4426 Private Charles Hurt 26 Bn, AIF

[temptage]

Ive just been looking at some concentration forms for Serre Road Cemetery No2 and saw there was an unknown Australian soldier buried in plot XXV. G. 14.

There were two pieces of equipment found with the body, which stated 26 Bn and 4426. Having looked through ALL Regiments with a 26 Battalion AND a service number of 4426 who died, Private Charles Hurt is the only one. His body was found in a grave along with 3 other bodies. Originally all 4 bodies were unknown, but then one of them was identified purely down to two pieces of equipment that were stamped 25.A.I.4110.

Private A.T. Davies had been identified by 2 stamped items of equipment, BUT Private Charles Hurt was not identified by the 2 stamped pieces of equipment found with the body.

Can anybody explain why that would happen, or do you think it may have slipped through the net and needs forwarding to those who could delve a little deeper?

 

Edited 20 March , 2023 by temptage

[Cheshire22]

I would say because the equipment was found on top of the body and the soldier was not actually wearing it, it was discounted, as it could have been thrown into the shell hole 

I would say it to the fallen diggers 

[jay dubaya]

I would suggest that when Pte Charles Hurt was wounded during the 5th August attack, he was admitted to 37th FA and went down the line suffering from shellshock, his kit was used by another soldier in the battalion. Hurt was KiA during the 5th November attack nearly 5 miles NE of Pozieres and it seems unlikely he would be buried in the same shell hole as those of the August attack.

Pte Arthur Davies was also found with 'Disc (illegable)' this had been determined in the field and not after IWGC investigation - his service papers record him as missing after the August attack and although the papers contain correspondance from the IWGC there is no record of how the final identification was reached. 

It's also worth noting that the CWGC will not accept cases where the evidence is purely pieces of marked kit found on or with remains.

[DennisF73]

UWC-A and CWGC will not except One artifact item found on Remains, but will accept multiple items. We at Fallen Diggers have had successful cases identifying Unknown Australian Soldiers with multiple items. The issue with this is the wording laying on body, if it was said found in pockets it would be an easier case to submit. Will have a chat with our researchers and UWC-A and will get back to you all.

[temptage]

On 20/03/2023 at 15:44, jay dubaya said:

It's also worth noting that the CWGC will not accept cases where the evidence is purely pieces of marked kit found on or with remains.

Oh tell me about it!

There is a grave in my local Cemetery with a CWGC headstone for an unknown sailor. Because he was pulled from the sea, the date of death was an approximation, but obviously the death would have been prior to the date of burial which was 4th November 1940. The body had been found with a ring on its finger with the initials DFN on it. I found a piece in the local rag that quoted the local Coroner who said the body had been in the water about 2 weeks when it was recovered. The date of the cutting was 29th October, but the newspaper was only printed twice a week back then, so the body could have been landed as much as 4 days previous, on the 24th or 25th, giving us a date of the 10th or 11th as an approximate date of death.

I did omit to say that there was also another body found in the sea two days earlier who was identified as the Skipper of the trawler Sea King which had been blown up on 9th October 1940.

Looking for all the ships that were sunk down the east coast on or close to those dates, there were three. I looked at all the men who had been lost and amazingly there was one who had exactly the same initials as on the ring found on the body.

I contacted the CWGC, before I knew of either the IFCP or the War Detectives, and they said it couldnt be accepted as evidence, even though it clearly tallied. I believe it is this man.

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2500229/david-forbes-noble/

 

 

10 hours ago, DennisF73 said:

UWC-A and CWGC will not except One artifact item found on Remains, but will accept multiple items. We at Fallen Diggers have had successful cases identifying Unknown Australian Soldiers with multiple items. The issue with this is the wording laying on body, if it was said found in pockets it would be an easier case to submit. Will have a chat with our researchers and UWC-A and will get back to you all.

Thanks Dennis. Look forward to it.

Edited 22 March , 2023 by temptage

[DennisF73]

Hi All,

Initially thinking there might be a case, but a quick search shows that Charles Hurt was killed in  Battle on 5th of November which is the Flers area, this body was recovered from Pozieres. So it cannot be Charles. Sorry for the bad news. How this body has Charles's equipment is a mystery, unless he was a good friend or a relative. The only other missing with the service number is Allan Albert 4426 14th Bn Killed on the 7th of August, which is the right battle.

Edited 22 March , 2023 by DennisF73

[temptage]

Thanks for confirming those details. Jay Dubaya had touched on that explanation a few posts up.

 

And with that, I can clear a few files from my laptop.