Transporting the dead

Whether the body is going to be transported using private transport or by common carrier, there are basic requirements that need to be met before the movement of a corpse can start.
A burial-transit permit popularly known as the burial order — giving the name of the deceased as it appears on the birth certificate — has to be obtained from the local registrar and must accompany each dead body transported whether by private or common carrier.
All dead bodies due to be transported shall be clothed or covered by a shroud or other body covering, then encased in a rigid container, i.e. a coffin, constructed to withstand hazards associated with the methods of transportation to be used.
A hearse is the recommended mode of transporting a dead body, but under different circumstances, which are in the main financial; people tend to use their private cars.
However, it is not a crime to transport dead bodies in private cars, but for health reasons, it is not advisable.
A hearse is a vehicle for conveying the body of a deceased person to their resting place. The modern meaning of the word hearse is far removed from that of its ancient roots. It is derive from a word found in an extinct language of southern Italy, signifying a wolf’s teeth.
This word was later absorbed into Latin as hirpex, denoting, with reference to the implement’s teeth, a large rake. This entered Old French in the form of herce, meaning “harrow”.
In English, a hearse was originally a triangular frame similar in shape to an ancient harrow, designed to hold candles. From this, it became an elaborate framework or canopy constructed over the coffin of an important person prior to his/her funeral.
By the 17th century the word referred to a carriage built to carry a coffin, from which evolved the modern hearse or funeral vehicle.
The early hearse was used sometime in the 17th century, after people started using the word to refer to a carriage used for transporting the dead. The hearse then was a horse-drawn wagon enclosed by carved, wooden panels.
Sometimes the walls were made of glass, in order to showcase the coffin. Hearses remained horse-drawn until the first decade of the 20th century, when silent electric motorised hearses began to appear.
Nobody is quite sure what year the motorised hearses were first put into use, but it was most likely between 1901 and 1909.
Hearses are unlike any other type of automobile as they are made for the specific purpose of transporting the coffins of the deceased. They are typically used to bring bodies to a cemetery, church or crematorium and they are built, both in terms of size and style, with this purpose in mind.
Over time, hearses have changed and look differently from one culture to another, but all are used for generally the same purpose. The first all-motorised funeral procession took place in Chicago in 1909 months before the release of the first commercially built, motorised hearse.
Although motorised hearses were slow to gain acceptance, by the end of the first decade of the 1900s the transition from horse-drawn vehicles to motorised vehicles was inevitable.
In 1913, the practicality of the motorised hearse was proven to the public with a trip across the United States. The early motorised hearses closely resembled the horse-drawn carriages, although they soon took on an appearance of their own. They were plain black and had a closed-in area for the casket and an open area for the driver.
Although it was expensive to run motorised hearses then, funeral homes soon realised that the motorised hearses would eventually pay for themselves. This was as a result of their ability to move much faster, allowing for more funerals in less time.
It took some time for the motorised hearses to be considered dignified enough for a funeral. By the early 1920s, motorised hearses were accepted and popularly used.
Some early hearses were also used as ambulances, but the dual use for the hearse was practiced in the United States, mostly in rural areas, until the late ‘70s’, when stricter federal guidelines prohibited this arrangement.
In Zimbabwe, the major players in the funeral services industry use an ambulance for body removal from place of death and use a hearse to the church and to place of burial.
European hearses tend to have more glass than their American counterparts and tend to leave their windows unobstructed and untinted. This gives a better view of the casket within.
Japanese hearses tend to either be very similar to American style or they are ornate affairs, decorated to look like a small Buddhist temple or shrine. Normally, more luxurious brands of cars are used as bases.
The vast majority of hearses in the United States and Canada are Cadillacs and Lincolns.
In Europe, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Opel, Ford and Volvo are common contemporary bases and in the past, Daimler and even Rolls-Royce limousines were converted, though their cost is generally considered prohibitive.
In Zimbabwe even pickup trucks like Nissan, Mazda and Toyota have been converted into hearses. Since the working life of a hearse is generally one of light duty and short, sedate drives, hearses remain serviceable for a long time.
In Europe and America hearses 30 years old or more may still be in service, although some funeral homes replace them at least once in a decade.
Two styles of hearse bodywork are common. The older style is the limousine style; these have narrow pillars and lots of glass. These are more popular in the UK, among others.
More popular in the United States is the landau style, with a heavily-padded leather or vinyl roof and long blind rear quarters, similarly covered and decorated with large metal S-shaped bars designed to resemble those used to lower the tops on some horse-drawn coaches.
It is common practice in the USA for the windows to be curtained, while in the UK the windows are normally left unobscured.
Recent developments
In recent times, the motorcycle plus side-hearse has become more popular. This type of hearse is a motorcycle with a special side vehicle built to carry a casket or urn. This type of hearse is often used during the funeral of motorcycle enthusiasts.
Perhaps owing to the morbid nature of the hearse, its luxurious accommodations for the driver, or both, the hearse has a number of enthusiasts who own and drive retired hearses.
In Europe and America there are several hearse clubs. Even Celebrities are known to be hearse enthusiasts and they include Rock singer Neil Young and Sam Sham of the Pharaohs (known for Woolly Bully in Little Red Riding Hood. Sam Sham was known for transporting all his equipment in a 1952 Packard hearse.
– Philip Mataranyika is the CEO of Nyaradzo Funeral Assurance Company. He can be contacted at mav mat67@hotmail.com