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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: Top-of-the-hill on Thursday 18 September 25 20:10 BST (UK)
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I am puzzling over the burial of a local WW2 soldier. I won't give details as it is all a bit vague and there are still family members around. This is a snippet from a CWGC report on the grave, and I wonder if someone can interpret the CH in the second column please?
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I wonder if it is the letters on a square grid ?
So one letter is the North to South line and the other is East to West for example ,so where they cross is CH. But it would depend how large the cemetery is , that would only pertain if the cemetery had 26 rows N- S and 26 E-W . unless there were double letters afterZ.
Viktoria.
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Hello again, Viktoria! I don't think it can be that, it is quite a small cemetary, and by no means square.
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Might it be be the design of headstone C(ross) H(eadstone) as explained on the CWGC website here
https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/visiting-a-cwgc-site/cwgc-headstones/
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The stone does have a cross on it with the regimental badge within, so that may be the explanation. Thank you.
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This doesn't answer your question, but for the record, the CWGC site has a page explaining some of the abbreviations in their documents (scroll down), including those you can get from most casualty details pages:
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/about-our-records/glossary
I think there used to be a link to this on each details page, but it's no longer there. The URL implies it should be mentioned on the About our Records page off Find Records, but it's not there either. I've been looking on the Wayback Machine, but so far can't see when it went.
Having said all that, CH isn't there, but my recollection is that the list was once longer.
You could ask the CWGC what CH means, and incidentally prompt them to make this useful page more visible. For example, some of the abbreviations give a clue as to whether to look for one of their distinctive headstones or whether it's more likely to be a private family monument, some of which are now in a parlous state, or even removed entirely in cemeteries' reuse of graves.
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Thanks, Chris, I have just sent them a message to ask what it means. There are several mysteries about this burial.
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Might it be be the design of headstone C(ross) H(eadstone) as explained on the CWGC website here
https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/visiting-a-cwgc-site/cwgc-headstones/
I have just disproved that idea. This burial is marked CH and it’s the standard design
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/102223630/francis-mark-shackle
There are two Italian soldiers in the same burial report who are marked W.X.
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That stone is exactly the same as mine - with the R A badge in the cross.
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That stone is exactly the same as mine - with the R A badge in the cross.
I was thinking that Cross Headstone meant one in the shape of a cross :-\
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Don't know if this might help.
St Stephen by Saltash
St Stephen's Commonwealth War Graves
There are twenty-one Commonwealth War Grave Commission (CWGC) WW1 graves in St Stephens-by-Saltash Churchyard. These are a mixture of standard pattern CWGC provided Commission Headstones (CH) and Family and Friends provided Private Memorials (PM). The CH belong to the CWGC: the PM do not...
https://www.saltashteamministry.org/st-stephen%C3%A2%E2%82%AC%E2%84%A2s-commonwealth-war-graves.html
So CH = Commission Headstone
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Thank you! As simple as that - commission headstone!
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Let's hope so!
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That’s a much better solution than mine :D