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Remembered Today:

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


Rewe-Netherexe

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Looking again at it, the way it is written , it might refer to a place in Eastbourne. 

Edited by johnboy
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40 minutes ago, Alisonmallen62 said:

‘Due War Medal Commemoration’

I don't see that one myself.

The decision to award medals, including the War Medal, depended on whether the man qualified according to information held in each regiment's records and entered in the medal rolls.

And the War Medal, Victory Medal and Stars were only earned after leaving these shores and/or serving in a theatre of war.

I'm not sure that either of these young men had actually qualified for any medals.

This would be irrespective of whether he died or survived, and if he died, irrespective of whether the location of his body was known.

The CWGC had no role in the decision making process, so had no need to make any comment on whether they thought he was due a War Medal Commeration.

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I dnt disagree but this old man I know is always keen to put his thoughts up there so why not.  He might be right one day! 

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Sorry I have been out of the loop - the notifications about posts seem to have stopped for me so I was unaware of the recent activity. Many thanks for all the input - I had overlooked the fact that these lists were compiled after the war so the Devon War Memorial Committee does now seem the best bet. I looked in Somerset and found none but (obviously) haven't examined every form.

 

I didn't count but even in Devon it is probably only one in 50-100 or fewer entries that have this designation. They are all(?) also ones who died in hospital in UK. Perhaps the 'in action / missing' deaths were notified by military authorities whereas these had slipped through the net?

 

So, I am wondering if this was an indication of names that were still to be notified for the DWMC list? And I found one interesting one in Torquay with a signature at the top of the form dated 21/10/1920 (see extract):

 

1594385606_dwmcrecordstorquaydoc5525273LRh.jpg.ed030e09ebbc63f6a531271ef0fa87c0.jpg

 

There was clearly doubt about whether this person was a Royal Engineer & some other details. But significantly someone had clearly checked extant D.W.M.C. records to try to verify the info the graveyard had.

 

Soldier on!

 

Paul

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Rewe-Netherexe said:

. I looked in Somerset and found none but (obviously) haven't examined every form.

I'm sure different counties will have paid different attention to detail. Devon obviously had a Forum Pal in their group who went into detailed research and became a reliable quotable reference for CWGC ?

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Rewe-Netherexe - your forum handle suggests you are perhaps in Devon?  The Devon Archives would likely have minutes of the Devon War Memorial Committee which could be checked for indication of liaison with the GRU/IWGC?

 

Max

 

With a little imagination DWMC can be made into almost anything - Died Without Mother's Comfort  -  but as with the other suggestions, one would expect to see it in print somewhere, a test passed by DWMC .

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As a matter of interest,  there was a corresponding Cornwall committee:-

"It was previously the home of the Basset family and was purchased by the County of Cornwall War Memorial Committee and opened as a hospital in 1919."

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5 hours ago, MaxD said:

The Devon Archives would likely have minutes of the Devon War Memorial Committee

 

Dear MaxD - plenty of hits on the online index, but they all seem to relate to individual parish committees. I will dbe going to the Heritage Centre again in a week or two so I will ask a human if they know the whereabouts of the County minutes.

 

Thanks, Paul

 

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5 hours ago, PhilB said:

As a matter of interest,  there was a corresponding Cornwall committee:-

"It was previously the home of the Basset family and was purchased by the County of Cornwall War Memorial Committee and opened as a hospital in 1919."

 

Hi PhilB,

 

Thanks for this. I have just looked through quite a lot of the WW1 graves in Cornish cemetries on the CWGC site. I found no references to CWMC or the full committee name. However, most of the GRRs were dated 1925/26 which seems rather late to be trying to complete a Roll of Honour.

 

Paul

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If you visit the Devon Heritage Centre it may be worthwhile checking some of those parish war memorial committee records to see if they were liaising with the county committee.

TEW

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It seems odd that the there is, so far as I am aware, no Devon War Memorial but a number of memorials erected by local committees like Bideford. These seem to have been erected without reference to, or direction from, a county committee.

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T

30 minutes ago, PhilB said:

t seems odd that the there is, so far as I am aware, no Devon War Memorial

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devon_County_War_Memorial

 

The role of the Devon War Memorial Committee was to oversee a county war memorial for Devon in the form of a cenotaph (it became a simple cross) to be erected in the grounds of Exeter Cathedral.  Part of the memorial was to be the compilation of a book containing the names of men who  "belonged to the County or Devon units [there were other categories]".  In the latter connection, councils were invited to submit names to the DWMC.  Local war memorials were the responsibility of local committees.

 

Max

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Thanks, Max!:(  Strangely, Wiki suggests that the DWMC was only formed after Dec 1918, some time after the the mention in the OP!

 

“The first proposal to commemorate Devon's war dead came from the Dean of Exeter in December 1918, a month after the signing of the armistice.”
 

Devon County Council formed the County War Memorial Committee, chaired by Hugh Fortescue, 4th Earl Fortescue, to consider 23 proposals including several submitted by the public.”

Edited by PhilB
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It is perhaps of note that the committee was run by Hugh Fortescue,  4th Earl Fortescue, Lord Lieutenant of Devon 1903-1928, chairman of Devon County Council and pretty well connected locally and nationally (Freemasons, PS to the Lord President of the Council, ADC to King George V et etc). Well positioned to lean on other arms of national endeavour!

 

Max

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19 hours ago, johnboy said:

Department of War Military Check?

I'm afraid not, Johnboy.

 

Britain had a War Office, and items of military equipment were marked W.D. for War Department,  but does not have, nor I think has ever had, a "Department of War."

 

Ron

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6 hours ago, PhilB said:

DWMC was only formed after Dec 1918, some time after the the mention in the OP!

 

 That is true,  Although the dates in the OP refer to deaths in 1915, the forms on which DWMC appears are dated 1921.

 

Max

 

 

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2 hours ago, Ron Clifton said:

I'm afraid not, Johnboy.

 

Britain had a War Office, and items of military equipment were marked W.D. for War Department,  but does not have, nor I think has ever had, a "Department of War."

 

Ron

Thanks Ron. Trying to think of something as I don't think it is anything to do with a memorial commitee. Not seen the reference on other burial records and I don't think it would have been of any interest to CWGC.I think it refers to a place in Eastbourne.

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Wild guess, could M.C be Military Convalescent and put one of the first guesses in front, De Walden ?

Dave

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1 hour ago, johnboy said:

I think it refers to a place in Eastbourne.

Post #30 would suggest otherwise.

(His death in 1918 was registered in Newton Abbot Devon, he had been discharged in Sep 1916 unfit)

Max

Edited by MaxD
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The Devon War Memorial bears no names. Why then would the Graves Commission identify certain individuals to the Devon War Memorial Committee?

TEW 

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1 hour ago, MaxD said:

Post #30 would suggest otherwise.

(His death in 1918 was registered in Newton Abbot Devon, he had been discharged in Sep 1916 unfit)

Max

I can't see Newton Abott mentioned in that post

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It wasn't, I did some research!

 

The man is 110600 Pioneer C Bellamy Royal Engineers.  His service record, Silver War Badge record , pension and medal records are all on Ancestry.   He was a Newton Abbot born and married man joined Aug 15 discharged sickness Sep 16.  Died after discharge 6 Apr 1918 death registered in Newton Abbot district.

 

On 29/02/2020 at 12:18, Rewe-Netherexe said:

But significantly someone had clearly checked extant D.W.M.C. records to try to verify the info the graveyard had.

 

I would agree entirely with Paul's conclusion in his post .

 

Max

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