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Fred had secret cash stash
Tuesday 6th November 2007, 11:49AM GMT.
Fred the Wolverhampton ring road tramp had a secret stash of cash worth thousands of pounds, the Express & Star can reveal today.
The money will be enough to pay for his funeral with more to spare which will go to the state if no relatives come forward.
Council chiefs organising his send-off revealed the 86-year-old, who lived in a tent on Ring Road St John’s for 30 years, had an “amount of money” stored away which will be used to cover his funeral costs.
They refused to say how much although it is believed Fred saved up thousands of pounds in untouched pension money over more than 20 years.
The tramp, whose real name was Josef Stawinoga, died on October 28 from pneumonia.
Thousands of people across the world have sent messages in his tribute since his death. Dozens of floral tributes have also been left at his ring road home.
Fans are now calling for a statue or plaque to be installed. A fund has been set up to raise money with £200 already collected.
Council spokesman Tim Clark said: “There is an amount of money for which the council is acting as a trustee.
“Some of that will be used to pay for the funeral expenses.”
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was this money found in that tent or just what he has gained in pension money? be scary to think he had alot of money in that tent after all these years.
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i agree deedee. Would have been a brave soul who tried to mug him for it if he had kept it in his tent.
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Any cash that Josef has left, after funeral expenses, should be left to homeless charities in Wolverhampton along with money collected for his plaque. What good is money wasted on a plaque when it could be put to better use to help the living and needy? A more fitting memorial would be for homeless people like Josef to benefit from his recent high profile & his death.
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I agree with Kirsty, any cash left over should be given to the homeless people. But I also think that a memorial should be placed on the ringroad for Fred in memory of him and other homeless people.
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WE HAD A LADY WHO WAS HOMELESS HERE IN PARIS A MONTH OR TWO AGO.SHE TOO WAS PRACTICALLY SITTING ON AN ABSOLUTE FORTUNE.
AS FOR THE REST I AGREE WITH THE OTHERS THAN ANY LEFT OVER CASH SHOULD BE LEFT TO OTHER HOMELESS PEOPLE OR RATHER TOWARDS THEIR HOUSING AT LEAST WHEN IT IS COLD.YOU HAVE LESSONS TO LEARN FROM COLUCHE’S LEGACY OF THE RESTOS DU COEUR .UNFORTUNATELY HERE ALL SPARE MONEY SEEMS TO GO ON CHEAP WINE,LITRES OF THE STUFF AND OFTEN LEADS TO AGGRESSION OR ATTACKS.PLUS PINK LIVERS.
PS LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE HERE IS GIVEN AS 52 YEARS OLD………
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It doesn’t suprise me they found some money, Fred didn’t find any enjoyment in money or material things.
Any money left over from the cost of his buriel and a memorial should be given to the Salvation Army.It would stand more chance of being a benefit to the homeless, than in Browns coffers.
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i went pass fred loads of times but i had never realy seen him apart from on photos on the internet.. i think he was a brave man and there should be a plaque put there woth his money he left.. the rest of the money should be given to homeless charitys..he will be sadly missed from Wolverhampton.. R.I.P. Fred..
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I’m sorry to sound so harsh but what a comlpete pile of rubbish. I don’t nkow why on earth people are getting so bothered about this man. There are hundreds of elderly, vulnerable people out there who live alone and have nobody to care for them. These people die alone and often are not found for days or even weeks. How often do they make the headlines?? Homelessness is a choice, not a necessity in this day and age!
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You silly newspaper printing this, now he is a target for any old con-man, robber, thug etc. Why can’t you keep quiet about certain things?
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comes to something when the local hero is a tramp makes me laugh when people want a plaque for for him what about people who do things for chairty they dont get any plaque he chose to live that live
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will miss one of wolverhamptons charecters will miss the tent on the ringroad when we visit.well done wolverhampton and mr mellor for allowing him to stay
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maybe freds cash could help these people who just wasted 240,000 pounds of lotto money NOT,i agree with the comments give it to the homeless at least they would appreciate it more.
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We need to be careful, real homeless people with a reason are 1 thing .. homeless people who are just criminals or wasters are something else.
As a business owner in Wolverhampton I see the ‘pretend’ homeless – young people who could do something with their lives but pretend to be homeless, living in hostels such as the good sheperd who basically should be chicked out and foreced to do a decent days work and not hand fed by government ..
Others like Fred … he chose it, didnt go out causing damage/ theft or complain .. he lived in a tent, cleaned the roads and was respectable … hes no saint and shouldnt be made out to be … but he lived his life as he believed and didnt cause anyone any problems, in fact the opposite.
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Thanks for the heads up.
