I've been looking at my father-in-law's parents who were not married. His mother was Bertha Fleming and the man named on my father-in-law's birth certificate is noted as Charles Ernest Fleming. But, the 1939 Registration documents confirm Bertha as married (her first husband was still living) but gives Ernest Charles Hawkins as single. Ernest regularly switched his first and middle name around and gave his son (my father-in-law) his surname as a middle name which was supposed to be double barrelled - but wasn't.

So, looking at the 1943 death of Ernest Charles Hawkins I can see that Bertha is the informant. Ernest died in what is described as 'Emergency Hospital' and I think it may have been sudden. Where Bertha's name and address are quoted as the informant it says "causing the body to be buried" rather than the more 'usual' "present at the death".

Can anyone throw light on what the phrase means please. I'm presuming it just means she wanted to claim the body for funeral arrangements etc. and am wondering how she dealt with not being his widow.