James Smith Funeral Directors

Douch Family Funeral Directors inc. James Smith are an independent, privately owned and personally managed funeral directors established in 1910 with branches in Wimborne, Ferndown, Blandford Forum, Corfe Mullen, Parkstone, Upton, Wareham and Swanage. As a company, we recognise that funerals can sometimes be expensive and so we have signed the Fair Funeral Pledge to help families find funerals that are within their means and to be open about our most affordable options during our initial conversation with families. Our history dates back to 1910 when our founder, Frederick Charles Douch opened FC Douch in Wimbourne. Following in Frederick’s footsteps, his eldest son, Jack, joined the family business in 1935, aged only 14. In its current form, the business is overseen by Jack’s son, Peter, and grandson. In the late 1960’s, Jack, who had developed a friendship with Ken Smith, took over the family business after Ken retired. We continue to build and develop strong relationships with other family funeral directors and the communities we serve across Dorset. The warmth and stability offered by a family-led business such as ourselves is not something you will always find elsewhere and is one of our motivations for bringing other family businesses into the FC Douch fold. Each of our funeral director branches is an established family business with a history of providing the very highest standards of support and service. Whichever branch you call, you’ll find a friendly and experienced person on the other end of the phone. We’re always ready to help, day or night. As a member of the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD), we adhere to their code of practice, providing the highest level of service to the families that use us. Our reputation of high standards earned us an invite to join Selected Funeral Homes, an organisation of independent funeral directors that operates worldwide under strict standards, constantly striving to improve professional practices. James Smith can be found on Kings Road.