Pte Robert Malcolm RAMC; Burial Report

[MelPack]

Body of Stockton WW1 soldier laid to rest after 100 years

• Published

• 13 hours ago

 

 

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• World War One

Image source, UK MOD Crown copyright / PA wire

Image caption,

The remains of Pte Robert Kenneth Malcolm were borne to his final resting place by officers of the Royal Army Medical Corps

The body of a World War One soldier has been laid to rest more than 100 years after his death, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

The remains of Pte Robert Kenneth Malcolm, 23, from Stockton-on-Tees, were found in Belgium in 2019.

He was identified using DNA testing as Pte Malcolm, who was reported missing on 6 August 1917.

His great-great-niece Linda Jordan attended his burial service at the Bedford House Cemetery in Ypres.

Pte Malcolm, a stretcher bearer, was found when unidentified remains were recovered from a shell hole outside a German blockhouse in Fusilier Wood, near Klein-Zillebeke, Belgium.

He was believed to have been killed during shelling.

His medals had been sent to his mother after the war but were not delivered, so were returned to the Army and destroyed, an investigation by the Ministry of Defence's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) found.

Image source, UK MOD Crown copyright / PA wire

Image caption,

Pte Robert Kenneth Malcolm, 23, was reported missing on 6 August 1917

Ms Jordan, who was one of two family members who provided DNA matches, said it was "quite a shock" to discover she was related to a fallen WWI soldier.

She attended the burial service earlier with her sister and said the family had been unaware their great-grandmother had 11 siblings, one of whom was Pte Malcolm.

"It is fascinating how we were traced and the link confirmed through DNA testing," she said.

"As Pte Malcolm had been missing for so long it was amazing and quite emotional to see the care that all those in the wider Army family have taken to identify and honour him.

"We were privileged to represent his family at his funeral. It is our way of respecting him and acknowledging the sacrifice he, and so many others, made in service of our country."

Pte Malcolm's military honours have been reissued and presented to his family, including his 1914 Star with Clasp - often referred to as the Mons Star - and the British War medal and Victory medal.

'He will be remembered'

Rosie Barron, JCCC case lead, said identifying Pte Malcolm's remains was a "long and - at times - complicated task".

"Stretcher bearers such as Pte Malcolm were vital to the war effort. Without their dedication and bravery, many more men would have died on the battlefields," she said.

"Pte Malcolm came from a large family. His mother and siblings died unaware of his fate and the memory of Pte Malcolm had been lost through the generations."

Ms Barron said it had been "a privilege" to have his great-great-nieces see him laid to rest and "to know that he will be remembered by future generations of his family".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-65553011

[Ivor Anderson]

MIC off Ancestry - service no 6858

[MelPack]

JCCC Report:

News story

World War 1 stretcher bearer buried in Belgium

More than a century after his death, Private (Pte) Robert Kenneth Malcolm, a 23-year-old stretcher bearer from Stockton-on-Tees, has finally been laid to rest with full military honours and his war medals presented to his family.

From:

Ministry of Defence and Veterans UK

Published

11 May 2023

 

Private Malcolm’s cloth orderly patch which indicated he was a stretcher bearer. Copyright Ruben Willaert nv

The burial service, organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’, was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Bedford House Cemetery, near Ypres, Belgium on 10 May 2023.

Pte Malcolm is borne to his final resting place by officers of the Royal Army Medical Corps. Crown copyright

His unidentified remains were recovered from a shell hole outside a German blockhouse in Fusilier Wood, near Klein-Zillebeke, Belgium in 2019. Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) insignia and a ‘Medical Orderly’ cloth patch were also recovered, indicating the soldier may have been a stretcher bearer.

Private Malcolm’s cap badge. Copyright Ruben Willaert nv

After extensive research carried out by JCCC and DNA testing, the remains were identified as Pte Malcolm who was reported missing on 6 August 1917 – believed killed during shelling. With no remains recovered at the time of his death, he had been commemorated on the Menin Gate.

