There’s a major addition to the official Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) list of casualties from the First and Second World Wars, thanks to the good work of the In From The Cold Project.
Of the 138 additions, 129 were First World War victims, and nine were from the Second. Most were victims of disease, 42 of malaria, 37 of tuberculous, and 11 of pneumonia.
Books of Remembrance are the source for most: South Africa (57), the UK (56) and India (13). No Canadians.
Among the civilian entries are three members of the Shannon family killed on Thursday, 2 January 1941, by German bombing at Knockroe, Co, Carlow, Ireland. It was part of a larger attack that struck four Irish counties even though Ireland was neutral and remained so throughout the war.
In Nottingham, two civilians died of burns on Monday, 28 August 1944, when a USAAF aircraft dropped a fuel tank on their house.
As of 21 November 2022, the From The Cold Project has 793 cases waiting for resolution by the CWGC. Each has to be verified. Along with work on newly discovered remains, routine maintenance and refurbishment, and initiatives promoting the cause, the Commission won’t run out of tasks any time soon.
John, my family was long associated with St Leonard’s Church in Shoreditch. On my first vsit there in 2010, I was humbled to see a very large communal grave in the churchyard, with a plaque stating that these people were victims of German bombing during WWII. It sort of takes your breath away. Simple civilians, going about their little lives, and suddenly snuffed out by German aggression, trying to break the will of the British people to resist them.
Having come across historical articles claiming that the British were guilty of war crimes in bombing places like Dresden, ever since 2010 I refuse to read them. Cheers, BT