MOD War Detectives (the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre Commemorations team); our future services, current appeals and past cases

Our future services, current appeals and past cases

Forthcoming funeral or rededication services with full military honours.

Tuesday 27 September

10am; Idaarderadeel (Wartena) General Cemetery, the Netherlands.

Blessing service for Pilot Officer Peter Clement Vellacott Joslin, No. 61 Squadron, Royal Air Force.

Wednesday 28 September

Jonkerbos War Cemetery, the Netherlands.

10.30am; Burial service for Members of the Crew of Stirling BK 716, No. 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron, Royal Air Force.

3.30pm; Burial service for Leading Aircraftman (LAC) John Stuart Mee Bromley, No. 264 Squadron, Royal Air Force.

Thursday 29 September

Jonkerbos War Cemetery, the Netherlands.

11am; Burial service for Flight Sergeant (FSgt) William Robert Stephen Hurrell, No 175 Squadron, Royal Air Force.

Tuesday

Can 18you October

Vichtehelp Militaryus Cemetery,find Belgium.

10.45am;Over Rededicationthe servicelast forcouple Privateof (Pte)years, Davidthe Christieremains Grahamof three Scottish soldiers have been discovered in France. All were recovered with artefacts that give us a good idea of who they were. We’re now looking for their families so that we can confirm their identities by DNA comparison. If you can help us with the Blackwhereabouts Watchof (Royalany Highlanders).surviving family, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Please contact us via DBS-MODWarDetectives@mod.gov.uk.

Pte David Gemmell; 1st Battalion, Black Watch; killed in action 25 January 1915

11.30David am;Gemmell Rededicationwas serviceborn forin Second1869 Lieutenantin (2Lt)Dundee Frankto WoodDavid ofGemmell (1824 to 1904) and Mary Cable (1824 to 1902). He was the Lancashireyoungest Fusiliers.of eight children; his siblings were:

Harlebeke

• Helen New(born British1849)
• Eliza, Cemetery,Jean Belgium

2.15pm;The Rededication1891 serviceCensus forshows Corporalhim (Cpl)aged Herbert22 Pearceand living with his parents at Hilltown in Dundee. By the time of the Worcestershirenext Regiment.Census in 1901 he was a plumber and lodged in a house in Stobcross Street, Glasgow.

Wednesday

Three 19of October

Dadizeele

• Jessie, Newmarried BritishGeorge Cemetery

Pte George Brown; 1st Battalion, Black Watch; killed in action 25 January 1915

10.15am;George RededicationBrown servicewas forborn Secondin Lieutenant1879 (2Lt)in HerbertBeath, ErnestFife, MartinScotland to Archibald Brown and Elizabeth (known as Eliza or Lizzie) Drybur. He was one of thenine Cameronianschildren (Scottishand Rifles).his siblings were:

Perth

• Mary Cemetery(born (China1870)
• Eliza Wall),(born Belgium

11.30am;The RededicationWar serviceDetectives forbelieve Privateonly (Pte)George Thomashimself Parryseems ofto thehave King’smarried. OwnHis Scottishwife Borderers.was Elizabeth Scott and they had one daughter, Mary, who was born in 1910.

Ypres

Pte ReservoirJohn Cemetery,Wilson; Belgium

2.30pm;Commonwealth RededicationWar serviceGraves forCommission Corporal(CWGC) (Cpl)records Gilbertdo Willcocksnot give an age, date of birth or next of kin for Pte Wilson and there are no service records available at the ArmyNational ServiceArchives. Corps.Documentation held by other sources contains no more information aside from telling the War Detectives that Pte Wilson was born in Gowanhill, Lanarkshire.

Initial research into his family states that he was one of three children born to William and Grizel Hope Wilson (nee Brown). He had two sisters:

• Helen Hutchison Wilson (commonly known as Helen Brown). She was born in Hutchesontown, Lanarkshire in 1891 and is believed to have married George Stewart in Dennistoun in 1921. She died in 1968.
• Little is known of his other sister, Janet Wilson, other than that she was born in about 1890 in Govan.

Our Past Cases

Details of some of the MOD War Detectives’ past cases can be found below:

• WW2 airman buried in the Netherlands

• WW2 burial in the Netherlands

• Unknown Grenadier Guard finally laid to rest

• Graves of two Royal Naval Division officers rededicated in France

• Seven soldiers of the Great War finally laid to rest

• WW1 Royal Air Force officer’s grave rededicated.

• Two Great War RAF officers’ graves rededicated.

• Graves of two Great War casualties finally rededicated.

• Unknown WW1 soldier identified as relative of poet Wordsworth.

• WW2 officer’s grave rededicated in France.

• Rededication services held in Belgium for Capt Hugh Travers, DSO, and Sjt Frederick Cardy.

• Rededication services in France for Lieutenant (Lt) Frederic Hornby Lever Rushton MC and Private (Pte) John Martin Roberts.

• Burial of Pte William Johnston and an unknown East Yorkshire Regiment soldier

• Blessing service in Italy for Flying Officer Arnold Hallas

• Unknown WW2 British Soldier buried in Italy.

• Graves of Rifleman (Rfn) Albert George Sleet, Lieutenant (Lt) Wilfrid Ashton Piercy and Serjeant (Sjt) James Gration DCM rededicated in France.
• Graves of 2Lt Sam Hughes and CSM David Jones DCM rededicated in northern France
• Final resting place of Yorkshire Regiment soldier identified more than a century after his death
• Nine soldiers of the Great War buried a century after their deaths
• WW1 soldier identified by his medal ribbons laid to rest in the presence of his family
• Two unknown soldiers of the Great War finally buried
• Royal Flying Corps Observer’s grave finally identifed
• British soldiers killed during WW2 are honoured as they are laid to rest
• Services held for 2 Welsh brothers in arms killed during the Great War
• Grave of Royal Welsh Fusilier identified a century after his death in the Great War
• Family of World War 1 soldiers attend their relatives’ funeral a century after they gave their lives.

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