Family unveil Ixworth Cemetery seat in memory of Macauley

Almost two years after he died in an A14 crash, the family of Macauley Clements have unveiled a seat in his memory close to his grave.

Macauley, Macca to friends, died in January 2013 at the age of 16 when the BMW his lifelong friend Adam Weller, 19, was driving left the road.

On Tuesday his family gathered in Ixworth Cemetary to unveil the memorial seat, paid for by family and friends.

His mother Maxine, who, like Macauley, was brought up in the village, said: “It seemed the most fitting thing to do because he’s buried just over there and you can sit here and see him.

“When I had the idea I put it on Facebook and asked if people wanted to donate and the result was really amazing,” she said. “We had the money for the bench in three weeks.”

Then the Bury St Edmunds company M J Nunn Surfacing installed the concrete pad for the seat without charge.

An inscription carved into the back of the wooden seat says, simply: “In loving memory of Macauley Clements 27/06/1996 - 25/01/2013.”

He became the fourth member of his family buried in the cemetery after a service which packed the nearby St Mary’s Church until people were standing in the aisles.

Maxine said: “It was amazing – between 650 and 700 people were there. The vicar said it was the biggest funeral they’ve had there.

“It made you realise how loved he was.”

She added with obvious pride: “He was so young, but he was such a popular lad.”

Macauley was a motorcycle fan and many of his friends arrived at the church en masse on their bikes, mopeds and scooters. The coffin was adorned with the green and white stripes and yellow ‘46’ of Macauley’s hero, MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi.

He was an Army cadet and died days away from the first step towards his childhood dream of joining the Army.

At his funeral Rev Jill Walker, vicar of Ixworth, read a tribute from Maxine and Anton Clements to their son in which they said: “You packed a lot into your short life and lived every day to the full. We know you would have made an amazing soldier.”