.
Thompson, an entrepreneur, expanded his father's tarmacking business to multiple sites across the UK. He was known for his charitable donations and had plans to build an orphanage abroad before his illness. The friend said: 'He was never a flash man, believe it or not. He could have anything he wanted but he's not flash. He'd be proud of what his sons did for him.'
The coffin procession began on July 23, and Thompson was interred on July 29. The marble tomb construction is expected to take around a year to complete.
