Frederick Hankin - Body Found in 1930

[IPT]

14th January 1930 - Dundee Evening Telegraph

 

MISSING SOLDIER MYSTERY  Body Found After 14 Years

 

After a silence of nearly 14 years, Mr and Mrs Charles Hankin, of Heath, Bedfordshire, were informed of the finding and identification of the body of their elder son, Frederick, who was reported missing on August 5, 1916, after his first engagement with the Australian contingent in France. Articles in his possession which led to his identification were a gold ring on his finger bearing his name and the photograph of a girl living at Brisbane. These and several letters have been sent to his mother, who has been able to recognise the girl's photograph. The letters are legible parts. Mr and Mrs Hankin were formerly in business in High Street, Islington Their only other son, Robert, who joined the Bedfordshire Regiment, was reported missing in March,1918

 

This appears to be Hankin;

 

SERRE ROAD CEMETERY No.2

Private
HANKIN, FREDERICK BERNARD
Service Number 4131

Died 05/08/1916

Aged 25

25th Bn. 
Australian Infantry, A.I.F.

Son of Charles F. and Mary Ann Frances Hankin, of Thomas St., Heath and Reach, Leighton Buzzard, Beds.

 

 

https://rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au/explore/people/203772

 

There is communication in his service file from 1930, in which the fiancee claims the items, but the mother says no dice. - https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4255150

 

Looking at the burial return, it's difficult to see how he wasn't identified immediately - https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/608840/hankin,-frederick-bernard/#&gid=null&pid=1

[Justinth]

IPT

 

This is an excellent example from an Australian service file of the the documents/file references behind the notation on CWGC Casualty Archive WW1 documents. The documents concerned can be found by looking at document 28 onwards in the file.

 

There is Part B of the Concentration Of Graves (Exhumation and Re-Burials) effects form (it went with Part A - the Concentration return we are all familiar with) and a stamped Imperial War Graves Commission EFx file 'effects' reference

 

For Imperial War Graves Commission Efx files see my Glossary https://warrecordsrevealed.com/graves-registration-commission-directorate-of-graves-registration-enquiries-i-w-g-c-record-glossary/#unique-identifier16

 

The file lacks part 'C' of the same form see but does have the HP 6348 printing reference common to both Parts A and B/C of the Concentration Form, for more about the relationship between the three parts of the form see: https://warrecordsrevealed.com/effects-forms/

 

HP 6348 Effects Forms are probably the papers behind the frequent reference to 6/348 numbers at cemeteries like Tyne Cot, see:

https://warrecordsrevealed.com/graves-registration-commission-directorate-of-graves-registration-enquiries-i-w-g-c-record-glossary/#unique-identifier2

 

There is also a Location sheet, the origin of the different LS references often recorded on Graves Registration Report Forms. This sheet is numbered AA/LS5/12868.

 

For an explanation of the different Enquiry file prefixes (AA etc.) used by the Directorate of Graves Registration & Enquiries and subsequently the Imperial War Graves Commission see: https://warrecordsrevealed.com/graves-registration-commission-directorate-of-graves-registration-enquiries-i-w-g-c-record-glossary/#unique-identifier4a

 

For the use and history of Location Sheets see:

https://warrecordsrevealed.com/graves-registration-commission-directorate-of-graves-registration-enquiries-i-w-g-c-record-glossary/#unique-identifier25

 

Lastly there are also references to FV, Final Verfication references, which are much less easy to decipher due to the almost complete loss of forms and all of the accompanying files, see:

https://warrecordsrevealed.com/graves-registration-commission-directorate-of-graves-registration-enquiries-i-w-g-c-record-glossary/#unique-identifier17a

 

Best

 

 

Justin

 

Edited 11 July , 2018 by Justinth

[IPT]

Hi Justin,

 

Thanks for the comprehensive response.  I re-read the papers more carefully a second time!

[KevinBattle]

Their other son, Robert, was not so lucky in being identified.

HANKIN, ROBERT HAYES. Private. Service Number 203211. Died 21/03/1918. Aged 20.
2nd/5th Bn.  Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment)
Son of Charles F. and Mary Ann Frances Hankin, of Thomas St., Heath-Reach, Leighton Buzzard, Beds.
Commemorated at ARRAS MEMORIAL. Cemetery/memorial reference: Bay 7.

(Heath and Reach is an English village and civil parish near the Chiltern Hills in Bedfordshire. It is two miles north of Leighton Buzzard and three miles south of Woburn and adjoins the county boundary with Buckinghamshire. Nearby places are Leighton-Linslade, Great Brickhill and the Duke of Bedford's Woburn Abbey,)

 

EDIT to add:

Lieutenant Robert Strong, who was killed in action near Ypres in 1915, was from Heath and Reach. First born son of Robert Strong of Woodbine Cottage, Gig Lane, Robert Jr was British Army bandmaster in India prior to the war and a noted sportsman. His two other brothers, Benjamin Clarence and Francis William Cooper (served as Stewart).were also killed. Their mother, Mrs L E Strong later remarried, after the death of their father Robert Bennett Stron, and is shown as Turner in CWGC records.

Lieutenant Arthur Pearson was also from Heath and Reach, a pilot of 29 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, was awarded the Military Cross in the Battle of the Somme for "conspicuous gallantry". He was shot down in flames and killed 1917 by von Richthofen.

Edited 12 July , 2018 by KevinBattle

[Guest]

Does anyone recognize this metal container ?