Seeing double

The many official memorials to the missing maintained by the CWGC bear the names of some servicemen who, in actual fact, have an identified grave. There are several reasons for this. The graves of some men were identified either during or after construction of the memorials in the post-war years and for aesthetic reasons it was (and still is) preferable to leave the carved panels intact rather than trying to erase a name. However, in the days of cross-referencing paper records there were also administrative mix-ups which resulted in men being commemorated twice, once by a headstone on an offical war grave and also by being listed on one of the memorials.

By and large the CWGC have managed to identify most of the names that fall into the latter category and have amended their records accordingly. Their official line is that the place of commemoration of a man (or woman) is that which is listed in their database, searchable online. So, for example, 3805, Private Tom Eccles, of the 1st/4th Battalion, is officially buried in Serre Road Cemetery No. 2 although his name is also visible on the King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) panel on the Thiepval Memorial, his remains having been found after the Thiepval Memorial was unveiled in August, 1932. More on Tom Eccles in a future blog.

One man who has escaped the regular 'housekeeping' trawls of the CWGC database is 2248, Corporal Thomas Long, of the 1st/4th Battalion.

He was an iron ore miner by trade, working at the Hodbarrow Mine near Millom. He'd previously been a Territorial and rejoined their ranks when war broke out. He was severely wounded at Guillemont in August, 1916, and was evacuated to the U.K. to recuperate, returning to France in January, 1917.

Corporal Thomas Long. Not a brilliant photograph but infinitely better than none at all.

A couple of months later, on March 11th, 1917, he was killed in action, sniped while in the trenches near Wieltje. The news of his death was conveyed to his parents by Lieutenant William Ross Pattinson, then commanding 'D' Company:

     “It is with the very deepest sorrow that I have to tell you that your son, 2248, Corpl. T. Long, was killed in action on the 11th March. He did a brave deed, going out by himself early in the morning to watch the enemy. In the evening he did not return, and a search party later found him lying near the trenches, dead. It will be, I know, some comfort in your sorrow to know that he died painlessly and instantly. He was brought in, and will be buried to-morrow, the 13th, where, I cannot exactly tell you, but I will let you know later on.”

     “Your son was a decent lad, well thought of by all his officers, popular with the men, and his death is very keenly regretted by us all. The Company wishes me to convey their sympathy to you, which I do willingly, adding my own. I am line company commander, and appreciated his worth, although no sympathy can in any way save you any of your awful loss. May it be a comfort to you all that he died doing his duty as an Englishman should, with his face towards Germany.”

Contrast this with the letter his brother, 867, Private George Long had to write to their sister:

     “It is with regret that I write to convey the sad news that Thomas was killed yesterday morning (Sunday). I saw him last night on the stretcher; they were carrying him by our place when they came in and asked us the way to the aid post. They told us who it was, and I went out and had a look at him. He will have a decent burial place. I don’t know how you will let poor mother know about it. I have not written to her, so you will have to let her know. The Captain of his Company has letters and everything out of his pockets. I hope you don’t take this news too bad.”

Leaving the jingoistic sentiments of the officer's letter to one side (which, in truth, probably didn't offer much in the way of consolation at all) the fact that Corporal Long's body had been recovered and would be buried is quite clear. In fact, his burial took place at Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery, a place rapidly filling up with the dead of the 55th (West Lancashire) Division.

However, Thomas Long is also commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial - officially!

I suspect the oversight may have occurred due to him being killed right on the cusp of the issue of the new Territorial Numbers, since he is commemorated on the Menin Gate as 200375, Corporal Thomas Long, whereas his commemoration in Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery is as 2248, Corporal Thomas Long. Perhaps the news of his death going back to the Territorial Force County Association and formal notification of his newly-allocated number coming from the Territorial Force Country Association "crossed in the post", so to speak, and after the war, when the records were being compiled, the authorities believed that they were dealing with two different men.

What is puzzling is that his Vlamertinghe database entry gives his next of kin as Rowland and Hannah Long, of Millom, Cumberland; by contrast his Menin Gate database entry gives no next of kin details.

I've never alerted the CWGC to this double commemoration. To me it is simply an interesting curiosity, and it means that "1" should always be subtracted from any official total of war dead.