Civilian POWs

[JHughes]

I am one of Robert Bowditch's descendants (he was my maternal great-great-grandfather). I am pleased to note that I've had an email from the CWG today that they have accepted our request after over a year to include his name. It seems he fell through the cracks and there was no death certificate so it was hard to provide the normal evidence for a non-commemoration request.  If anyone here is still interested in the subject I would be happy to share the info we have on him.

[Mark in Staffs]

I've just had a look and he's there. I find it odd that some civilian detainees deaths are recorded by the CWGC while others are not. As I said at the top there is no definitive list of British civilians who died as a result of the war 1914-18, but there is for WW II when the number was far higher. 

It shouldn't be too difficult to find those who died at sea or during air raids and naval bombardments, the problem lies with finding those who died in prison camps, I suspect the number is around 60 minimum.  

 

[Mark in Staffs]

What is the correct procedure for requesting additions to the CWGC website? In my researches into civilians killed in WW I I've found another "lost" casualty; a British pilot on board a Norwegian cargo vessel that struck a mine off Whitby and sank on 16 December 1914, the mine was laid by the Germans that morning prior to the bombardment of the east coast towns.

Also, being a landlubber from the deepest Midlands, I though a pilot guided a ship in and out of port? The ship sailed from Newcastle-upon-Tyne heading for Italy and was three miles off Whitby when tragedy struck. Perhaps he was there to guide the ship through a British minefield and would have disembarked at some point further along the coast in a safe zone?

Anyway, he was a victim of the war and is not listed on the CWGC website.

Thomas Davison, 50, pilot on board the Norwegian ship SS Vaaren died 16 December 1914, his body was never recovered.  

[PaulC78]

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/commemorations/non-commemoration-form/

But he may not be eligible having served on a Norwegian vessel. From the eligibility criteria:

5.3 Mercantile Marine (First World War)
Mercantile Marine Services refers to those who, during the First World War, had signed on the books for a
voyage on a British or Commonwealth registered merchant ship or fishing boat.
We commemorate all sailors of the Commonwealth Mercantile Marine Services who died, while signed on
for a voyage, as a direct result of enemy action or while detained by the enemy.

[Matlock1418]

On 29/01/2024 at 09:21, Mark in Staffs said:

In my researches into civilians killed in WW I I've found another "lost" casualty; a British pilot on board a Norwegian cargo vessel that struck a mine off Whitby and sank on 16 December 1914, the mine was laid by the Germans that morning prior to the bombardment of the east coast towns.

On 29/01/2024 at 09:21, Mark in Staffs said:

Thomas Davison, 50, pilot on board the Norwegian ship SS Vaaren died 16 December 1914, his body was never recovered.  

On 29/01/2024 at 14:25, PaulC78 said:

But he may not be eligible having served on a Norwegian vessel. From the eligibility criteria:

5.3 Mercantile Marine (First World War)
Mercantile Marine Services refers to those who, during the First World War, had signed on the books for a
voyage on a British or Commonwealth registered merchant ship or fishing boat.
We commemorate all sailors of the Commonwealth Mercantile Marine Services who died, while signed on
for a voyage, as a direct result of enemy action or while detained by the enemy.

Interesting ... I suspect the Norwegian nationality of the vessel may be a major sticking point

However Lighthouse and Pilotage Authorities do appear under WW2 in the CWGC guide but are commonly also commemorated for WW1 - commonly lost on Pilot boats and Cutters but also including deaths on civilian cargo vessels https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/search-results/?Surname=&Forename=&Initials=&ServiceNum=&Regiment=Lighthouse+and+Pilotage+Authorities&RegimentExact=true&WarSelect=1&CountryCommemoratedIn=null&Cemetery=&Unit=&Rank=&SecondaryRegiment=&SecondaryUnit=&AgeOfDeath=0&DateDeathFromDay=1&DateDeathFromMonth=January&DateDeathFromYear=&DateDeathToDay=1&DateDeathToMonth=January&DateDeathToYear=&DateOfDeath=&Honours=null&AdditionalInfo=&Tab=&Size=100&Page=1&Sort=dateofdeath

???

That said I looked at https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2886651/william-fletcher and the S.S. "Trignac" and apparently she seems to have been a Frence vessel

You won't know unless you apply for adjudication - do please let us know.

M

Edited 30 January by Matlock1418