RICH G Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 He is listed as died at home Uk in Winchester. Service number on effects form is 5955. Which is also on SDGW. Unable to find Medal index card or medal roll entry, but will keep looking. He is on the Bermondsey war memorial for the 22nd's. Good to get a face to the name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dangan Posted 13 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 13 February , 2020 SDGW can you please explain? Bermondsey war memorial, I didn’t know that. Died of gunshot wounds at Winall Camp, Winchester Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RICH G Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 He is listed in the book ( which is also transcribed on Ancestry) Soldiers Died in the Great War as service number 5955. He is also remembered here https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24655861/jefferson-j-gann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corisande Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 There is a fairly detailed Ancestry tree - click - which includes links to most of the sources quoted in this thread, but does not say cause of death Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corisande Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 His Pension Card on Fold 3 says he "died of GSW on Active Service" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 (edited) If there was no ‘murder’ reported in this case then the implication of a death by GSW on active service at Winchester is suicide. Such a cause of death at that time is by no means unusual. Edited 13 February , 2020 by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corisande Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 1 minute ago, FROGSMILE said: If there was no ‘murder’ reported in this case then the implication of a death by GSW on active service at Winchester is suicide. Such a cause of death at that time is by no means unusual. That was my feeling, but I was trying to get confirmation. There were no newspaper reports that I could find, which tends to point to suicide rather than murder or accidentally shot by another soldier. But one cannot really say without proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 (edited) 12 minutes ago, corisande said: That was my feeling, but I was trying to get confirmation. There were no newspaper reports that I could find, which tends to point to suicide rather than murder or accidentally shot by another soldier. But one cannot really say without proof. Yes, I agree, but even back then I would have expected some media coverage of an unusual death at that time in Winchester. Edited 13 February , 2020 by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RICH G Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 Was Winchester a hospital or a recuperation camp? As he may have received GSW in France and died as a result of the original wound . I have seen the term GSW used for many types of injury including shrapnel injuries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 45 minutes ago, RICH G said: Was Winchester a hospital or a recuperation camp? As he may have received GSW in France and died as a result of the original wound . I have seen the term GSW used for many types of injury including shrapnel injuries. There were two military hospitals in Winchester, they covered over 350 hospital beds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dangan Posted 13 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 13 February , 2020 As I understand it Winnall Down, Morn Hill were transit camps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 Recuperation camps were regional. There wasn’t one in Winchester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 14 February , 2020 Share Posted 14 February , 2020 11 hours ago, RICH G said: I have seen the term GSW used for many types of injury including shrapnel injuries. As shrapnel results from a gunshot, probably rightly classed as GSW? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dangan Posted 15 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 15 February , 2020 Hi I am now in possession of a copy of Jefferson Gann death certificate, attached, the writing isn’t very clear but I think it says ”Haemorrhage and shock cor...... on a gun shot wound in the chest but how caused not sufficient evidence to show” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bardess Posted 15 February , 2020 Share Posted 15 February , 2020 Looks like consequent to me. He is buried in a London cemetery so not on active service? Incidentally I would think that it may either be self inflicted/accident/murder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 15 February , 2020 Share Posted 15 February , 2020 38 minutes ago, Bardess said: Looks like consequent to me. He is buried in a London cemetery so not on active service? Incidentally I would think that it may either be self inflicted/accident/murder? Active service in this instance just means whilst he was serving in the army. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dangan Posted 16 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 16 February , 2020 I doubt if I will ever get to the bottom of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travers61 Posted 16 February , 2020 Share Posted 16 February , 2020 (edited) Hi Dangan, Sorry the cert was not more specific, but on the part of the certificate that says who the informant was does it say "certificate from coroners inquest 3rd (? November 1916) ? This would tally with what Craig said in post 11, and just a couple of days after the death. The coroner was duty bound to try & get whatever evidence there was, even if he eventually decided he could not be sure of the cause. Sadly suicide was legally a crime then, so I assume he would not record it as such unless he was certain. Looking at the Hants RO website, they hold records for one of the Winchester City Coroners, Henry White (died 1924) & as Winnall Down is only a mile or so from the City, this may help. However as the death is shown in Easton Parish, which seems not to have been part of Winchester till 1974, it may have been covered by the Mid Hants coroner & Hants RO don't hold WW1 era records for that coroners district. Local Winchester newspapers seem also to be at the record office & may have reported it. Probably worth a quick enquiry to ask if they charge etc, and sometimes if its a WW1 soldier who died in service in unknown circumstances, you are a relation & you have the cert, you may get a quick look up from a kind archivist or volunteer there in the newspapers ? https://calm.hants.gov.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=W%2fD%2f5&pos=6 https://calm.hants.gov.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=91119&pos=1 Nothing showing for this incident in 1916 in the British Newpaper Archive, index, but what seems to be the local Winchester paper, the Hants Chronicle is only on there up to 1909 & the Salisbury & Winchester Journal to 1912. This is what happens in the current law about inquests & I can only assume it was very similar in 1916: A coroner must hold an inquest if the cause of death is still unknown, or if the person possibly died a violent or unnatural death or died in prison or police custody You cannot register the death until after the inquest. The coroner is responsible for sending the relevant paperwork to the registrar. The death cannot be registered until after the inquest, but the coroner can give you an interim death certificate to prove the person is dead. When the inquest is over the coroner will tell the registrar what to put in the register. https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/when-a-death-is-reported-to-a-coroner Edited 16 February , 2020 by travers61 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dangan Posted 17 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 17 February , 2020 Hi Travers61 yes I believe it says “certificate received from Henry White Coroner for Hants Inquest held 3rd November 1916” Next step, I will try to access newspapers/records at Hants and Mid-Hants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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