Guest Carolyn Posted 29 December , 2003 Share Posted 29 December , 2003 I am off to go digging in the local papers (on microfilm) in Oldham in the near future. I found the WWI Oldham Chronicle supplement for some of the dates to 1916 but didn't find any of my family in there. I wondered if anyone knew how long after a serviceman was MIA was he listed as KIA? I don't know if there was a set length of time (months, years etc). It would help to know which year's newspapers/supplements to go digging in for further information. Carolyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmsk212 Posted 29 December , 2003 Share Posted 29 December , 2003 Hi Carolyn In the few cases that I have researched they are declared KIA after the passing of one year from the date they went MIA. This gave time for the Red Cross to investigate the POW lists etc. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Birch Posted 29 December , 2003 Share Posted 29 December , 2003 I think another factor was the reports of witnessess, ie other members of the section/platoon. Often a soldier was seen to fall, he might even receive some attention from others which would verify that he was dead, but then as the fighting progressed or fell back he would be abandoned or simply lost. I don't know how many witness accounts it took to corroborate an immediate KIA return where the body was missing? Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 29 December , 2003 Share Posted 29 December , 2003 Carolyn First, let me tell you that you will enjoy the trawl through the newspapers. It will bring the period of history to life for you. As Steve has said, 12 months seems to be a good rule of thumb. However, you may still not find anything. Certainly in my own research, there have been quite a few soldiers who I could not find having any obituary in the Stockport papers. The Oldham Chron. is, I think, a daily paper. It will be worth seeing if there was a weekly paper which was particularly local to the area where your relatives lived. Could you perhaps post the details of one of your relatives including the date which the Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists as date of death. It seems to be that those killed earlier in the war were more likely to have a newpaper report. As the casualties mounted during 1916, it is possible that the newspapers did not want page upon page of deaths reported. It is, of course, always possible that your family simply did not want to talk to the papers. Good luck John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 29 December , 2003 Share Posted 29 December , 2003 You might find this thread of interest: http://www.1914-1918.org/forum/index.php?s...t=0entry27490 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 29 December , 2003 Share Posted 29 December , 2003 Poor Miss Clarke, the recipient of the telegram at the end of the thread. A reminder of the effects on loved ones - Let Us Remember. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 29 December , 2003 Share Posted 29 December , 2003 I know that you are probably looking at this question from the British point of view. I have seen German examples go for more than one year, up to two at times before the man was listed as missing presumed killed. I wonder if it was a question of how the unit handled the question or the circumstances of the casualty? I have never seen anything to give a standard method of handling this question. What is interesting as well are the few occasions where the remains of a missing man was found after being declared dead and then reported as simply killed in action on the date in question. Ralph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 31 December , 2003 Share Posted 31 December , 2003 Carolyn. I don't know if this is of any help, but it shows the scenario surrounding one individual. This first document is the notification of the soldier being posted as "missing" that was sent to his NOK (in this case, his mother). This (in this case) was sent roughly one month after he disappeared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 31 December , 2003 Share Posted 31 December , 2003 ...presumably, his body was found in the days/weeks following this communication, and so, his mother received this message after a few weeks of, probably, hoping and praying.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 31 December , 2003 Share Posted 31 December , 2003 ...to finish off, and to complete the promise mentioned in the last communication, she was sent the burial details... Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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