Made his will after he died!

[rolt968]

I know where there is a gravestone which as a result of clerical error in the 18th century, a man died before he was born.

I've found a soldier's will which the WO seems to have accepted was made some months after his death.

Pte Roy A Coates, 15 Royal Scots died on 1 July 1917. He made soldier's will with a date with an illegible last digit. The date is 26 January 1915 or 1916 - either would be sensible: January 1915 is a few weeks after he joined January 1916 is a couple of weeks after he went to France.

There is a rough stroke scored over the last digit, so someone has read it as 26 January 1917 without realising that by then he had been dead 6 months. No one seems to have noticed when they filled in the G15/1268 form with date of death 1 July 1916; Will dated 26 January 1917.

(The will was not processed until 5 December 1917 presumably because his status was not changed from Missing to kia until well on in 1917.)

R.

[Loader]

When my dear Dad passed away 6 yrs ago, I was told by an officious non sympathetic bank person the following: "Your father will have to come here to the bank & appear before me personally to have this account settled."! I had to ask to see a supervisor who took over the procedure for me. I went back 2 wks later & the ghost buster was no longer employed at the bank.

[centurion]

In practical terms I suspect that it would only be an issue if he had been a legatee of someone who died after his actual death but before the incorrect date of the will.