48-Year-Old Father-Of-Six Commissions Jack Daniel’s Coffin For $5000

Anto Wickham from Belfast, a 48-year-old ex-British soldier has commissioned, for himself, a coffin built in the shape and style of a massive Jack Daniel’s bottle.

Wickham reportedly paid a Nottingham-based company over $5,000 for the coffin, which is ten feet high. and is almost an exact replica of a bottle of Jack Daniel’s.

The father-of-six, who spent 22 years serving with the Royal Irish Regiment, spoke to reporters about the reasons he had the special coffin made: “While working in Iraq after I had a very close call. Over a 28-day period in February 2007 I was attacked 74 times and there were some days we would get three or four hits in one day.”

Now, that sounds like enough to make anyone think about death a little more than the average person would, but it gets even worse, as Wickham explained:

“I was attacked by heavy machine gun fire, IEDs and roadside bombs. I lost eight colleagues. At the time I thought I would have to plan my funeral because something could go wrong. I didn’t want a normal funeral and it had to be a celebration of life because I have been to too many funerals of colleagues where they were very sad occasions.”

And, it seems, the Jack Daniel’s coffin idea just sort of stuck, as Wickham revealed:

“I wanted something completely different and I decided my favourite drink is Jack Daniels. It just happened when I was at home on leave I saw an Alan Titchmarsh programme and I found the company. I asked would it be possible to make it and the answer was yes. My friends see the funny side of it, but mum and my grandparents are not too impressed.”

To be honest, all of that would surely make anyone a little cynical about life, and possibly even a touch morbid.

Wickham flew all the way back from Afghanistan, where he is working as a private security guard, to see his coffin, and when he did, he was clearly thrilled:

“It is absolutely fantastic. When I opened it I could not believe the detail and the artwork. They have done a fantastic job. It is just amazing. It was strange getting into it,” he said.