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Remembered Today:

How can I identify this possible non-commemorated?


John_Hartley

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Here's the problem.

The name of Noel Clayton is on one of the war memorials that I'm researching.

I know his family from the census. I know when he was born from local BMD information. Similarly I know he died at home in 1918. I've applied for his death certificate and "have a feeling in my water" that it's going to confirm something war related as cause of death.

As far as I can tell, Noel is not recorded by CWGC so I would be anxious to submit his name for consideration. The difficulty is, I have no idea of his service details. And, presumably, it is a prime requirement of any submission to provide evidence as to which unit he served with.

There's only two Noel Clayton' amongst the MICs but, of course, he may be just there as N Clayton, or didnt serve with the army, or didnt serve abroad. Any memorial researchers hit a similar problem? Anyone got any advice?

John

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John

The civil death certificate will probably record his rank, number and unit.

Nearly every certificate we have dealt with for the RN, RMLI & RNVR included this info. Fingers crossed for you.

Neil

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Neil

Ta for that. Any thoughts if it was post-discharge, though (I've actually got three similar cases under research, one died 1920)

John

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OK, Neil. Thanks. I'll wait and see what comes back and take it from there. If there's nothing on the DC, I reckon I'm screwed.

John

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It would certainly be worth investigating both Noel Claytons in the MICs via WO/364. If one of the chaps was discharged with a Silver War Badge, this might point towards a post discharge death & a likely cause. Quite a lot of our blokes' papers were found in WO/364, or WO/363 for that matter, despite WO/364 being the expected home of SWB recipients' papers.

TTFN

John

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John

Have no wish whatsoever to dampen your hopes, but my g-uncle's DC (died 1920, on CWGC but not on SDGW), just says "Clerk - ex-army".

I hope that you get a better result than that.

Please let us know how this pans out

Rgds

Andy

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Well, my first two certificates are received (Clayton is in a second batch). And not very helpful.

No problem with one chap - died of completely unrelated causes - occupation given as his civvie employment.

The other though is described as an "army pensioner, motor transport service, motor mechanic" and has a cause of death of "phthisis pulmonalis, 3 years". Died in 1920, so I reckon a discharge possibly in about 1917. However, identifying him is perhaps going to be a problem - I am reasonably confident there's no MIC, so assume that all his service was in the UK. A Pal is going to have a nosy at Kew for me to see if any reocrds survive which mention the phthisis as reason for discharge. If not, then I rekcon he's non-starter.

John

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Got Clayton's DC and it looks like a result to me. Primary cause of death, on 12/11/18, "effects of poison gas and acute influenza". And it IDs him as a late Corporal, 4562, RFA.

Email on its way to Terry to see about the submission to CWGC.

John

(PS: his number on his MIC is W/4562. Does this tell me anything about his service? Seems a very low number and I havnt come across the "W" prefix before).

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