Rosie Barron, JCCC case lead said:

The identification of Pte Malcolm was a long and at times complicated task, so it is very satisfying to have organised his burial service today and to have seen a positive conclusion to this case. Stretcher bearers such as Pte Malcolm were vital to the war effort. Without their dedication and bravery, many more men would have died on the battlefields. Pte Malcolm came from a large family. His mother and siblings died unaware of his fate and memory of Pte Malcolm had been lost through the generations. It has been a privilege therefore to have his great great nieces here today to see him laid to rest and to know that he will be remembered by future generations of his family who will now be able to visit his grave.

Records uncovered during Rosie’s investigation showed that though Pte Malcolm’s medals were sent to his mother after the war, they were not delivered and so were returned and destroyed. The MOD Medal Office (MODMO) has therefore been able to reissue his 1914 Star with Clasp ‘5 Aug – 22 Nov 1914’, often referred to as ‘the Mons Star’, and the British War Medal and Victory Medal (Please note: photos of the medals are unavailable but for more information please visit the IWM website.

They were placed on top of the coffin as Pte Malcolm was carried to his grave, and afterwards they, and the flag which covered his casket, were presented to his family by Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) Adam Gregory of 202 (Midlands) Field Hospital, who led the bearer party.

An officer of the Royal Army Medical Corps presents Pte Malcolm’s service medals to his great great niece Linda Jordan. Crown copyright

Linda Jordan, Pte Malcolm’s great great niece, was one of two family members who provided positive DNA matches. She, and her sister, attended the burial service, Linda said:

Getting a letter five months ago from JCCC suggesting I could be related to a fallen WW1 soldier, whose body had been recently discovered, was quite a shock. My family was unaware that our great grandmother had eleven siblings, one of whom was Pte Malcolm. It is fascinating how we were traced and the link confirmed through DNA testing. As Pte Malcolm had been missing for so long it was amazing and quite emotional to see the care that all those in the wider Army family have taken to identify and honour him. We were privileged to represent his family at his funeral. It is our way of respecting him and acknowledging the sacrifice he, and so many others, made in service of our country.

WO2 Gregory said:

It is an honour and an overwhelming privilege to be part of this burial service for a fallen WW1 comrade from the RAMC. Pte Malcolm has been placed alongside his brothers in arms whom all paid the ultimate sacrifice for their King and country. Pte Malcolm was a regular RAMC soldier supporting the citizen volunteers in a new Army unit. This is part of an historic event, and it is very befitting that a mix of Regular Army and Army Reservists from 202 (Midlands) Field Hospital have carried him on his final journey.

The service was conducted by the Reverend Andrew Grant, Chaplain to 5th Regiment Royal Artillery, and a bearer party from 202 (Midlands) Field Hospital RAMC bore the coffin to the graveside.

The Reverend Grant said:

I am greatly honoured to have been asked to conduct the burial service for Pte Robert Kenneth Malcolm of the Royal Army Medical Corps. The continuing work of identifying the remains of those killed in the World War 1, and bestowing upon them the full honours of a proper burial, are key to reminding ourselves that, despite the unimaginable numbers lost in the conflict, each soul whose life was cut short was a precious human being, and loved by someone. This can be so easily forgotten when death back then was meted out on such an industrial scale.

Pte Malcolm is guarded by officers of the Royal Army Medical Corps before burial. Crown copyright

The grave of Pte Malcolm will now be cared for in perpetuity by CWGC. Head of Commemorations Casework at the CWGC, Mel Donnelly, said:

We are very grateful to our partners in Belgium who conducted the painstaking excavation of the site near Fusilier Wood. Their professionalism ensured that the remains of a Commonwealth soldier recovered together with his insignia, enabling Private Malcolm to be identified. He can now be laid to rest alongside his comrades.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/world-war-1-stretcher-bearer-buried-in-belgium

[MelPack]

There is a Youtube video of the burial here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxwydrNQHSE