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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Lieut.Commander P.H. White RN


daggers

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Lt. Cmdr PH White RN is named on the memorial plaque at St Jude's, S.Kensington, the only naval officer there. I am not familiar with tracing information about naval personnel. Can anyone please advise about an equivalent to the army 'Officers Died' or suggest other routes?

Daggers

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Daggers,

There's no RN officer of any nationality called White with initial P or H on the CWGC register in either of the world wars. Not in the 'Cross of Sacrifice' listing of RN WW1 casualties either.

Mick

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Mick

Thank you for looking. I fear this is one of those too frequent errors by the parish or the monumental mason, and we may never know the true story. I shall make a note of the 'Cross of Sacrifice' in case other naval names come my way.

Daggers

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He may have died outside the qualifying dates for CWGC commemoration, or he might even be a 'not commemorated'. Hopefully someone else will know something about him.

Mick

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Hello

Nothing on his death, but LCDR Philip H. White, RN (ret) started the war in HMS COLUMBINE from 10 August 1914 for "Special Service Firth of Forth"

All best

don

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Don's note on HMS Columbine led me to find the ship as a former 6-gun sloop called 'Wild Swan' but renamed and used for a time as a destroyer depot ship and flagship at Rosyth.

White is in the Navy Lists as a retired officer brought back to the active list in 1914 & 1915. In 1916 he was in 'Honeysuckle', a 'sweepng sloop' which was at Gallipoli in 1915 (but was he?). White was in 'HMS President' in the Oct. 1916 List but is not in the Jan 1917 List.

Are there any naval experts visiting the National Archives who might be able to look for his record? I am keen to know why he is on a church memorial but not in CWGC listing.

Daggers

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Maybe he retired again and then died. In those circs, I don't think he would qualify for CWGC commemoration, but the memorial committee may have taken the view, for instance, that his war service hastened his death and therefore included him. Another possibility, perhaps, is that it was not realised that he qualified, and he may be a 'non-comm' waiting to be brought in from the cold. All speculation until someone pulls his record ...

'Naval Who's Who 1917' records him as White, P H, Sub-Lieutenant of Plover on China Station during the outbreak of 1900 (China Medal); retired Lieutenant, 14 October 1911.

Mick

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I have found a probate record for 'Lieutenant-Commander Philip Henry White RN' of Southsea, Hants who died at the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar on 3 Dec. 1916. Given this information and the earlier posts on this thread, it looks likely that White should be investigated as missing from CWGC. Does this mean that a death certificate is need to convince them? What other evidence would be needed?

I could find no other RN officers named PH White in the relevant time span, when going through quarterly Navy Lists.

Advice please?

Daggers

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Daggers

yes a DC may do the job - best to transfer this thread to the non commemorated area

Chris

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Chris

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't know how to transfer the thread but will distil it and re-post.

Thanks also to others who have contributed.

Daggers

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I have found a probate record for 'Lieutenant-Commander Philip Henry White RN' of Southsea, Hants who died at the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar on 3 Dec. 1916.

Daggers

Does your probate record show where he is buried, only there is no P H White listed in the above Haslar cemetery records.

Regards

John

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John

I have rejigged this and put it under possible non-commemorations as a new thread. The probate record does not include burial details, but I am sending for the death certificate. This may not help as to burial, but your alias implies a local connection with Southsea. If you haunt a local record office/library, could you seek out a local newspaper which might carry a death/funeral announcement? I do not know why White was linked with the church in South Kensington where there is no evident burial ground and I live too far away to know the ins and outs of cemeteries etc.

Daggers

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