Progress with research

[Tim Bell]

08/08/2020
CWGC / IFPC  published expanded the criteria for qualifacation for post-discharge cases on 7 August 2020.  Casuaties now qualify for commemoration if they meet one of three conditions:-

1) Died due to cause attributable to service
2) Died due to condition aggravated by service
3) Died of a condition contracted whilst in service

Point 3) is the new one.  This addition is intended to more closely follow the intentions of the IWGC Royal Charter.

Our non-commemorations Roll has a large group of men who died in the Great War qualifying period from known conditions, but we don't have proof that these conditions were 1) attributable to or 2) aggravated by service.  Some of their records confirm conditions were contracted or commenced in service 3). 

We have 17 cases where notes confirm conditions and cause of death commenced in service.  Two have Death Certificates and are ready to re-submit to IFCP.
There are 26 cases where conditions and cause of death appear to have commenced in service and we need to review the records again.  We weren't looking for "Commencing on Active Service" before.
There are 29 post-discharge cases where the cause of death is known and records are insufficient or unclear whether the condition commenced in service.

I've pinned this post to the top of the thread so we can add to it, as progress is made.

[Tim Bell]

IFCP has received a large number of cases of deaths that were commencing or contracted in service.  We've been asked to hold current applications while criteria are clarified.  This is good, as it prevents us ordering DCs on marginal cases that may be rejected.
Depending on the results of IFCP guidance we have @ 15-20 cases to be put forward.

[Tim Bell]

IFCP are now proceeding with contracted on active service cases.  Dates of enlistment / embodiment are required to prove that the man didn't contract a disease in service prior to 4 August 1914.
This is simple for New Army recruits, particularly where there is a SWB.
The position is more difficult for Regular, Special Reserve and Territorials.  We need clear evidence of relevant dates and these aren't always available.  Some cases will be marginal or rejected.
An example is James Edward Duckworth.  James has no dates for embodiment in 6th Bttn, as we have no SWB, Service Record or Pension Record. IFCP have put the case forward on the basis that a Territorial must have embodied after 4 August 1914 in order to have Bronchitis contracted on Active Service by Feb 1915.  The case is marginal as NAM may not accept "Active" Service as "Embodied" and they may also not accept contracted in service if the only evidence is the Pension Card. I wouldn't be buying DCs for this type of case until we have further adjudication. 
http://themanchesters.org/forum/index.php?topic=10745.msg70366#msg70366
From my perspective James Duckworth did his duty and died as a result.  He is commemorated here, irresepective of what NAM decide.

[Tim Bell]

The contracted on active service cases are particularly difficult for home service and the WFA Pension Cards seem unreliable without supporting evidence that a man was still mobilised and contracted a disease while embodied.

Charles Littlewood is a good example.  The WFA card says he died from Pneumonia contracted and commencing on active service.  Records are limited, but we know he was a Lance Corporal in 1916 and a Munitions Worker in 1917.  He was inadmissable for a War Gratuity which means he had less than 6 months embodied service.  It seems challenging to conclude Charles had returned to embodied service in 1918.  His case will be on hold with many others that rely on the WFA Pension Cards.
When NAM start reviewing the cases that rely on the WFA cards, we will know more.
http://themanchesters.org/forum/index.php?topic=10372.msg68344#msg68344
Some cases are proceeding where we have supporting records of continuing embodied service.

[Tim Bell]

The interpretation of criteria for men who died from conditions contracted in service has been necessarily diligent. Many cases where the Pension Cards state commencing in service cannot be supported by other evidence and are sometimes proven unreliable on their own.
We have two cases where men served in Egypt and then returned home sick, prior to discharge and death due to TB.  While the statement of commencing in service is unverified, the alternative would be that the men already had TB and this must have been aggravated by service.
As NAM has not yet adjudicated on any WFA pension cards, we need to wait to see how they treat these narratives and then reconsider the two Territorials.

James Whelan has now been put forward to NAM as we already have the DC. His Pension record verified the card.
Joseph Atkinson's Pension Record supports the card.  DC to be ordered.
Martin Lavelle.  Ditto
Henry Holt's case is marginal for wounds and meningites commencing on active service. The DC may mentions wounds.
PaulC gained the DC for Tom Abbott and we're waiting to see if the case can be put forward.

IFCP are now putting forward Frank Hewitt when we have the DC. A case of Aggravation.
PaulC obtained the DC for John Coleman which confirmed he died from TB which the Pension Record states was aggravated.  IFCP have applied for commemoration.

It's not such a leap in the number of cases for good reasons.

[Tim Bell]

The first cases solely established on WFA Pension Cards have now been approved for cases of deaths caused by conditions attributable or aggravated by service.  It hadn't been certain that these cases would receive postiive adjudication, so it's good news for a lot of our applications.
Some cards just have an annotation stating "Aggravation".  We're waiting to see if these will be approved.  I've held up one DC to wait for this type of decision.

