LIVERPOOL, England, Dec. 3 (UPI) — A high school in Liverpool was shocked to discover that a model skeleton that had been with the school for over 40 years was made out of real bones.
Students and faculty at Haydock high school held a burial service for Arthur the classroom skeleton after staff realized that the bones belonged to a real human being.
The skeleton, which at the time of its burial was missing both arms and a leg, spent separate stints in the science and art departments of the school before being placed in storage.
It was there that art technician Sandra Dixon discovered the remains.
“I remember thinking this could be a real skeleton,” she said.
Upon further research it was found that the bones were approximately 100 years old and likely belonged to a 25-30 year old male from India.
After the ceremony students and faculty reflected on their memories of Arthur.
“Arthur meant a lot to us in an educational way,” one student told the Liverpool Echo “Even though he was in the corner, he still helped me learn.”
Sandra Morris of Christ Church United said that the ceremony was done in traditional Christian fashion due to the religious affiliation of the school, but also respected Hindu practices in observance of the man’s supposed Indian origin.
“We wanted to recognize that, in both religions, the soul moves on and the body is an empty vessel although his spirit will have left a long time ago,” she said.
