SDGW

[jay dubaya]

I've just been running a few name checks through SDGW, most of which served with the Dorsets, two of the names had 'OR SINCE' in the supplementary notes, curiousity got the better of me so I searched with just that, it gave me 340 results all of which appear to be the Dorsets

1st, 2nd and 5th Bns and all KiA. Anyone got any thoughts on what it relates to? The only thing I can think of at this time of night is that they were all initially reported as 'missing' and have since been reported as KiA and why does it only appear for the Dorsets?

cheers, Jon

[grantowi]

Does running the name through CWGC shed any light on it ?

Grant

[phil andrade]

Is it easy to use SDGW to find out how many died on certain days ? I refer here to overall totals rather than for specific units. I'm posting on a discusson abut the Somme, and wondering how many British soldiers were killed on September 15th 1916, which, it would appear, was one of the most lethal days of the war. There would, of course, have been heavy losses from New Zealand that day, and also, I daresay, from Canada and Australia.

Phil.

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Jon

It may be relevant that a battalion of the Dorsets was among those who were surrendered to the Turks at Kut-al-Amara, many of whom subsequently died. The records may have been compiled much later, when it was not clear who had actually been KIA, who had DOW, and who had died as POW after being wounded.

I believe that, although SDGW is an official publication, the lists of names were actually compiled by the regiments and corps themselves, so your experience may simply be a quirk of the Dorsets. Other regiments presumably "assumed" a date of death as the date reported missing.

Ron

[jay dubaya]

Thanks for the replies folks, a quirk it would seem

Grant,

ran a few names through CWGC but nothing jumps out.

Phil,

SDGW records 4719 ORs and 252 Officers. These figures will of course cover all theatres and all areas not just the Somme, for a truer picture you'd need to check the 616 battalions, artillery and other corps that were engaged on the Somme at that time.

cheers, Jon

[phil andrade]

Phil,

SDGW records 4719 ORs and 252 Officers. These figures will of course cover all theatres and all areas not just the Somme, for a truer picture you'd need to check the 616 battalions, artillery and other corps that were engaged on the Somme at that time.

cheers, Jon

Many thanks, Jon. I had suspected that the action on the Somme on September 15th 1916 cost about five thousand lives for the British units involved, and while the figure you've provided is for all theatres, we must allow for significant Canadian and New Zealand losses that day. I reckon my guess is not far from the mark.

Phil.