Andrew Marshall Posted 1 May , 2003 Share Posted 1 May , 2003 Hi all I know this subject has been covered quite extensively all over this site, but I can't seem to find the information that I want, so.... If a family at first refuse to have a CWGC headstone and burial and choose instead a private plot and marker, if at a later stage this falls into disrepair and the name for the casualty is not visible or recorded (due to neglect or vandalism) will the CWGC mark the plot with a headstone? Regards Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris basey Posted 1 May , 2003 Share Posted 1 May , 2003 Andrew The following is an extract from a CWGC letter dated 19 March 2003 relating to this very problem: 'As we do not own the grave in question we do not have the authority to remove the private memorial and erect a war pattern headstone without the permission of the owner of the grave. As long as the name of the war casualty is legible on the private memorial then for our purposes the war casualty is adequately commemorated. Parts of the stone or kerbs may be damaged but it is not our responsibility to repair them. The private memorial is inspected when our staff visit the cemetery and when, in the opinion of our Inspector, the war causalty is no longer adequately commemorated, steps will be taken to remedy the situation'. Hope that helps. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 1 May , 2003 Share Posted 1 May , 2003 Chris' reply above is correct. CWGC cannot intervene in the case of privately owned graves - even though they are official war graves. However, if the name becomes illegible, then the casualty is not properly commemorated in the terms by which CWGC operate. Therefore they will try to do something about it. This usually means trying to trace relatives to seek permission to erect a CWGC headstone or, if no relatives can be found, obtaining permission of the cemetery authorities to erect a stone. Often any traced n-o-k will give permission and equally sometimes cemetery authorities will not. It is a delicate procedure for CWGC. However, you will often see in the UK (and possibly elsewhere in the Commonwealth) CWGC headstones on what are obviously private graves with remnants of private memorials. Remember, CWGC is obliged to see that the casualty's name is commemorated - not that the (private) grave is in good order. This is a consequence of the unavoidable policy of allowing private memorials for casualties buried in their home country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Marshall Posted 8 May , 2003 Author Share Posted 8 May , 2003 Terry and Chris Thank you both Regards Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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