CWGC Tyne Cot Memorial Register Entry

[glassblower]

Hello

Please take a look at the attached image for William Henry Pilgrim who is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial. He was killed in action on Boxing Day 1917 near Passchendaele.

The CWGC register entry is struck through and shows the letters "stet". Does anyone know what this could mean?

I have seen memorial register entries that have been struck out when a known grave has been found but this doesn't appear to be the case here.

Thank you

GB

[Knotty]

Stet is a Latin verb used as an instruction to ignore an alteration on a proof.

By the looks of things your man had some alterations to his records (someone thought it not to be him) which proved incorrect, so needed to be reinstated

John

[Aurel Sercu]

Glassblower,

I was intrigued by your question, and checked my Dutch dictionary.

I must say : I found something I did not know.

Stet is Latin, Subjunctive of Stare (To stand), 3rd person, and means something like : May it stand, remain as it was.

Used as : "Als opdracht in drukproeven e.d. om een eerder bevolen wijziging of doorhaling ongedaan te maken". (No, that's not Latin, it is simply Dutch. :-) )

Used in printer's proofs meaning that something that was deleted (cancelled, crossed out) was wrongly done so, and has to be undone.

So someone (who ?) crossed out Pilgrim's entry (why ? when ?), and the same person or someone else later(when, why ?) realised that the person crossing the entry out was wrong, and that it should not have been crossed out.

As "Stet" is Latin, and appears to be a universal (?) term, I think it should be mentioned in English dictionaries as well (but I don't have one within reach right now).

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to learn something (at my age :-) )

Aurel

Added 1 minute later : Sorry John, I had not seen your posting when I was writing mine.

Edited 15 April , 2016 by Aurel Sercu

[glassblower]

Thank you, both. Although it doesn't explain why the entry was originally struck-out, it does explain the meaning of 'stet'.

Again , thanks.

[dannyboy1807]

they probably just made a mistake and accidentally crossed the wrong person out hence the stet (we use that word a lot in Oil & Gas), it's easier than tippexing everything or re-printing the page.

[Knotty]

Aurel

No need to apologise I happens often or so it seems

dannyboy1807

Using tippex in the Oil and Gas industry,with that technology I thought a PC would be in use not typewriters without a delete key :-)

John