Casualty lists with place names

[Jervis]

 

Some newspapers published casualty lists  with a place name after the soldiers’ name. (As I understand this is either the soldiers’ address, his NOK’s address or his enlistment place). Does anyone know when this practice introduced?  

 

I am currently looking at various newspaper casualty lists in August 1915 and cannot find one with the casualty place names. I am wondering was this practice only introduced sometime later in the war - or should I keep searching 

 

thnka in advance. 

Jervis

Edited 2 September , 2019 by Jervis

[charlie962]

It definitely existed when the Weekly Summaries of the Daily Lists were published from the start of Sept 1917.

 

but it must have existed long before because local papers were able to provide lists of local casualties. But from when .....

 

Charlie

 

edit-  working backwards:

Times Lists Jan 1917 show this info,  but Sept 1916 doesn't;

 

I think you may have to do a newspaper search in parallel to Casualty Lists to see if it helps add that vital bit.

Edited 2 September , 2019 by charlie962

[Jervis]

Thanks Charlie.

 

The casualty lists I was working with in Aug-Sep 1916 had the place names too. 

[charlie962]

2 minutes ago, Jervis said:

The casualty lists I was working with in Aug-Sep 1916

The Times doesn't show this. Can I ask where the lists you've seen come from please ?

Charlie

[Jervis]

The newspapers I was using for place names were: “The Freeman’s Journal” a defunct Irish paper & “The Daily express” - although this is either an Irish edition or an Irish newspaper of the same name.

Edited 2 September , 2019 by Jervis

[charlie962]

thanks. Just because the Times didn't publish placenames until Jan 1917 (?) doesn't mean the info wasn't on official Daily Lists somewhere. I wonder where those lists are available.

The Genealogist used The Times, I think.

 

Charlie

[Jervis]

Perhaps the place names were available all along and just more likely to be used by a regional or provincial papers with a particular focus.

  

[PRC]

As part of a project I've been working through the newspapers on the British Newspaper archive for a Midlands city in date order, doing a key word search for that location. My matches spiked in May 1916 which on investigation seems to be the start of the Casualty Lists showing a place. The numbers of matches from essentially the same four newspapers continued at a higher rate than pre-May 1916 for the rest of the war. I'm sure it's a total coincidence but the previous few weeks papers had regular reports on the impact of consciption and the planned extension to married men, as well as the mobilisation of the Derby Scheme men.

 

Before that date I know from the Local Papers for Norfolk that "local" casualties appearing in official casualty lists seem to consist of men serving with either the Norfolk or Suffolk Regiment, My Midland City search turned up something similar with lists of men from the Royal Warwicks, South Staffs, Worcesters and Kings Shropshire Light Infantry. In both cases there were also some Territorial Force artillery, engineer and medical units plus the Yeomanry that had a strong local connection, plus in the case of Norwich there were at least two Regular Army Cavalry units as well.

 

With the introduction of conscription even that far from scientific way of reporting "local" casualties would have broken down, so possibly this was a knock-on effects.

 

Cheers,

Peter