who paid for plaques

[tony11]

I am intersted to know where the service mens plaques came form did the service they served in issue them or did the relative order and pay for them.

Who made them for the the relatives, should you only search for them if you know that they where made for the service personal

[trenchtrotter]

They were issued by the Govt to all who died. I guess like all medals the NOK had to apply?

I assume you are on about the so called Death Plaques?

There are threads about the makers etc.

Regards

TT

[welshdoc]

I dont think families had to apply for medals or plaques of the deceased. Anyway only officers (alive) had to apply for their service medals. To ORs they were automaticaly sent out to the survivors or to the NOK.

[trenchtrotter]

Thanks Welsh Doc...never quite sure. Any idea why Officers had to apply?

TT

[Neil Mackenzie]

Tony.

Many moons ago there were a number of good threads on the making of death plaques. From memory I think they included information on how you can tell where any plaque was made.

Neil

[welshdoc]

I dont know why officers had to apply for their medals, but lots did not hence searches can sometimes fail to find a MIC where it is clear from the London Gazette and other sources that they saw action. Also explains why later some obtained erased medals and had them engraved . The daft thing is they could have applied for them even after WW1 or 2 for that matter and received their correctly named and original medals (not replacements). As for plaques as far as I seee it, if its got a W in a circle on the back (and there is a number between the legs) its Woolwich. The ones with no markings on the back are Acton. Not sure if this is 100% accurate or a guide though.

[SFayers]

In the long list of the archive material destroyed in the Blitz at Arnside Street, the entry "AG4 Medals - Bronze Plaques and King's Certificates unclaimed" would suggest that the plaques had to be claimed for (unless this refers to plaques and certificates that were issued and then subsequently returned).

If this list still existed I'm sure it would save some of us from some fruitless searches for plaques that aren't out there to find!

Cheers

Steve

[welshdoc]

If there was no next of kin on the appropriate form then the plaques while produced could not be sent hence unclaimed. Also of course returned ones and undelivered ones would exist.

I think I am correct to add that the names on plaques may differ from the CWGC details as the former were names as per service details and the latter were refered to the next of kin. So sometimes the search for a plaque is more complex and the service records are more likely to agree with the naming on the plaque than CWGC or SDGW. I dare say that some were retured for ammendment as well as corrections . I would think these were put in the melting pot.

[horatio2]

There is a useful article here: www.cwgc.co.uk Click on 'Memorial Plaques' then 'Plaque History'.

[EastSurrey]

I am intersted to know where the service mens plaques came form did the service they served in issue them or did the relative order and pay for them.

Who made them for the the relatives, should you only search for them if you know that they where made for the service personal

Tony,you can sometimes find forms for thse in dead servicemen's "Burnt Records".The authorities took some trouble to ensure they only went to next of kin.The forms,as I recall,had to list all relevant family members,and be countersigned by someone of status like a clergyman.

Michael