I’m off to mug some homeless people for their secret hordes of cash !!
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Karen:
He is not a target for any of those people because he is dead!
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Well said Kerry and Mr Carrtaker!Born, bred and lived in Wolves all my life, love the place, but aint it embarrassing that one of our most famous landmarks is a tramp. So, he swept “some” roads?, well shouldn’t that be the job of every state burden, homeless or otherwise?
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Fred was a genuine eccentric, a peculiar remnant of another age. Nobody can tell what troubles he suffered or why but he dealt with them in his own way and survived for a respectably long time out in the open. If it has indeed been discovered that he had money saved up, then I think that following the funeral expenses all residue should be used to help the current homless of Wolverhampton. That would be a fitting tribute of which I am sure Fred would have approved.
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Really had enough of all this now -he was just a tramp that chose to live the way he did, he took from the state but did not need, nor did he want what was provided – what a waste! As for providing a memorial – spend the money more wisely!! I am afraid just a Tramp not a ‘Super-Tramp’, as there is simply no such thing.
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Fred was a kind and gentle man to everybody he would never imagine of hurting anyone. he will be sadly missed. can you please email me and tell me when his funeral is please
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nice how he has his own pull down section of his own on the site now ….. come on people GET A GRIP..
headlines
fred the tramp
local news
indeed
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How can everybody be saying how much they are going to miss Fred, hardly anybody even knew him apart from seeing him around the ring road. How people can want a statue of him is ridiculous, come on people get real!!!
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it seems not only the national government want to get their hands on our pensions and thats why we are still alive but now the local govenlin body wants to get their hand on a dead mans, ok yes take out funeral expenses but don’t put whats left into their coffers because they can’t find any relatives, and how much is it anyway, or will that be a closely guarded secret ? ? ? ?
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Told my kids every time we went past the ring road where FRED was, they could not beleive that someone slept there for so many years. R.I.P Fred.
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Freds Funeral is at 2.30 Thursday 15 November, at bushbury crem. The best place to be is the ring road(on the pavement) to pay last respects to one who wanted nobody to interfer with his personal exsistance.
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Use the money wisely….pay for a proper funeral/burial.Erect a monumental statue to commemorate the poor chap,on the ring road spot.And put the rest towards helping the less fortunates in Wolverhampton….who knows you might become one of them one day!!
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It is a wonder some yountg buck with a car they can’t handle has not crashed or crushed Fred before now. He had no fear for any one or thing.
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Can I just say one thing,R.I.P FRED..but now Fred wanted to live like that,so that was his life,so why is it that people want to send money in for a memorial for him,when there are thousands of pensioners who die and they have served in the war’s but no one wants to give them a memorial..
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“sick of hearing about it” – you have no compassion. How could an elderly person go to work. He was entitled to collect a pension but did not feel the need to be materialistic like some of us. and “karen” you say the papers are silly to print this news. If papers are silly, why are you reading them?? This gentleman deserves some respect. Maybe we can all learn a lesson here. Money does not bring happiness. Maybe it is the route of all evil.
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Dear Fred i whent past your tent from time to time and saw you were sweeping. It is sad news to know you are now dead i will pray and give my thanks to you for cleaning .you are Verry appriciated. Now you are not there the road is very bear.
people judged you but i feel u are a hero so today in my class we had 2 minutes silcent. Just wont to tell you are a hero.
R.I.P. FRED/JO x
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i think the money should be to pay for the funeral plaque and then a chair a tribute to fred god bless fred
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don,t you think some praise should go to the people who supported this gentleman over the years with food etc and also credit given to the youngsters over the years who have let Fred live there in peace and to my knowledge hardly caused him a problem, maybe respects not been lost.
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everyone should just stop being so concerned about his money. obviously pay for his funeral and memorial stone. but leave the rest in his coffin. its his money not ours. u greedy sods
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or use the money to pay for all the years of council taxes he didnt pay, like the rest of us
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Please dont give this money to the state.
use it to help people in genuine need. I dont believe in the home less drunk drug abusers getting anything. I was homeless at 14 an orphan i got cash in hand jobs and pulled myself out of the gutter it could have so easily gone the other way.Easy to beg hard to work. why cant the money be used for the war widows etc after all it was the war that bought him here and maybe made him the way he was.
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show some respect (paul) the man has just died and as for council tax, why the hell should he of paid it when he lived in a grubby old tent. he didn’t buy plasma tvs or microwaves or the latest mobile phone, he survived on the basics and saved the rest of his cash probably for his own funeral expenses as i can imagine he did not have any life insurance so i believe the right thing to do with the money is pay for his funeral and the erect a life size statue on the ring road of fred with his broom. i’d like to see some of you live how he did and maybe you might change your opinion on him
RIP FRED – your memory will be remebered for many years xxx
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The money will no doubt be collected by the thieving parasites
who govern this once-great country.
