Was it common for remains to be exhumed from grave and moved?

[melliget]

Nigel.

Just noticed your comment about the possibility that many of these burials pre-dated the introduction of the single grave policy. I think you may have hit the nail on the head.

02/08/1916 Private Robert Joseph Wills died.

06/08/1917 Letter from Actg. Secretary of Defence re Imperial Goverment's undertaking.

20/04/1920 His remains were exhumed and reburied prior to this date (letter to mother).

Martin

[NigelS]

That's a fascinating file Martin - thanks for putting the details up - with a lot of information on the foundation and early years of the CWGC (IWGC as it was then) which are relevant in most cases to all graves for which the CWGC was responsible not just those of Australians. From the date of Allen's burial (although not relevant in his case as his was an isolated burial), as the paragraph insisting on single graves appears a few months before the British Government offered to fund Australian Burials, it looks as if the AIF may have introduced the single burial policy with the intention of paying for them itself. (Although it's possible that the offer had already been made, but wasn't announced officially till some months later)

One thing I did notice on Pg 203 (and elsewhere) was this:

The Commission is authorised (inter alia) to -

(a) Exercise such powers of exhumation and re-interment as may be desirable

Which - at least, as I read it - gave the IWG pretty much a free hand. Although not relevant to the burials at Tottenham because both the dates of exhumation and the fact it wasn't a war zone, it's also interesting to note that exhumations were not permitted while hostilities were still in progress. Very sad to read of the reported deliberate acts of desecration to burials at Gallipoli by the Turks.

Bet you weren't expecting this thread to have reached where it is now when you first posed the question!

NigelS

[melliget]

Nigel.

Yes, lot's or interesting stuff on the NAA site and fortunately quite a number of documents already scanned. Sadly (or perhaps not), I probably read files on the NAA site more often than I read the daily newspapers! Yes, I have been surprised where this has all lead thanks to everyone's input. I'm left wondering that, if this was the arrangement between Britain and Australia, what of the other colonies?

regards,

Martin