CWGC Date of Death

[Terry]

I think this has been discussed before, but yesterday as I was going through my 2nd Ypres casualty groups, two stood out because of the recorded CWGC date of the casualty. They were both from the 2nd Canadian Bn.:

- 8078 L.Cpl.R.L.Butcher, KIA 27 Apr.,1915

- 18474 Pte.C.S.Boolsen, KIA 26 Apr.,1915

Now the Canadians were attacked first on 22 April, and basically were withdrawn by the 26th. In looking through the files of the two men,there are numerous entries clearly stating that they were KIA during the period 22-26 April,1915. The 2nd Battalion lost 544 men during the battle so records obviously were very confused. How did the CWGC select a particular day as the date of death?

[Jim Strawbridge]

I presume that the CWGC didn't select. They used the dates provided to them by the army.

[Terry Denham]

Correct, Jim.

The Canadian authorities supplied the date.

[Terry]

Thanks, fellows. I imagine that everything was so confused that nobody could say for certain that Pte.Bloggins was killed on the 22nd, 23rd, or 24th.