M. Lambert 4031267 KSLI 04/03/1941

[NeilEvans]

Along time ago i found M. Lamberts headstone in Shrewsbury General Cemetery. He is buried in a plot for War Graves (see photo2)

I can't find him on the CWGC site, is his a war grave?

I noticed he has a stepped headstone, this differs from all the other WW2 heastones in the plot. Not sure why this would be the case.

Neil

[59165]

Thats a privately commisioned stone,Neil.

Family would have had it placed there at there cost.

Dave.

[NeilEvans]

Strange, i initially thought a WW1 vet, as there is no age, but the service number i think is correct for WW2.

Neil

[Terry Denham]

It is a Non-World War headstone on the grave of an 'old soldier'. It is not a war grave.

Sorry to contradict 59165 but it is not a private stone. The shape of the top edge shows that it is a Non-World War headstone supplied by CWGC as the grave is in a plot under their care - although not a war grave.

He is in the CWGC database but not in a section available to the public online.

[NeilEvans]

Excellent Thank you Terry.

Neil

[Terry Denham]

Non-World War headstones come in a number of variations. There is a thread on the subject if I can find it.

[welshdoc]

May I ask why he has a CWGC headstone (non world war) and is on a "restricted " register of names?

[Terry Denham]

CWGC is obliged by its Royal Charter to maintain a register of all Commonwealth War Dead - the official war graves. Today, it does this my making the Debt of Honour available online and it will supply computer printouts if requested. The same applies to the list of WW2 Civilian War Dead.

Under its Charter, CWGC is also permitted to 'sell' its expertise in grave/cemetery/memorial maintenance to approved third parties - usually MoD and other governmental organisations/foreign governments etc. It charges for these services or receives reciprocal activities in return.

It is this provision that allows CWGC to care for Foreign National War Graves and some Non-World War Graves. For the NWW Graves, the MoD is usually the organisation doing the contracting but there are others. In the MoD's case, they pay CWGC a very small sum to maintain a list of the graves for works maintenance purposes etc. CWGC is not paid to nor has any obligation to make these names available - same with the Foreign National names. These graves remain the responsibility of the MoD, other government etc with CWGC simply being the maintenance contractor. It is the grave 'owner' who has responsibility for making names available - or not according to their own policies.

Therefore, these names do not appear on the Debt of Honour maintained by CWGC as they are not Commonwealth War Dead nor WW2 Civilian War Dead. Having said that, if you ask for a print-out from a particular cemetery, you will receive these names if you request them.

Headstones of a NWW pattern are provided by MoD or the other governments/organisations at their own cost. However, when a NWW grave is in a CWGC owned/managed cemetery or plot, they provide the headstone (presumably with the costs rolled up in their 'fee'). There are several distinctive types of NWW headstone and the one illustrated is one provided by CWGC for a CWGC managed plot (It is the same as a war grave stone but with clipped corners. The MoD stones are different in that the shape of the top is 'wavy' with clipped corners for army/navy men but without clipped corners for RAF).