Has anyone been or have any tips etc? What information is available? I'm trying to find information that supports the identification of an Officer in and unmarked grave. Cheers in advance for any help. Regards Andy
Hi Andy, Interesting I run into The Commonwealth War Graves Comm over a marked grave but no headstone.. They did help but would not mark his grave saying that family wishes at the time... As to your identification of an Officer not sure how that will work but good luck... Cheers Tom
Im not sure Drew, but i do know that they have placed a memorial book to those buried in Iraq Cemeteries that have recently been smashed by the Taliban, so there must be access. THis is from the CWGC Website Our Archive VISITING THE COMMISSION'S ARCHIVE We aim to be of assistance to those seeking information on the Commission and those it commemorates. Our archive is kept at our head office in Maidenhead and is divided into a historic archive and archive of other documents, detailing casualty and cemetery information. Historic archive Researchers and members of the public are welcome to visit the historic archive which details the formation and development of the Commission, but because of the limited access visits are by prior arrangement only. Click here for further information about visiting the archive. http://www.cwgc.org/admin/files/Archives%20Access%20Regulations.pdf Casualty and cemetery information The largest part of the archive, recording casualty and cemetery information, consists of some 3.5 million documents. As these documents have been subject to much wear and tear over many years they are currently being scanned, and access is therefore limited. Once completed, this project will improve access to the archive. Archive Catalogue Click here to view the Archive Catalogue. SOURCE: :: CWGC :: Archive&menu=sub Based on the following, a guess there is not a lot to see at the moment The Casualty and Cemetery Archive This is comprised of documents detailing how and where every casualty is buried or commemorated. However, since 2004 the Commission has been involved in a major preservation project to digitally capture its 3.5 million cemetery and casualty records. As a result, these records are currently unavailable for public viewing.
Drew Might be an idea to drop Chris Hartley a PM, he has done a lot of excellent work getting non comms commemorated so must have had somecontact with CWGC, either him or a chap called Terry Denham (I am not sure he is a member here but is on the WW1 forum!) Andy
Why not just phone them up & ask? Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Head Office, 2 Marlow Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 7DX Telephone +44 (0)1628 634221 Fax +44 (0)1628 771208 :: CWGC ::
I've already spoken to Chris Harley and he is aware of the Officer. I have tried contacting IFTC (In From The Cold) several times but no reply as yet. I'm planning on calling CWGC next week to see what information is available. I was wondering if any members had visted CWGC. If so what it is like and any tips if I do go and pay them a visit in the next couple of weeks. Cheers Andy
Andy, CWGC don't really allow 'visits'. If you turn up they will answer a query about where someone is buried, but they do not have 'archives' as such and no facility for tours of the building. It's an admin office rather than a museum or archive. Better off giving them a call.
Cheers Paul, It does say on their website you can arrange a visit if you give them at least ten days notice and apply in writing. I'll call them tomorrow given time. Cheers all for your pointers. A
Hello Andy though this might be of interest I have a few queries out with the CWGC and mails I have received back might give an idea as to the info they have or not as the case might be 1 "Information on individual servicemen and women was passed to the Commission by the Service Authorities after both world wars. In this particular instance, we would have been told by the Navy that he had no other grave but the sea, which is why we have him commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial." 2 "During the Second World War, the Commission was given the task of compiling as complete a list as possible of Commonwealth civilians whose deaths were due to enemy action and we do not keep a record of where they are buried or whether there is a headstone marking their graves. The commemoration detail in George Henry Tonkin’s record refers to the local authority that reported had his death to the Commission and the need for his commemoration, and is not regarding his place of burial."
Cheers Clive. Sadly, I've all but given up on him-I've penciled in a trip to France early next year on the off chance I can find some info from a local historian. If that fails its book closed I'm afraid. Bit pissed off really by the lack of help/interest from the Regimental Museum - I even sent them documents about stuff they wasn't aware of from 1940 and not even a thanks.
