Places to Find Non-Coms

[Neil Clark]

In addition to the normal places to look (at the names on civic war memorials accross the land etc...).

I will kick the thread off with - Mental Asylum Burial Grounds

There were 2 types of inmates - Pauper Patients and Service Patients. All Service patients had the costs of their treatment paid for by the Ministry of Pensions (in consultation with the War Office and service authorities). These men and their families would be receiving a war disabillity pension awarded on the grounds that their mental illness or disease had been caused or aggravated by their war service.

Service patients were treated the same as pauper patients the only difference was that service patients were sometimes allowed to wear their service uniform or were given a different uniform to wear which set them apart from other patients.

Herewith a list of Mental Asylums that held service patients during the Great War and until at least 1930. The asylums with the largest proportion of service intakes are mostly in London and the North of England. There were several asylums here with enormous capacity. Whittingham was the largest in the land with around 2,300 inmates at any one time. Not too much should be made of the totals of service inmates since quite a sizable number had been discharged or DIED (Especially GPI cases). By 1922 there were at least 873 service patients in the London County Councils asylums rising to 907 in 1925. By 1934 there were still 750 service patients (casualties from the Great War).

I am currently reading Peter Barham's book "Lunitics of the Great War" (ISBN: 0-300-10379-4) £20. It is a very interesting read and shows clearly how these men were treated - DISGRACEFULLY! Most had to literally fight for their war pension entitlement. If a man had no family on the outside to fight for his interests then on many occasions a serviceman would enter the mental asylum as a normal pauper patient! The treatment of both classes of mental patients was very bad indeed. During the war years many many patients died from starvation! Food was hard to come by if you were a mental patient.

There burial grounds will contain many sad cases of patients who quite simply wasted away by starvation! I wouldn't mind betting that a proportion of these graves will contain the remains of gallant and brave serviceman who years previously endured some ghastly sights and experiences on the battlefields.

List of major asylums in the UK which took in Service patients Note most of these are in Lancashire!

1. Prestwich (Lancs)

2. Rainhill (Lancs)

3. Claybury

4. Long Grove

5. Banstead

6. Wakefield

7. Whittingham (Lancs)

8. Mentston

9. Cane Hill

10. Lancaster (Lancs)

11. Durham

12. Napsbury (Middlesex)

Other Asylums containing Service Patients

12. Chester

13. Parkside

14. Brentwood

15. Severalls

16. Knole

17. Park Prewett

18. Barming Heath (Kent)

19. Chartham (Kent)

20. Lancaster

21. Winwick (Lancs)

22. Bracebridge (Lincoln)

23. Kesteven (Lincoln)

24. Banstead (London)

25. Bexley (London/Kent)

26. Cane Hill (London)

27. Claybury (London)

28. Colney Hatch (London)

29. Hanwell (London)

30. Horton (London)

31. Long Grove (London)

32. Wandsworth (London)

33. Napsbury (No1 Middlesex War Hospital)

34. Monmouth

35. Wells (Somerset)

36. Cotford (Somerset)

37. Stafford (Staffs)

38. Burntwood (Staffs)

39. Cheddleton (Staffs)

40. Brookwood (Surrey)

41. Netherne (Surrey)

42. Powick (Worcester)

43. Barnsley H (Worcester)

44. Wakefield (North Riding)

45. Wadsley (West Riding)

46. Menston (West Riding)

47. Storthes Hall (West Riding)

48. Winston Green (Birmingham)

49. Rubery Hill (Birmingham)

50. Canterbury (Kent) Borough Asylum

There are others where service patients were kept and treated (and died).

Nearly all these asylums had their own burial grounds where inmates were buried. Whats the betting that these cemeterys will contain huge numbers of servicemen who were entitled to a war pension AND an official commemoration? I would venture that if you could access the asylum burial records or simply walk round the graves, you will find some non-coms...

[Neil Clark]

Here is an interesting case that I'm currently working on (kindly given to me by Mick Mills the forums resident Buffs expert) -

He was treated at the large Napsbury Hospital near St Albans. This hospital was called the NO1 Middlesex War Hospital. It had a military wing where service patients were treated. The poor sod hung himself after the authorities told him they were taking away his war pension and that he would be moved to a civilian paupers asylum (Nice people)! See, there were accounts minded jobsworths around in the early 1900's too...

WHITE G.J

Ministry of Pensions reference – 12970 E

Total War Service: 1 Year, 303 days

Private G/2322 George Joseph WHITE. 3rd Battalion (Dover), The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Formerly 6th Buffs (Cory’s Own). Died 8 September 1917 at Maidstone? Born Swanscombe, Kent. Enlisted London (Volunteered) 9 September 1914. Husband of Mrs Emily Louisa White (nee Pullen), 13 College Road, Northfleet, Kent. Married 24 March 1913. Resided (1914) 134 Charlton Lane, Woolwich, London. His name appears on the Corys Roll of Honour Canterbury?

Before the outbreak of war George was working as a “Journeyman”?

