notification of kia & wia by telegram began when?

[12joe]

When did the notification by telegram, to relatives, of KIA & WIA begin? I believe it was some time into the First World War because my mother, as a little girl, remembered the womenfolk gathering around posted lists of casualties - posted i would imagine at some official building such as a post office.

[centurion]

Welcome to the Forum

Officer deaths were notified by telegram and OR's by letter to named immediate next of kin (wife or parent usually but not both). It's possible that some OR deaths were notified by telegram but not as a general rule. However as these were letters/telegrams were private it's likely that the crowds gathering around casualty lists were looking to see if friends and acquaintances were on them

[12joe]

Thank you for replying, Do you know when the official practice of notifying next of kin was instituted? I've not come across notification in the Boer War literature, and yet i have anecdotal details of the deaths of two family members ( from "fever" ) during the Boer War; someone must have written i suppose. The literature of the Crimean War, that i'm familiar with, makes no mention of notifications. It's interesting that in the Crimea, communications were more open, and available and certainly faster than in the Falklands War.

[centurion]

Certainly in place by the begining of WW1 using Army form B 104 - 82

http://www.militaryimages.net/photopost/data/605/JH1914a_mid.jpg

[centurion]

In WW1 the process was

"The normal procedure for informing relatives was for the War Office to be notified of deaths from France. The War Office then sent a telegram to the local records and pay office which in turn sent a letter to the soldier's next-of-kin. A soldier's officer commanding was expected to write a brief letter of condolence and usually his best mate, if he survived, would send a less formal letter. This would normally take a few days. "

Alan Greveson

In the South African war The War Office was responsible for notifying the next of kin by letter. However this appears to have been slow and inefficient and the Daily Telegraph in 1900 fulminates about the case of one Lieutenant whose family could not draw against his life insurance as the insurance company would not pay up without the War Office letter (the family presumably had already heard via his commanding officer). I've also seen references to a Sergeant's family having problems because of delays in getting an official letter. Its possibly because of this that the WW1 procedure was instituted along with Army form B 104 - 82 (see my previous post). I think before the South African War the soldier's regiment was responsible and I have seen a reference to the officer responsible writing to the local vicar to ask him to inform the next of kin (who of course might have been illiterate).In some ways this seems a kinder way than Army form B 104 - 82 as the vicar could break it gently and offer some support.

[12joe]

Centurion, thank you for your replies.

[centurion]

Centurion, thank you for your replies.

Precare