The work is not particularly taxing, and in fact at times it can be rather repetitive, but Mr Holmes, because as I later found that was my employers name, was certainly right when he said I had unique sensibilities for this job.
I was tasked to "Project Coventry" based upon the principle asserted by Group Captain FW Winterbothamthat after the capture of the German enigma machine the boffins at Bletchley Park intercepted the German plans to bomb the city of Coventry in Autumn 1940, but that Winston Churchill ordered no defence to be maintained lest the Germans suspect that their cipher had been broken.
However my own role on the project showed a distinct shift in policy from 1941, then 176 people were killed 680 injured. Now we aim to keep possible loss of life to nought. I will not pretend to understand how my superiors plan their operations, in fact that isn't my role. Mine is much more simpler.
Approximately 1644 people die in the UK everyday, 548 die without an immediate next of kin, or close family, 49 of those will die through external force, and approximately 218 will have arranged the means of their disposal. This means that 281 corpses a day could be appropriated by our project without anybody really noticing. The odd seperated wife, or distant relative but generally their bodies wouldn't be missed.
My colleague in the project a disgraced government pathologist Dr Ariadne Zimmer will do some general inquiries into the general health of these, and usually around half will be disregarded because of an underlying health issue which would make identifying them...easier. Finally I am presented with around 140, corpses without any major distinguishing features.
Firstly I like to discount anybody with less than 25 natural teeth, unless they are usual denture wearers. I also discount any corpse sporting private crowns, fillings or implants and the records for these should be fairly impecable. This narrows my field down to around 100, finalists.
Then I spend some time with those imperfect manilla cards, I chart my charges dentition. I am looking for "normal" dentition, occlusal amalgam fillings on the 6's, perfectly normal. Missing 8' and 5's, perfectly acceptable, composite tips on the upper anterior's perfectly dull. I am aware I may have lost some of you, so let me explain.
Think about your own mouth, I am sure you don't have all 32 perfectly erupted and unfilled teeth. Nobody does, and if they did their dental records would be easy to find, and no good to our project. I am sure you don't have an amalgam (metal) filling on your front teeth, very few people do, and if they did their dental records would be easy to find, and no good to our project.
However at least some of you, will have a composite (white) filling on your front teeth, a lot of you will have amalgam fillings of your first molars, and most of you will have at least one tooth missing. This is average dentition, and for our project perfect.
Because what we are looking for is corpses, who can be lost in the system, people so average they can be lost in the crowd, and of my 100 I will probably find 10, that I wouldn't be able to find in the system.
The next day my work starts again.
If you've ever seen "The Man Who Never Was", you would know where my ten bodies go. I like to imagine them, untraceable, perfectly preserved waiting for there moment, where they become...the unidentified dead.
So what do you think?
I want a series based on the Coventry Boys!
Jas xxx