Double and Triple width headstones

[PaulC78]

When I was in Scotland earlier this year I spotted several triple-width CWGC headstones at Greenock Cemetery, like this:

I've seen pictures of others from elsewhere in the UK, but the only double-width headstone I can find is this one at Gateshead East Cemetery: http://www.bpears.org.uk/temp/double.jpg

Are these types of headstone rare, and does anyone know much about them?

[KevinBattle]

bit of a cop out but asking the CWGC might get the correct answer.

There have been a few threads on these, sometimes it's due to a family affinity or being buried at the same time, but neither seems apparent.

The only best guess I can make is that "somehow" three men were buried here and their marker crosses lost so all that is known is that these three men are in that plot, but the POSITION of who is where isn't known.

That only one inscription is there may mean that Private White's family requested it be added, or that perhaps there is a family link to Greenock.

[Phil Evans]

Beckenham Crematorium and Cemetery has 10 sets of double headstones in an area around the Screen Wall. You can see some of them in the photo on the link.

They do not mark actual graves. Each pair was buried in the same common grave in other parts of the cemetery. The inscriptions are family inscriptions and there are variously none, one or two.

Phil

[mysie]

Hi my husband and daughter go all over Scotland taking photo's of WW1 headstones ,they remember the Greenock ones very well because there are some with three together,to get two together is common . Normally if they are not buried in that spot it tells you on the headstone buried somewhere in this cemetery. Some of the bigger ones ie Edinburgh Merchiston, Edinburgh Newington ,Aberdeen Allenvale , Westen Necropolis Maryhill, all have screenwalls to remember the dead that have no headstone. It might interest you to Google Edinburgh Comely Bank the headstones are all layed flat on the ground, there are some 190 buried like that.The only problem being because they are face up to rain and snow you cant read names or regiments as paint is all washed out. Rumour had it that they were all buried standing up but this appears to be a myth.

Mary.

[nigelcave]

Interesting that the dates of death in post 1 are several weeks apart. The one that springs to my mind is of several soldiers In Eciovres Mil Cem, but in that case they were all blown, I suspect literally, to bits and so although it was known who they were it would have been quite impossible to bury them as individuals.

[CROONAERT]

Several double and triple width headstones at Bodelwyddan, N.Wales...

Dave

[Kitchener's Bugle]

Thanks for posting these....never seen one myself in the flesh as it where.

[Glenn1916]

It is because the burials were made before the standard design headstone was agreed. Local authorities particularly in the UK often did not know how much space they would need to allocate to war dead. After the war when headstones were being placed over the width of the grave, it made more sense to make custom made triple headstones.