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Remembered Today:

soldier in war grave bexley


chelsea1cakes

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can anyone point me in the right direction please - i have been researching another part of my family and have discovered my great grandad is buried in a war grave with his brother who was killed a week before the end of the first world war. my great great grandparents and buried with them too. the soldiers name was Private Frederick Ellis and he was in the royal ordnance corp (service no 042591) and died 04/11/1918 - that is all i can find out, i can't find any medal card or anything. any ideas??

TIA sue

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Sue

Frederick clearly died in service. The fact that he has no MIC purely confirms that his service was UK based only.

SDGW records the following details:

Frederick Ellis

Birth Place: Dulwich, Kent

Residence: Woolwich, Kent

Death Date: 4 Nov 1918

Rank: Private

Regiment: Royal Army Ordnance Corps

Number: 042591

Type of Casualty: Died

He may have died of influenza but his death certificate will confirm the details.

I do not understand the refernce to the brother. If he was KIA then he certainly would not be in the same grave. Is his name recorded on a family stone?

regards

Mel

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Hi Sue

I'm not quite sure what you're after here. Looking at his commemoration on the CWGC website, I'd have thought that, perhaps, he never served abroard. If he was killed, then it will have been an accidental death and there was probably an inquest which may well have been reported in the local newspapers. In any event, you'd be able to apply for his death dertificate to see his cause of death if that was of interest to you.

Whilst the burial will have war grave status (as he was a serving soldier when he died), the fact that other family members are buried there suggest this is a family burial plot.

John

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thankyou so much mel and john - i had never thought of that i have just taken over the research my cousin had been doing and have not yet visited the grave but it must be a family plot as his mother father and brother were all buried there first. why would it be upkept by the ministry of defence?

thanks

sue

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Hi Sue. I've just re-read your post and now it's clearer to me. (note to self .. read things properly. I had thought that Frederick was your GGF).

What it looks like to me is: ... Is this it?

Your Great Great grandparents had a family burial plot in which they were buried.

Your Great Grandfather was buried there too.

His brother (Frederick the soldier) was buried there too but he has a CWGC headstone marker within the family plot.

As Mel said .. no mic just means that Frederick service was done in the UK.

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arha thankyou you so much i understand now but would this still be looked after by the ministry of defence or whatever?

sue

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Sue

If there is a CWGC headstone then yes. There are 22 other WW1 and WW2 graves in the cemetery so care will probably be contracted out subject to periodic inspections.

Mel

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If there is a CWGC headstone then yes.

There doesnt need to be a Commission headstone for it to be maintained by them, Mel.

The fact that he died as a serving soldier inherently makes it a war grave - even though other family members were buried there, before and since - and maintenance will be carrie dout by the Commission. If the family gravestone records his burial there, then there's no need for the Commission to erect one of their own stones - although they will if ever the family stone fades and his commemoration becomes illegible.

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