Fabian Ware letter

[chrislaidler507]

In researching the men from Goole who served throughout WWI (regardless as to their fate) I have seen many different entries written within the surviving pages of Service Records (WO364) and Pension Records (WO365). Entries obviously differ as to each man based on his service but there is one thing that I did find in one particular record that I haven't seen in any of the other records that relate to those who were killed in action or died of wounds. At the same time it is something that I haven't found reference to in any of the books that cover the work of the Graves Registration Units they undertook prior to the formal formation of the Imperial War Graves Commission following its Royal Charter being granted on 21st May 1917. As the work of the GRUs was still underway there was a deal of cooperation between them and IWGC as regards the recording and the forwarding of information to the families of the deceased, and it is from this that the letter explains the background of the work of the Director of Graves Registration and Enquiries and the Units under Fabian Ware.

The letter comes from the record of 12/1406 Edward Heenan 12th Bn East Yorkshire Regiment d.13th Oct. 1916 and he is named on Thiepval Memorial. From my understanding of having the letter within Edward's record, a copy was sent to his parents, Michael and Mary, but there is no other mention of the letter within the pages of Edward's record. Given the official looking reference number at the bottom of the first page I am thinking that any additional copies would be sent out with no amendments to its contents, though possibly with a cover letter as to when it was sent - which is not included in the other pages of Edward's record. Dated 23rd Jan. 1917 it gives some wonderful detail as to how the work of the GRU started and how with the cooperation of French landholders, and with civil cemeteries being used to an extent that a more permanent solution had to be explored. Some of this formative work on the commemoration of the dead is covered in Fabian Ware's 'The Immortal Heritage: An Account of the Work and Policy of the Imperial War Graves Commission 1917-37' (Naval & Military Press, 2022).

I would be interested to know if anybody else has seen a copy of this letter, and any other info regarding it - was it universally sent out to the families of those lost or was it only sent out in reply to those who enquired as to what had happened to the bodies of their husband/son/brother etc?

I first accessed Edward's record in May 2010 and since then I have forwarded the letter to a number of other families from Goole (and a few from further afield) who lost a family member during the First World War. As such, please feel free to use a copy with any research you may be carrying out as regards those lost.

Chris

Fabian Ware letter.pdf