60515 Pte Houston, Northumberland Fusiliers

[cmf]

I'm in the process of conducting a military-/ war-grave photo survey for the BWMP at Carlisle (Dalston Road) Cemetery, and I can't find the following individual on the CWGCs online Debt of Honour Register. He has a CWGC headstone, and is of course recorded in the Cemetery Office files as a War Grave:

60515

Private W. Houston

Tyneside Scottish N.F.

15th May 1920

He lies in Ward 11, Row K1, Grave 72. Cemetery burial records deposited with Cumbria Record Office (Carlisle) state that entry 55409, William Houston, aged 50, who died at Garlands Asylum, Carlisle, was buried on the 19th May, 1920. Strangely, the Cemetery Office's own original copy of 'The War Graves of the British Empire: Cumberland and Westmorland' (IWGC 1930) has him as a handwritten addition to the entries for Dalston Road Cemetery (coming after a Robert Black Houston), stating 'HOUSTON, Pte, T., Tyneside Scottish, N.F., 11.K1.72'. Also, the Medal Index Card matching a Houston with the Rgtl No. 60515 gives:

Medal card of Houston, Thomas

Corps Regiment No Rank

Border Regiment 21578 Private

Northumberland Fusiliers 60515 Private

Chris

[Terry Denham]

Chris

Pte William Houston is not a Commonwealth War Grave. He died after discharge as a civilian of a non-qualifying cause.

He is listed in the CWGC database and categorised as Category 5 which means - Non-World War Grave (Incidental & Conducive) in CWGC Care. These records are not available online. Commonwealth War Graves are Category 0 (ie. zero).

That mouthful means that he is not a War Grave but a burial for which CWGC has no agreement with any other authority for maintenance. However, they care for the grave out of expediency or kindness and without remuneration as not to do so would spoil the care of the nearby war graves or actually be difficult to avoid.

He is listed as Civilian ex-Cpl 21578 Border Regt died 16.05.20.

It is not unusual to find ex-servicemen in the early 1920s with headstones which are copies of the official CWGC stone as no separate style for Non-World War Graves had been devised at that stage - the style now being similar but with clipped corners (Army & RN) or a different curvature to the top of the stone (RAF).

There is a Robert Houston also buried in that cemetery which is a Commonwealth War Grave.

[cmf]

Terry,

Thanks for that . . . it clears this 'mystery' up (but was he Thomas or William? ), but this kind of non-War Grave with CWGC headstone must cause some confusion vis a vis people searching the online database

Any chance of supplying me with the full types of category the CWGC employs?

Cheers,

Chris

PS Are there current lists of all CWGC war graves in Cumbria and the IoM available; at the moment I'm using the WWI list published in 1930, and the WWII list published in 1961!

[Terry Denham]

Chris

There are currently seven categories.

Cat. 0 - Commonwealth War Dead (these are the official war graves)

Cat. 1 - WW2 Civilian War Dead (name records only and not burial locations)

The above two categories are the only ones which CWGC is obliged to record and make available to the public. The following are maintained for admin purposes.

Cat. 2 - Foreign National War Graves (maintained by agreement with the foreign government)

Cat. 3 - Non-World War Graves in CWGC Care (maintained by agreement with another authority - often MoD)

Cat. 4 - No longer used

Cat. 5 - Non-World War Graves (Incidental & Conducive) (maintained for convenience)

Cat. 6 - Non-World War Graves (Staff) (certain staff graves in CWGC care by request)

PM me with you email address re the lists.

[cmf]

Cheers Terry, PM sent!

Chris