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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Officer Relinquishes commission


mmm45

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Hi

Came across this lad recently 2nd Lt George Rumsey RE, DCM

He has a MIC stating died in Aug 1918 so this was after discharge...His widow seems to have lived in Bulawayo Rhodesia He seems to have returned from there in 1915 to UK and enlisted into KRRC as he and family are on passenger lists he was a mine Engineer.

The LG states relinquishes Commission due to illness contracted on Active Service dated Feb 1917

He has a good DCM Citation by the way.

Just wondered if anyone could find a DC I suspect he may have returned overseas though and it may be difficult.

I believe that he is a possible Non Comm due to discharge and death but Proving it may be tricky?

Ady

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Hi

Came across this lad recently 2nd Lt George Rumsey RE, DCM

He has a MIC stating died in Aug 1918 so this was after discharge...His widow seems to have lived in Bulawayo Rhodesia He seems to have returned from there in 1915 to UK and enlisted into KRRC as he and family are on passenger lists he was a mine Engineer.

The LG states relinquishes Commission due to illness contracted on Active Service dated Feb 1917

He has a good DCM Citation by the way.

Just wondered if anyone could find a DC I suspect he may have returned overseas though and it may be difficult.

I believe that he is a possible Non Comm due to discharge and death but Proving it may be tricky?

Ady

I think you first need to find out what he died off. If, like one of Spike Milligan's characters, he died of "stepping on a sleeping lion" then you are on a hiding to nothing but if he succumbed to the complications brought on by trench fever or some other illness not native to East Africa then you may be on to something.

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......Just wondered if anyone could find a DC I suspect he may have returned overseas though and it may be difficult.

Ady

There is a George Rumsey listed in the Zimbabwe, Death Registers, 1890-1977; Index to Death Register, 1892-1977.

SEE HERE

but I haven't had any success, so far, with a follow-up look through the Zimbabwe Death Notices, 1904-1976, Bulawayo: 1918.

They are not strictly in date order so I will check the whole year.

CGM

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They do seem to have been hit hard by the influenza pandemic, losing hospital nurses as well as the general population.

Mid-October they ran out of the standard Death Notice forms, briefly producing hand written versions, then they introduced typed copies of the original.

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I believe that he is a possible Non Comm due to discharge and death but Proving it may be tricky?

Yes, but not necessarily as tricky as you might think, Ady.

As you'll know the linkage between cause of discharge and cause of death has to be evidenced. Usually, CWGC/Mod need a death certificate. I have no idea how to go about getting one in Zimbabwe but the good folk at the South Africa War Graves Project may be able to advise. Always assuming he died in that country.

The other evidence which will usually be acceptable to CWGC/MoD is a linkage proven by entries in his service file at Kew.

You need to do some more ferreting around to what evidence there is. Then please contact In From the Cold Project, through our website, if you'd like our advice on what you've found.

John

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Hi

Yes ive just been looking through the Bulawayo notices for 1918(Vol 16 of the registers Aug is about entry 110) but havent located him....Yet im sure its there somewhere

Will persevere and let you know the outcome

Thanks

Ady

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Crosschecking his WO338 Index entry to the NA, Kew catalogue it would appear that his personnel file at Kew is held under the following reference:

WO 339/68962 RUMSAY G [1914-1922]

Regards

Steve

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Death Notice located however inconclusive as no cause of death recorded!!

Will re assess and see if anything is found in his service record at Kew.

Ady

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Photos of record at http://www.flickr.com/photos/11226331@N05/sets/72157628881873521/. He was wounded several times during his service

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Just seen this....Thanks for the records...I have his death Notice from Rhodesia which was inconclusive but I dont think that the death was war related.I notice he was discharged for deafness.

At least we found out he was a Tunneler with 173 TC which fitted in with his background

All the best

Ady

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I note deafness and otitis media with multiple medical board examinations unfit for service entries.

It is possible he had a cholesteatoma (an epithelial lined retraction pocket/sac arising from the tympanic membrane) which erodes middle ear structure causing discharge and deafness can give rise to cerebral abscess/ meningitis possible cause for death - only hypothesising but he could have been discharged due to vertigo associated with the cholesteatoam which ultimately resulted in the cerebral abscess and death.

jerry

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