Burials

[Retlaw]

Whilst reseaching all the WW1 men buried in local cemeteries, I've come across a few who have no connection with the area, also noticed in biographies local men buried in town cemeteries near the hospitals in which they died. The question is who purchased the graves, who owns them, and who paid for their funerals.

Retlaw.

[spconnolly007]

I was under the impression that the Army dealt with everything? If however, the family wanted the body returned for private burial, it was done at their expense. Hopefully someone will be along to confirm.

Regards,

Sean.

[johnboy]

If a soldier died in a hospital, say in Sussex, and his family were in Yorkshire then if they wanted him buried there they would have to pay for transport of body. Whether the army paid for the headstone , I am not sure.

It was obviously easier for relatives whose relation died in UK, but the constraint would have been the cost. There may have been some help available financially from Friendly Societies etc, but whether there was a time limit on having to remove bodies removed from hospitals I am not sure.

From mid 1915 the brining home of bodies from France was banned.

[Medic7922]

I work next to the University of the West Of England's Glenside campus in Fishponds Bristol, Glenside used to be a Mental Hospital and during WW1 was also the Beaufort War Hospital, There is a small church on the grounds and no graveyard so no military headstones of those who had died their, up the road from the hospital is St Mary’s Church which has a graveyard but no military graves, I cannot understand why none of the dead from the Military hospital are not interred there, However I know there is a a couple of large cemeteries in the area which has WW1 graves.

[aradgick]

Wokingham St Sebastian's is a small church, almost "in the middle of nowhere", but it has a couple of dozen war graves. These were men from a nearby TB Hospital that was used to treat men who had been gassed. As well as UK soldiers, there are Canadians, Australians, and a New Zealand Maori.

Andrewr

[Retlaw]

Contacted the local cemetery, their reply, it would have been the War Office responsibility,

tried the C.W.Graves and got more or less the same answer, I also asked them another question, are other names allowed on WW1 grave markers, the answere was no.

Yet see attached picture

[johnboy]

The addition was made some 50+ yrs later. If the grave was owned by the family you would have to assume they could add what they wanted. The original cost should have been covered by the army with the original inscription . I see the picture is from a private cemetary so doubt the army would have much say.

[Phil Evans]

That looks to me as if it may be a private, rather than a CWGC headstone.

Phil

[johnboy]

What makes you think that Phil?

[Phil Evans]

The "King's" badge detailing doesn't look quite right, although there are numerous templates.

The Labour Corps is usually under secondary regiment and not recorded on the headstone. I certainly would not expect to see the King's badge and Labour Corps service number.

His wife's name would not be added as a normal civilian death.

I'm not sure if Baptists allowed the cross on their headstones, so reserve judgement there.

Phil

[johnboy]

Must say. I didn't notice lack of cross until now. I will go along with your comments.

[Andrew Upton]

Regarding "later" additions to CWGC stones, this old thread has some information on the subject:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=91855

[spconnolly007]

Thanks Andrew. Not as unusual as we thought.

Regards,

Sean.

[Phil Evans]

Thank you Andrew,

I stand to be corrected.

The definitive answer is to ask the CWGC.

Phil