Forum sleuths - autopsy reports

[Guest geoff501]

As a couple are 23rd october, maybe you will be able to pinpoint the english ones anyway.

See posts #16 and #18

[alliekiwi]

Here is 187:

Name: BROWN, DAVID ARNOTT

Initials: D A

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment: Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)

Unit Text: 1st Bn.

Age: 28

Date of Death: 23/10/1918

Service No: 187

Additional Information: Son of George and Ann Brown, of Strathm/910, Fife.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: II. H. 11.

Cemetery: ETRETAT CHURCHYARD EXTENSION

Oh, fabulous. Thanks, Geoff! Also for finding the Kite Ballon chap, Whymant.

And that shows us that they used the men's initials, which could be useful for the americans. Since the listing was:

CASE 19.- D. B., 187, Pvt., 1/4 Highlanders R. Died, October 23, 1918,

Allie

[Robert Dunlop]

The one about the gas victims...

Found it, Marina. Thanks. It refers to the general colour of the skin, which will probably relate to a change in the colour of the haemoglobin pigment in the blood.

Robert

[alliekiwi]

I wonder if the haemoglobin has leaked out at a capillary level, making a bruise-like appearance? The gas may have caused capillary dilatation.

Allie

[Guest geoff501]

And that shows us that they used the men's initials, which could be useful for the americans. Since the listing was:

CASE 19.- D. B., 187, Pvt., 1/4 Highlanders R. Died, October 23, 1918,

I've tried The American Battle Monuments Commission, but there only seems to be 7 cemeteries with around 34,000 dead here. Where are all the others commemorated (should be around 116,000) ?

Searching ABMC was quite simple, select a cemetery name and leave the other field set to ALL and you get a full A-Z listing of all burials (Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery list timed out - around 14,000 burials, but got as far as 'J'). Then search this page for a month and day and check if the initials match. I tried a few but non were successful. Would have thought these would be known burials and not just on memorials. Is there a complete on line commemoration of US casualties?

[alliekiwi]

Searching ABMC was quite simple, select a cemetery name and leave the other field set to ALL and you get a full A-Z listing of all burials (Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery list timed out - around 14,000 burials, but got as far as 'J'). Then search this page for a month and day and check if the initials match.

Yes, why not?

I'd love to know where to find an online list of the US casualties as well. Somewhere you don't need to pay to use like Ancestry.com, where (I think) they have the attestation details (or similar) online? Hmm, wonder if going those would help - if you can search by service number and not just by name.

Allie

[Marco]

Where are all the others commemorated (should be around 116,000) ?

They were brought back to America. Hence your search will be very incomplete.

Kind regards,

Marco

[alliekiwi]

Yes, but is there an online database somewhere that lists those men? Just because they're buried back in US soil doesn't mean there shouldn't be a list somewhere.

For example, the Commonwealth War Graves site doesn't leave off men just because they are buried in their homeland. It lists them all.

Allie

[Marco]

Ah, you mean digitally commemorated.

Regards,

Marco

[Guest geoff501]

Ah, you mean digitally commemorated.

Regards,

Marco

Yes digital, I thought it odd that they are not all on-line together.

[Crunchy]

Allie,

With the exception of the Frenchman and the RFC fellow, I agree with John Hartley and Chris Baker that the rest are Americans. Pvt is the US abbreviation for Private and Co H is the American way of writing H Coy.

I am sure you are correct in assuming M.C. is Medical Corps as every officer doing the autopsies has M.C. after his name. Too much to assume they all won the Military Cross.

Regards

Chris