It is unclear who removed the plaque in the St Chads Queensway underpass
By Andy Giddings
BBC News, West Midlands
An unofficial blue plaque to remember a five-year-old boy who died of cancer has been removed.
Kip Freshwater, from Handsworth in Birmingham, became known online for shouting “smelly pants wee” in an underpass on his way for treatment at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Since his death in 2021, a charitable fund set up in his memory has raised tens of thousands of pounds.
Ed Freshwater, Kip’s father, said no-one had admitted removing the plaque.
He said: “I am really assuming it is the council as I can’t imagine anybody vandalising it,” but there has been no confirmation.
The BBC has approached Birmingham City Council and it is investigating.
Kip spent much of his life receiving treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and in October 2020 suffered a relapse.
He became famous when his father shared a recording of his outburst that year in the St Chads Queensway underpass with Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review, on BBC Radio 5Live.
The show then shared it on its social media channels.
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Mr Freshwater said the shared clip “seemed to capture a moment”, with people getting in touch to say it helped them get through a tough moment during lockdown.
An online appeal, set up by the family, has raised more than £45,000 for a number of charities that help children.
Mr Freshwater said: “The plaque was just a way to mark Kip’s contribution to the world. The small bit of celebrity he got from this raised loads of money that will save thousands of children’s lives around the world.”
He said he put the plaque up in October 2022, two years after he made his announcement in the underpass.
Mr Freshwater said he tried to email several people for permission, but received no response.
“In the end I just glued it up because it was the anniversary and nobody was replying,” he said.
The person who made the plaque has offered a discount to make a replacement, Mr Freshwater said.
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