Private Digory Saltern, 1st Bn D. C. L. I.

[East Lancs]

Almost 1000 WW1 Cemeteries and hundreds more Military Cemeteries and memorials

Can anyone help my wife and myself work out what happened to her great uncle?

Digory SALTERN fought with the DCLI throughout the war from 1915, we have his medal rolls and he survived the war, this is where the trail ends, all we know is that he is shown on the war memorial in Davidstow churchyard as died in Upper Silesia September 1921. No one seems to know anything else about him. We have checked the CWGC site and he is not listed as they count the war as ending earlier than september 1921. We have no idea what he was doing in Upper Silesia, although we know the army was there as a peace keeping force until the vote had been made as to whether they would remain as Poland or return to Germany but we can find no army record to state he was there or his battalion, he stayed in the army after the war ended. All attempts to find out information via family channels hit a brick wall when the war ends. Digory had a brother Emmanuel who enlisted with the DCLI in Bodmin in 1915 but was in a reserved occupation and not called up until 1917, he was placed in the Royal West Kent Regiment and transferred to the Tank Corps, he survived the war and his grandson has a beautifully designed Tank Corps certificate from the time embossed with their honours, as well as inert tank shells and other memorabilia he brought back, but Digory? No one knows what happened to him.

[Lorre Powrie]

Digory Saltern, Private 2nd Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry No. 5431013 died on 17 April 1922 whilst serving with his regiment in Upper Silesia. The British Army on the Rhine sent detachments as part of the 'peacekeeping' force that was to oversee the plebiscite that was taking place in the region, and a pretty bloody affair it was. He is buried in the civilian cemetery in Oppeln (now called OPOLE) along with 29 other British military personnel. I am travelling to Poland next week to visit the cemetery in person and will take photos. I'm not very optimistic that the cemetery will be well tended.

[sotonmate]

My understanding is that soldiers records after 1921 are still in existence and with the Army Records,so you could apply for them,here:

http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html

[Lorre Powrie]

Here's the document indication Digory Saltern's death in Silesia