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I think that the money should be given to charity to help people around the world. I reckon it’s what Fred would of wanted.RIP Fred you’ll be remembered forever xxx
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I agree kirsty25 it dose not matter if he paid council tax or not or if he choose to live in a tent or not he was a local personality who will be missed as he was kind caring soul unlike you who seems to be obsessed with money im sure when you pass you wont make the headlines or be remembered by the whole town fred was a true character who made the town a nicer place to live if only everyone in the world could be as nice as fred was… R.I.P. Fred you will be missed… insted of diging up roads and filling them back in just to use up the unspent budget the council get why dont they spend a little on a plague for fred. the man allways had time say hello or have a quick chat if you where down. think what you want but fred was a decent man so show him the true respect he deserves…..
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I’d like to see a full size replica of Josefs tent made from concrete or marble on his island. A plaque just isnt visible enough and people miss seeing the tent.
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I’d happily donate to a fund that would mean a permanent visible reminder of Joseph would be where he was. He was symbolic of Wolverhampton – few Cities have such a tolerant mix of groups socially – in The Civic for example – Mods, Rockers, Goths, Emo’s, Indie’s, students etc provide a real vibrant mix and everyone rubs along together nicely. Josef was a symbol of our city allowing someone to truly be themself. Cool dude!
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A full size replica of a tent Becky?? have you all gone bonkers?
Yes its a shame a man has died but he was hardly a hero? its the elderly ppl still living that we sud be remembering,that dont have meals and wheels delivered to their door or gas/water,how did he manage that in a tent?
Paul i salute you m8 !!
people of wolverhampton get a grip !!!!!!!
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most homeless ppl r homeless cos they choose to be
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Do not agree at all with the person who says people are homeless because they choose to be. I think not. I´ve had to be homeless twice now and with no help off anyone have made our way back again. But during that time we were homeless and it is not nice I can tell you. Something you never get used to. Okay there are one or two people that want to be left alone.
But what about all the other people regardless of their age that are left to their own means?
Anyone who can say that they choose to be homeless is maybe because they have never been homeless in their lives.
Maybe this poor man had some kind of affliction and could´nt see the forest for the trees.
The homeless people I have known including us did not have money to start off all over again.
Hope “Fred” is at peace now God Bless Him.
PS:He is right about all those elderly people on their own with no means they should be remembered they have done their share for the Country too.
But no one is homeless for fun.
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I was sorry to hear about Fred, but as for a monument oh please………….we cant even put up a monument for people who do good work for the good of the town so why on earth are we talking such rubbish about a monument for some tramp. Give the money to charity i say.
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I WAS SORRY TO HEAR OF THE TRAMPS DEATH,NOBODY BOTHERED FRED, AND FRED BOTHERED NOBODY ,LET HIM REST IN PEACE NOW, AS FOR HIS MONEY IT SHOULD GO TO THE HOMELESS AS FRED WAS, BYE FRED ,RIP
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Just came to mind, I know it’s sad to say after a man’s death, but … he was just one of those men that got away from the nazi camp all those years ago, all those things he was apart of, i dont feel as bad as some of you do. Statue – bad idea?
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Josef Stawinoga, come on people, ”Fred Flinstone” ALIAS. Most criminals* with something to hide have an alias. (Hitler’s mates)
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I think that out of the money yeah obviously the funeral costs but after that they should make a palque for him to b rememberd by he lived there for a hell of a long time i too was homeless for nearly 5 yrs it was awfull the hostels were always full the salvation army only took men which is wrong i spent 90% of the 5yrs sleeping in shop doorways and ncp carparks and in the winter was so bad i cant put it in to words anyway the rest of the money should go to the homeless but to a charity where the goverment CAN NOT get the dirty little hands on it coz if they do most of it will deissapear without a trace and they’ll come out with some bull about wot they spent it on and the homeless will still b homeless i think thats wot fred would have wanted to b able to c the money doing its job helping the people who really need it.MAY YOU REST IN PEACE FRED XXX
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what ever fred did what ever fred didnt he lived is life to the full in all weathers that must have taken something he must have belived in something may be faith who knows only fred knows god bless you fred xxx
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Well,im sorry if you all agree,but i think they should track down his family,and thats where the spare money shud go. By all means yes ,somekind ov memory ie a bench a plaque a chair, he will be looking down thinking what is all the fuss,bless him R.I.P.FRED XXX
Im 32 i first saw this man when i was around the age of 8/9
No-body know’s his family circumstances
thank’s for reading
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