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Remembered Today:

Battle of Jutland Casualty Database


Derek Black

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Researchers at the University of Portsmouth have published a naval casualty database, the most comprehensive record of men who died in the 36 hour Battle of Jutland that took over 6,000 British lives.

 

The database includes 6,102 names, and details vital personal information, such as the service person’s name, ship, rank, service number, date and place of birth.

It also includes the name and address of their next of kin, as recorded by the Admiralty or the Commonwealth War Graves Rolls, or if unfound, their address via probate or 1911 Census records.

History researcher, Dr Melanie Bassett, said: “We have traced every Royal Naval sailor killed at the battle, which has allowed us to understand how the naval war affected society, where sailor families lived and the long-term effects of the war.

 “We’re reaching out to the public to ask for help because there is still missing data and we want to ensure all the men who lost their lives are represented.

“The aim of the project is to provide a new perspective on the battle by mapping the human cost of Jutland and its impact on the communities of the 6,102 men lost.

“It has been easier to find information about the next of kin for those in ordinary ranks, but not for mid-shipmen, who were usually only 15-16 years old, or for commissioned officers. We’d like further insight into the lives of those sailors who were lost at sea and then lost in history too.”

The battle, which took place on 31 May 1916, changed the course of the war because it diminished the German naval fleet’s capabilities to such an extent that they couldn’t fight at sea again while the war lasted."

 

http://porttowns.port.ac.uk/battle-jutland-casualty-database-table/

 

 

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A worthwhile exercise but there are many inconsistencies, particularly in the recording of official/register numbers.

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  • 1 month later...

I find myself somewhat cynical when reading the bombastic overtones of the press release.

There has been criticism on here that for the Centenary, certain institutions would really like the general public to give up their time and do a lot of spadework. In return, the institution in question will take the credit for what has been crowdsourced. 

In terms of low-hanging fruit, if a download were to be taken of CWGC, and limited to Jutland men, there would be some gaps with regard to not all men having NoK being referenced in the comments. Plugging these gaps would be a worthwhile exercise.

A list of names and associated NoK is a flat file, not a database. 

 

As I understand it, with regard to

 

Quote

the most comprehensive record of men who died in the 36 hour Battle of Jutland that took over 6,000 British lives


I think that is better attributed to a Jutland CD Rom that was compiled/released in 2006 for the 90th anniversary. They plugged some of those gaps by cross-referencing with the Admiralty death registers in ADM 104.
 

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8 hours ago, GrenPen said:

I find myself somewhat cynical when reading the bombastic overtones of the press release. ... A list of names and associated NoK is a flat file, not a database. ...

 

While agreeing on the first, I clicked on the link and it does seem to me to qualify as a database according to the definition in the OED - "A structured set of data held in computer storage and typically accessed or manipulated by means of specialized software". I did try its search 'engine' for anyone who came from my 'hometown' in Berkshire and it did give me a result. 

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If a set of data is a single table, it is therefore not a database to my mind.

 

It is usually something that rings alarm bells as a so-called expert is passing off something as more sophisticated than it actually is. 

Sometimes less is more. If this were to be turned into a bona-fide database with multiple data tables in the back-end, it would be overkill. By retaining a flat-file structure, it keeps it easy to read - and importantly - easy to populate.

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Regardless of whether it is a set of data or a database

it is an additional searchable research resource

Not hidden behind a paywall 

 

Ray

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3 hours ago, RaySearching said:

Regardless of whether it is a set of data or a database it is an additional searchable research resource Not hidden behind a paywall 

 

which is the important point! :thumbsup: 

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I like this!

 

At last a way of finding Jutland casualties who originated from that well known maritime county of Derbyshire. I have wanted to get a handle on that for a long time.

 

Mike

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14 hours ago, Medaler said:

... At last a way of finding Jutland casualties who originated from that well known maritime county of Derbyshire. ...

 

Mike, knowing of one direction of your collecting strategy, I can believe that it appealed to you!

 

As it was, just to see if it did work as a 'database', my experiment was to locate any Jutland chaps from my very land-locked place of birth - and it did find exactly one from a nearby town!

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5 hours ago, trajan said:

 

Mike, knowing of one direction of your collecting strategy, I can believe that it appealed to you!

 

As it was, just to see if it did work as a 'database', my experiment was to locate any Jutland chaps from my very land-locked place of birth - and it did find exactly one from a nearby town!

 

I am always struck by the incongruity of Derbyshire sailors, but over the years we have produced some remarkably good ones - Including a Vice Admiral. I actually met him briefly last summer.

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That was worth a look - I had thought there were just nine Anglesey fatalities from the battle, but a tenth name appeared!  He was born in Holyhead, and possibly had little connection with the town thereafter, but it just goes to show.

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  • 2 years later...

All of the Jutland fatalities should be appearing on the National Museum of the Royal Navy's "Jutland Interactive Map" as provided by Nautoguide.
https://nmrn.nautoguide.com/app/nmrn/nmrn/

 

It is now possible to perform a surname search on men at Jutland via the following. This covers survivors as well as fatalities, who have been identified as having taken part in the battle of Jutland:
https://www.jutlandcrewlists.org/directory-of-names


 

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