[Tim Bell]

The adjudications with NAM seem to be progressing more swiftly now.  I'd guess we'll see the first case considered early next year. NAM are very rigorous and some of our cases may be referred back for further records.  IFCP are keen to see these through, rather than reviewing ourselves, which makes sense for us to understand the evidential requirements. 
For current applications we have most burials and PaulC and I are starting to review the presence of Headstones.  This is incredibly difficult in some cemeteries, where there are few or no grave numbers indicated.  If any one else wants to have a look at their local cemetery, let us know.  Here's a map showing the locations and names. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.2264166,-5.3331316,6z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!6m1!1s1lQjOi_I43B6GogjsOgIcxCISeCsCUUJ8
There 89 88 Applications outstanding for men who served in the Manchesters - one is being held. Due to the good work of our team and Chris Harley at IFCP, we only have 4 burials that are unknown.  Any help finding these would be appreciated:-
William Middleton
Francis Alfred Patchett
William George Wharton
Edward Whitehead
Bernard Wooley

[Tim Bell]

Gave finds are slowly been made for our current Applications for Commemoration.  PaulC & I have also made progress with reviewing the presence of headstones / legible inscriptions and we've had help from lots of great people.  Ultimately, we should have quite extensive records of burials by the time adjudication is made by NAM and CWGC start to look at burials.

I had received advice that new headstones are only erected when family members consent.  IFCP now advice that this is not the case.  They tell me CWGC does not need NoK permission to raise a headstone though they always try to find any relatives if they can. Appeals for relatives are made on line and CWGC take account of NoK wishes. https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/news/appeal-for-relatives-30-october-2020/.

They do need the cemetery authority permission etc. and have to abide by their regulations/decisions.
I can't see any of the current cemeteries (that are open) refusing consent, so the CWGC will need to beordering some slabs of portland stone for our non-comms soon.

[Tim Bell]

We've now completed a more comprehensive search of 1918 WFA cards and reviewed the known cases. 

Phithisis or pulmonary TB is the only condition on discharge that can generally be assumed to be the cause of death (where we didn't know it) and  a few established cases have now been verified as new applications for commemoration.  It sounds crass but I'm not making (many more) gambles on buying DCs for cases where the cause of death isn't TB.  This approach has totally skewed the statistics for cause of death, which is a shame, but inevitable because of the expenses involved.  Eire provides free DC's with immediate online access.

I'll pull together some figure on progress when I have a quiet moment.  There are now more than 100 new Manchester Regiment non-comm cases in the system, mainly from members of the forum and all welcome to correct the historic omissions of men who deserve recognition with CWGC.

[mack]

hiya tim
saying well done doesnt seem enough,you have done a magnificent job of getting all these men commemorated

mack
ps.a lot more to add to the lost battalion E.book

[Tim Bell]

Team effort Mack!
I'm doing monthly updates on the eBook.  https://issuu.com/battlefieldsleuth/docs/forgotten_battalion.docx

[charlie]

I can only echo what Mack has said, great stuff Tim.

Charlie

[Tim Bell]

Here's a summary of progress for recent Manchester Regiment Great War Non-Commemorations

                                           2019                 2020                  2021
Applications                          7                         82                 18
New Commemorations UKBOR   1                         0                 10
Rejection                                  0                         0                 1
Awaiting Adjudication                  7                         89                 96
Awaiting Review                  0                         1                 0
Insufficient / No Evidence @      50                         400                100

There are 107 current cases in the commemoration system.  Research started long before 2019 and IFCP had 34 cases prior to our WFA card review and earlier commemorations have continually been added since 1918.  Hopefully 2022 will bring some known burials accepted as War Graves.  Credit due to the forum, IFCP and other people for identifying cases.

[Tim Bell]

I’ve ordered 26 DCs recently of which 17 have led to successful applications for commemoration. We also add one from PaulC to produce 18 further war graves if they pass adjudication.  Some funding support for successful DCs has enabled me to carry out a further trawl of the non com pages that were inconclusive without funding the full king’s ransom. The detailed research we produced has enabled me to secure the funds in time.
MoD & NAM have new processes for dealing with the case work which has produced inordinate delay on decisions being published. Hopefully we should hear some adjudications soon. One case has been waiting almost 3 years.
Tim

[Tim Bell]

With adjudications grinding through the MoD very slowly there isn't much progress with new approvals. IFCP have more than 1000 cases outstanding.
More positively CWGC have started adoptin graves and some new headstones are on the way where private memorials are not present or satisfactory.
CWGC issue an appeal for relatives for new headstones and we'd already introduced George Warburton's gt gt nephew, who then chose the inscription.  Here's the latest appeal for two men at Oldham Greenacres.  I'm in touch with a remote relative of William Farrell. Nothing for John Devine.
https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/news/appeal-for-relatives-july-2022/
Tim