D.W.M.C. - Any ideas please? DWMC acronym - possible Eastbourne link?

[Rewe-Netherexe]

I am new here and have searched high and low for an answer to this so apologies if I have missed it somehow.

 

For the last few months I have been researching the 9 names on our war memorial in Devon (all victims of WW1). Two of them are buried locally but they each died in Eastbourne hospitals while in UK-based units – one in April 1915, the other in Dec 1915. CWGC info for each of them gives initials D.W.M.C. in the Remarks section on the Grave Registration Report Forms:

 

https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/350461/dewdney,-ernest/#&gid=null&pid=2

https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/350471/snell,-frederick/

 

(scroll down to Grave Registration tab & choose the page that is NOT portrait A4 typescript in each case)

 

I have tried online military & other acronym decoders and all that has come up is Dishwashing Machine…  And CWGC say they do not know.

 

It is tempting to link this with De Walden Court Aux Hospital at Eastbourne but the M doesn’t really fit as far as I can see, and it MAY be that it is a medical or other acronym unrelated to Eastbourne.

 

So if you know what this means please put me out of my misery, but even if you don’t know, it would be useful to hear from anyone who has come across this acronym elsewhere / on CWGC forms and, if so, was it associated with Eastbourne, or other places too?

 

With thanks in anticipation, and a donation to Great War Forum in gratitude if someone can solve the mystery.

 

Paul Sandy, Rewe, Devon

[RaySearching]

 

Re E Dewdney

Whilst listed on CWGC as died Eastbourne

on the register of soldiers effects he is shown to have died at St Leonards on Sea

 

It possible the last two letters M.C  in D.W.M,C  could be an abbreviation for Military Camp

 

worth checking out the military camps based in the area of St Leonards and Eastbourne areas

 

as an aside Dewdney died of pneumonia source (pension doc)

 

 

Ray

 

 

                           

[johnboy]

Died whilst at military Camp?

[Rewe-Netherexe]

Very many thanks for your input Ray. I have recently discovered from The Keep Museum / Archive at Dorchester that Snell died from Measles but I had no cause for Dewdney yet. Snell had just lesft his batallion and started at the Army School of Cookery when he died - was there one nearer than Portslade to Eastbourne??

 

Dewdney seems to have got ill while his battalion (2/7th Cyclist Devons) was either still in transit from the SW to St Leonards or as soon as he & they arrived there. Apparently the weather was awful in late Nov / early Dec 1915 so that would fit with pneumonia. And perhaps his effects were at St Leonards even when he wasn't?? (but I am an absolute amateur at this so please take it with a pinch of salt).

 

Yes a good thought re M.C. = Military Camp, though I would have thought Google would have turned up a match (or CWGC acronyms & others).  I have also thought a lot about refinements of D.W. = Died of Wounds and the like, Died with Medical Complications or whatever but if this was the case then it would presumably be a common & well-understood acronym?

 

Also, I should have been clearer when I said they were buried locally, I meant here in two different churchyards in Devon (some 200 miles from Eastbourne).

 

Thanks again for the information,

 

Paul

[johnboy]

Their families would have paid for the bodies to be taken home.

[seaJane]

Devon War Memorial Committee?

[Rewe-Netherexe]

16 hours ago, johnboy said:

Their families would have paid for the bodies to be taken home.

 

Thanks johnboy - I have been told that it was a penny a mile which would have meant 17 shillings or thereabouts I assume for Eastbourne to near Exeter. This seems to be more than a week's agricultural labourer's wages at the time. Thanks again for your input, Paul

[Rewe-Netherexe]

14 hours ago, seaJane said:

Devon War Memorial Committee?

 

Thanks SeaJane. Was there such a thing in 1915? I have not (so far) come across any reference to it.

 

I am also still very keen to hear if anyone else has come across these initials in relation to Eastbourne or in other contexts - it might help narrow the options a bit if there is evidence on this one way or the other.

 

Thanks again,

 

Paul

[johnboy]

The memorial comittees would, I think have been set up aat the end of the war. The main one was probably for a county memorial at Exeter.

Not sure if info on a memorial would have been noted by  CWGC docs.

[Rewe-Netherexe]

43 minutes ago, Rewe-Netherexe said:

I am also still very keen to hear if anyone else has come across these initials in relation to Eastbourne or in other contexts - it might help narrow the options a bit if there is evidence on this one way or the other.

 

With the above in mind, I have been looking through the Grave Registration Report Forms for other UK cemetries looking for WW1 soldiers buried there who died in the UK to see if I can find D.W.M.C.