Children

George Joseph WHITE 6 February 1914 (Woolwich)

Enlisted London (Volunteered) 9 September 1914. Posted 12 September 1914 to Canterbury (Buffs Depot) for basic training. Landed France (6th Buffs) 1 May 1915. Wounded in action (Gunshot wound Right Arm) 14 May 1915. Evacuated from the field (France) through the medical chain and recovered to UK 16 May 1915. Upon arriving home George was admitted into hospital at Dover for treatment of Gunshot Wound. After treatment George proceeded to the Citidel in Dover (3rd Buffs) where he became seriously mentally ill. His service papers clearly show his service character to have been – GOOD.

Admitted to hospital 14 March 1916 (Demented) – He has become engulfed ? mentally. He is now dull, does not speak, he sits staring. Primary Dementia. Became Non-Effective 7 July 1916 - No longer fit for further war service (not yet discharged from the army). Sent to Military Wing, Napsbury (County of Middlesex) War Hospital. Admitted as a serviceman suffering from a serious mental illness. Still in asylum March 1917 (being treated).

Letter from Napsbury to 3rd Buffs – 27 June 1916

Advising George’s commanding officer that the service authorities intended to discharge George from the Military Wing of County of Middlesex War Hospital, St Albans, Hertfordshire to a civilian asylum and that clothes would be provided. The army appears to have finally lost it’s patience with poor George and most shockingly made arrangements to finally kick him out the army! (This is probably why he killed himself).

On 1st July 1916 George’s wife received papers from the Army advising of her husbands intended final discharge.

DISCHARGED FROM ARMY: 7 July 1916

Sad letter from his wife to Army Pay Office

Personal letter from his wife to Army Pay Office advising that her husand “had lost his memory and cannot speak”! She goes on to request monies owed that were owed to her husband in his army pay.

Ministry of Pensions – George stated he had been wounded in France (GSW Right Arm) and that the experience had unsettled him badly. The Medical Officer wrote “Aggravated by his war service, Stress of Campaign and GSW Right Arm. permanent incapacity”. Awarded a full war disability pension.

Letter to Wife 1 October 1917

On 1st October 1917 (after George’s suicide) his wife was sent a letter from the Ministry of Pensions advising her that she was being awarded a full widows war pension of 18/9 per week for herself and 1 child.

Letter to Wife From Army 12 July 1918 (after George’s death)

The Infantry Records Office at Hounslow wrote – “Primary Dementia was Probably Aggravated by war service! They awarded George’s wife a full war pension based upon the fact.

On 19th February 1918 the Army (Infantry Record Office) at Hounslow sent his wife Army Form B.104 – 126 forwarding onwards George’s personal effects. The form states “of the LATE” 2322 Private White etc… This proves he was still a serving soldier at the time he killed himself! There is also another note from the Ministry of Pensions dated 14 July 1917 advising of George’s death.

On 20 July 1920 George’s wife Mrs Emily White was sent a Kings Certificate which was awarded to all familys who lost a man during the Great War. This in itself proves that poor George’s suicide was attributable to his war service. The service authorities and Ministry of Pensions certainly thought this was the case.

Deaths September Quarter 1917

White George J, Age 30, Maidstone, 2a 889

[NeilEvans]

Neil's correct,

Below is a photograph of Shrewsbury General Cemetery, in 2006 (i think) a chap buried close to this concentration was accepted, i'm also working on a case from there.

Some of the men buried there, died in the Royal Salop Infirmary, but i'm led to believe some died in an asylum in Shrewsbury (Shelton).

Neil

[Neil Clark]

Neil,

I wonder if the asylum records still exist at Shelton or in the county records office? Most asylums had an admission register which listed when a man arrived and recorded the circumstances of his removal or death.

[NeilEvans]

Neil,

I wonder if the asylum records still exist at Shelton or in the county records office? Most asylums had an admission register which listed when a man arrived and recorded the circumstances of his removal or death.

Interesting, well worth tracking down.

Note: The concetration of war graves in this part of the cemetery, probably not by coincidence are in a far flung corner, nearly as far as you can get from the entrance.

Neil

[Neil Clark]

I suppose even if you walked through the dedicated burial ground it would be hard to pin down the service graves? Men who died out of service would I suppose be buried in civilian graves. The vast majority of pauper patients wouldn't even have a grave marker (headstone) they were just stuck in the ground and forgotten. I imagine to be effective you would need to see the asylum records to identify men whose treatment was or had at some stage of their treatment being paid for by the service authorities/Ministry of Pensions.

[Michael]

Neil

You've uncovered something with massive potential here, well done. I will get the White details to yuo ASAP.

Mick

[Guest geoff501]

I wonder if the asylum records still exist at Shelton or in the county records office? Most asylums had an admission register which listed when a man arrived and recorded the circumstances of his removal or death.

Try here:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/adv...arch.aspx?tab=1

Select the region and enter keywords.

[Neil Clark]

Geoff, I will try that now. Thanks for your valued advice.

Neil

[Andrew P]

Well done Neil.

It would be worth people in other countries doing similar investigations in regard to their asylums and the unfortunate soldiers who ended up in there.

Regards

Andrew

[stiletto_33853]

Neil,

This is interesting, thanks for bringing this up.

Andy

[welshdoc]

Although no about non coms i found some intersting pension records for 2362 T Johnson MAnchester regiment. They are on ancestry Im not sure if the link will work.

http://content.ancestry.co.uk/Browse/view....ohnson&cr=1

[NeilEvans]

Crikey, so early on. I had to laugh about being Viceroy of Germany

Neil