Burying the dead

[Matlock1418]

On 17/06/2009 at 19:46, Greyhound said:

However, families of those who died in the UK could choose to have them buried near where they died, or have the body brought home for burial at their own expense

Small amplification:

• have them buried near where they died - all costs at the Nation's expense, with a headstone
• have the body brought home for burial at their own expense - the body would be transported in a coffin by rail to the railway station nearest the family hometown at the Nation's expense.  Transport and burial etc thereafter then being at family's expense [that's not to say that a man's unit and/or a local unit and/or discharged local veterans didn't provide some sort of funeral cortege and/or possibly a saluting firing party on many an occasion - details of which are commonly found in the local newspaper press].  Grave, burial costs and headstone would originally be at family expense but later a CWGC headstone may have come to retrospectively mark such a grave [sometimes additional to the private memorial stone]

Image - likely to be GWF [sorry I can't better attribute]

The "burial expenses" referred to will likely be the Grant offered to deal with immediate urgent expenses associated with a mans death [For all men, UK & overseas - See Dependants' pensions at WFA/Fold3]

Hogge & Garside War Pensions & Allowances (Clip from Archive.org)

That was in 1917. 

Previously there had been up an emergency grant of up to £3 for a widow or dependant(s) - as overseen by the Local War Pensions Committee [and that the applicant is of good character and deserving of assistance]

For later casualties/from 1918 the grant was increased to £5 for a widow plus £1 per child

M

Edited 12 April by Matlock1418
add image and pension comment