Private Inscription on Headstone

[Terry Carter]

Whilst on a recent trip to the Western Front and walking around a cemetery a friend asked if the wording on the base of many headstones was supplied free of charge by the Commomwealth War Graves. I told him that I recall it was sixpence a letter. Was I right?

Regards

Terry

[Aurel Sercu]

Terry,

The Final Verification Form says :

"The present price is 3 1/2 d per letter, but this may be subject to future fluctuations of cost."

Maximum number of letters (1space = 1 letter) was 66. If using this maximum that would mean 231 p. I'm not sure I know if this is more or less that £ 1. (Isn't £1 20 x 12 = 240 p ?) I'm wondering because somehow I remember that the maximum charge was £1. And this wouldn't make sense...)

If I remember correctly Terry (Denham) in a recent posting confirmed that the charge later was lowered.)

Aurel

[Mark Hone]

There was long thread on this topic about a year ago. Someone I think posted some examples of the forms relatives had to fill in.

Try here:

http://1914-1918.org/forum/index.php?showt...hl=inscriptions

[Terry Denham]

The charge was, indeed, 3 1/2d per letter with a maximim charge of £1.

This charge was not always pressed and it eventually became voluntary but by then many people had already refused an inscription on account of the cost - hence so many stones without inscriptions from WW1.

The Canadian government paid for all their inscriptions and the NZ government refused all inscriptions on the grounds of equality (ie some people couldn't pay or had no relatives to request one)

[Terry Carter]

I would like to thank everyone who replied to my query.

Regards

Terry

[paul guthrie]

I think I remember that there is a NZ stone or 2 with one, ?

[Terry Denham]

Yes, Paul, there are but the only ones I have seen have been in the UK - probably on private graves with CWGC headstones.

[Guest Koert Debyser]

There is a NZ headstone with an inscription on Buttes New BC in Belgium, although it is a memorial headstone ("believed to be buried in this cemetery") with the standard inscription "Their glory shall not be blotted out".

A photo of the headstone of Private Thomas McLean can be found in another topic.

I assume that this was free of charge for the relatives. Did they have any choice to alter the words or was this inscription always added for this type of headstones? Strange that the NZ government didn't object against this one.

Koert

[Terry Denham]

Koert

These inscriptions are not 'Personal Inscriptions' as are mentioned above.

The phrase 'Their Glory Shall not be Blotted Out' is the standard wording used on 'Special Memorials' which commemorate a man known to be buried in a cemetery but whose exact whereabouts is unknown or who may be buried elsewhere but whose grave has been lost.

These inscriptions were not provided by the relatives and were not charged for. They are similar in nature as the 'Known unto God' wording on an unidentified soldier's grave.