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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: LizzieL on Sunday 08 May 22 09:27 BST (UK)
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I have recently been researching a soldier who died in a Military Hospital in Lancashire in 1941. He comes up on the CWGC website as being buried or commemorated at Mill Hill cemetery London. The reference gives: Plot 2 Row H Grave 3, which would indicate an actual grave in which his body was buried, not just a name on a memorial.
However I have a very detailed newspaper report of his funeral in Cornwall, which says he was interred at Penzance Borough Cemetery. He was Dutch, so his name is unique in the UK. Definitely the same man.
Would servicemen/ women be re-interred in a military cemetery, or would the grave in Mill Hill actually be empty and what would appear to be a gravestone just be a memorial? The cemetery lists 331 people, all belonging to Dutch armed forces.
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Which "cemetary" are you referring to?
Really, without even giving a name, it's hopeless to try and find out.
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I have recently been researching a soldier who died in a Military Hospital in Lancashire in 1941. He comes up on the CWGC website as being buried or commemorated at Mill Hill cemetery London. The reference gives: Plot 2 Row H Grave 3, which would indicate an actual grave in which his body was buried, not just a name on a memorial.
Mill Hill, as I said in original post.
His name was Wilhelmus van Hage, but I don't know how that will help find out whether it was common practice to re-inter servicemen in a military cemetery, removing the from the cemetery close to their widow's home to one 300 miles away.
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So have you searched penzance cemetery burial records for this chap?
Looked on Find-a-grave/ billiongraves etc for a photo of this Mill Hill memorial/grave?
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This gives photos and details of the Mill Hill cemetery:
https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2094634/mill-hill-cemetery/
It states many had been brought from other UK burial grounds to Mill Hill.
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I cannot find Penzance burial records on line but as I said earlier I have newspaper report of his funeral, which states where he was interred. And, yes I have a picture of his gravestone in Mill Hill
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This gives photos and details of the Mill Hill cemetery:
https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2094634/mill-hill-cemetery/
Thank you I already have details of cemetery and picture of gravestone
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151251724/wilhelmus-van_hage?_gl=1*1595b6k*_ga*MTU1NTg5NjQ2MC4xNjMwMzA2MTA3*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY1MTk5ODk5OS4zMi4xLjE2NTE5OTk5MDUuMA..
Interestingly the title of the photo on Findagrave, gives his nickname as Bill which is what his wife's family called him. He was originally in Cornwall as a salesman for a Dutch bulb company.
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It says Mill Hill contains the Netherlands Field of Honour which I think explains everything, his next of kin or remaining family would have had to give permission for his remains to be moved though.
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Just found this. He was temporarily buried in Penzance, and reburied in Mill Hill
http://www.prinsesirenebrigade.nl/w.-van-hage.html
I wonder how common reburials were
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It says Mill Hill contains the Netherlands Field of Honour which I think explains everything, his next of kin or remaining family would have had to give permission for his remains to be moved though.
Now I have confirmed there was a reburial, which seems to have taken place in 1964. I wonder how the authorities tracked his widow down. She had had three more husbands by 1964! and moved from Cornwall.
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The Dutch almost certainly got his wife's details from the CWGC. As can be seen from the photo of the old grave marker posted earlier it was marked with the IWGC (now CWGC) initials. Reburials were very common in the case of German burials in the UK:
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=860996.msg7301360#msg7301360