 

I am now reporting my first success that rules out an Eastbourne link with the initials. In Crediton Holy Cross Churchyard (Devon) is Edward Adams who served with the 3rd Bn Canadian Infantry. Died 1/1/1918 and the Remarks on the form state 'Died at General Hospital Shorncliffe D.W.M.C.'

 

The hospital was at Folkestone, Kent. So not an Eastbourne link. Still maybe medical or military meaning, possibly Devon. I guess I now need to look at some other counties to see if I can find DWMC there ...

 

Paul

[johnboy]

Could the 'c' be for charity

[seaJane]

1 hour ago, Rewe-Netherexe said:

Was there such a thing in 1915?

I think johnboy is most likely correct that it was set up at the end of the war, but was the DWMC lettering added in 1915 or later?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devon_County_War_Memorial has "After considering multiple proposals, the Devon County War Memorial Committee commissioned Lutyens to design a War Cross instead."

 

sJ

[MaxD]

Many newspaper references (Findmypast) to the Devon War Memorial Committee set up in mid June 1919 by a meeting presided over by the Lord Lieutenant of Devon.  The committee to decide the form etc of  a Devon county memorial.

 

Max

Snap SJ simultaneous post!

 

Max

[MaxD]

Just took a look at random at Pte Snell 1st Devon Yeomanry buried in Rewe St Mary churchyard, he also has  DWMC in the remarks column.  My guess is that it indicated that the DWMC had been informed of the commemoration by the GRU.

 

Max

Edited 28 February , 2020 by MaxD
typo

[TEW]

Devon War Memorial Committee seems a good choice, the 2 GRRFs for Dewdney & Snell are dated forms; Certified Correct and Complete 13/11/1920 and stamped by the Director Graves Registration 1/2/1921.

 

However, there are plenty of Devonians commemorated on village/town war memorials that do not have the DWMC remark.

TEW

[Keith Brannen]

2 hours ago, Rewe-Netherexe said:

 

With the above in mind, I have been looking through the Grave Registration Report Forms for other UK cemetries looking for WW1 soldiers buried there who died in the UK to see if I can find D.W.M.C.

 

I am now reporting my first success that rules out an Eastbourne link with the initials. In Crediton Holy Cross Churchyard (Devon) is Edward Adams who served with the 3rd Bn Canadian Infantry. Died 1/1/1918 and the Remarks on the form state 'Died at General Hospital Shorncliffe D.W.M.C.'

 

The hospital was at Folkestone, Kent. So not an Eastbourne link. Still maybe medical or military meaning, possibly Devon. I guess I now need to look at some other counties to see if I can find DWMC there ...

 

Paul

 

Looked at Edward Adams Canadian military record (90 pages) and did not see D.W.M.C. anywhere, but did note that he was born in Crediton, Devon. 

[johnboy]

I  dom't think it is  Devon War Memorial Committe

If there was one it would probably be for all servicemen from Devon and a central memorial , probably in the county town .not for individual locations. If there is a county memorial, is he listed on it?

[RaySearching]

24 minutes ago, johnboy said:

I  dom't think it is  Devon War Memorial Committe

 

I agree with Johnboy 

the acronym D.W.M.C  to date only appears on a small number of documents, for home deaths only,  within hospital or medical institutions

 

My best guess so far is Died Within Medical Center,  but  I cannot find any evidence to support it

[charlie962]

The Devon War Memorial Committee was indeed responsible for the county memorial - Exeter. But given that they were compiling a Roll ( The names of the fallen were recorded on a roll of honour, of which three copies were made: one for Exeter Cathedral, one to be held by the county council, and one which the Prince of Wales placed in a hollow in the base of the war memorial.) then it would seem reasonable that they had a link with CWGC and could advise on eligibility for CWGC commemoration for those died at home who might otherwise have been overlooked- a problem we know to this day ?

 

Charlie

[PhilB]

Good try but I’m dubious too. If DWMC were the Devon War Memorial Committee, we’d see similar ones for the other counties. Surely Devon can’t be the only county with such a committee?

[charlie962]

Somerset:

 

[Alisonmallen62]

Died whilst in military care or someone locally told me it was written on a memorial here but I looked and it has gone either faded or removed or an error of memory but  ‘Due War Medal Commemoration’

[PhilB]

16 minutes ago, charlie962 said:

Somerset:

 

If there were similar comments added like SWMC to the form of a Somerset casualty, that would more or less confirm it. 

[charlie962]

I wonder if other counties went to the trouble of compiling a county Roll  ? If so, I'm sure the level of liasion with CWGC varied significantly. Devon's Roll was compiled, I believe, by getting each parish to submit a list of names.

 

Edited 28 February , 2020 by charlie962

[johnboy]

Is the list of names online?