Merchant Navy Possible Non-Commemoration

[mrfish]

I'm researching the men commemorated on Andover's First World War Memorial.

I've had difficulty identifying one of them, EDWIN MUTTER, who does not appear to be commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Debt of Honour Register. There are two other Mutters on the memorial:

ERNEST MUTTER - 200330 Private, 2/4th Battalion (Territorial Force) Hampshire Regiment

Killed in action in France on the 23rd July 1918

JOHN MUTTER - 2475 Private, 1/4th Battalion (Territorial Force) Hampshire Regiment

Died in Mesopotamia on the 1st July 1916.

I thought he was possibly their older brother, who was born in Pitminster near Taunton, Somerset in 1882. I was recently able to confirm this by accessing the local newspaper of the day. This states:

Andover Advertiser - 2 March 1917

EDWIN JAMES MUTTER, aged 35, eldest son of Mr and Mrs Mutter, 44 South Street, Andover, Hants, and late Steward, SS Ivernia, died of Typhoid fever in hospital, Marseilles, France, Feb 10, 1917.

From this I was able to obtain a death certificate from the GRO Marine Register which states:

110643 Assistant Bar Keeper E. Mutter, SS Ivernia.

Died from Typhoid Fever and Internal Hemorrhage on 10 February 1917, in Marseilles, aged 33.

I had someone check out the National Archives for his service papers, but they drew a blank. The Ivernia was sunk on New Years Day 1917, so Edwin was either a survivor of that sinking and got sick later, or was already sick and ashore at the time?

I have written to the CWGC today to see if they can add Edwin James Mutter to the Debt of Honour Register and possibly to the Tower Hill Memorial.

If anyone has any ideas of other information I might find about him, or can provide any further data, then please let me know. If they agree to add him, I will post here.

Cheers

mrfish

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[Terry Denham]

Members of the Mercantile Marine do not qualify for CWGC commemoration if they died of illness or accident. To qualify, the cause of death has to have been due to "the increased risks due to war conditions and is confirmed by the Registrar General of Seaman and Shipping".

This does not seem to be a qualifying case.

[John_Hartley]

My understanding is that merchant seamen are only entitled to CWGC commemoration if their deaths were directly related to enemy action. As such, it seems unlikely that his death is going to be recognised.

(Edit: Terry beats me to it once again and gives a more precise definition)

[mrfish]

Members of the Mercantile Marine do not qualify for CWGC commemoration if they died of illness or accident. To qualify, the cause of death has to have been due to "the increased risks due to war conditions and is confirmed by the Registrar General of Seaman and Shipping".

This does not seem to be a qualifying case.

That's a real shame, Terry, because I doubt he would have contracted Typhoid fever and died were it not for the fact he was doing his bit for the war effort on a ship in the Mediterranean. To my mind at least, his sacrifice was as great as that of his two younger brothers who served in the Army.

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[Terry Denham]

I don't doubt his contribution but CWGC commemoration and war grave status is reserved for Commonwealth military forces and not civilians. Some members of certain designated civilian organisations can qualify but with additional restrictions and the Mercantile Marine is one of these civilian organisations. Death has to be due to a war cause on duty in simple terms.

[mrfish]

I don't doubt his contribution but CWGC commemoration and war grave status is reserved for Commonwealth military forces and not civilians. Some members of certain designated civilian organisations can qualify but with additional restrictions and the Mercantile Marine is one of these civilian organisations. Death has to be due to a war cause on duty in simple terms.

Thanks, Terry, I won't hold out any hope then.

But given the criteria for civilian commemoration, Pals may find the case of James Martin who died on the 16 November 1918, interesting. He's not on the town's was memorial, but is buried in St Mary's Churchyard, Andover, with a CWGC headstone. The debt of honour regster records that he was an Australian Munitian Worker, and initially I thought he must have died as a result of an explosion or similar. However, the details of the inquest from the local paper show he was Australian but was actually working as a bricklayer at Andover Aerodrome. The cause of his death was recorded as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, whilst temporarily insane. He died at the Railway Tavern (which is still there today). Are/were there different criteria for Commonwealth civilian workers?

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[Terry Denham]

Each of the recognised civilian organisations has different criteria and each dominion designated which of its civilian groups could qualify under their appropriate qualifications.

Australian War and Muntions Workers were deemed by Australia to qualify if death occured in the UK (or en route to the UK) between 04.08.14 and 11.11.18. In fact these workers were recruited under contract to serve overseas as a body and were subject to specific terms and conditions. They could not just pack up and go home if they fancied. They were akin to a military body and even had 'service' numbers allotted.