Overview

• Frank Thompson, 69, died from a chest infection on July 2 and was laid to rest on July 29 after a delay to receive the bespoke casket.
• His son ordered the coffin from abroad, and it was taken on a week-long farewell tour in a Rolls-Royce through sites in Manchester and Nottingham tied to his businesses and family graves.
• The family has commissioned a large marble tomb to be built around the coffin at his plot in a South London cemetery, with construction expected to take about a year.
• A family friend described the casket as solid gold and costing six figures, saying the send-off was intended to present a positive image of Gypsy/Traveller people.
• Thompson was remembered as the head of a large traveller family and a businessman who expanded his father’s tarmacking firm across multiple locations.