Contributions expected to pay for gravestones

[patk]

Apologies if this is off-topic, but I'm not certain where else to turn. Briefly, my dad was killed on service with the RAF in July 1944. My mum was sent a form by the Imperial [now Commonwealth] War Graves Commission which solicited some information concerning her wishes for what she wanted on dad's gravestone. This form carried two rubber-stamp dates : 11 Jan 1949 [which is about when she must have received it I imagine] and [oddly] 24 Nov. 1953. Both stamps are coloured differently. This second stamp includes the words: "Contribution letter sent". I assume this to refer to monies widows and other relatives were expected to stump up to help pay for the gravestones. Does anyone by chance know when this policy was introduced? Personal prejudice leads me to suspect the Conservative administration of Churchill, which came to power in 1951, but it wouldn't surprise me to learn it was his predecessor Clement Attlee who was responsible. Any help would be most gratefully received.

[Pam Downes]

Are you sure that 'contribution' means money? It could just mean contribution to what was written on the gravestone. Do you know what's written on the gravestone? https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_War_Graves_Commission#Headstones

On the other hand what would have been so wrong about the Commission writing to ask for a contribution to its funds? Contribution to me means 'voluntary payment'. If the wording on the stamp had said 'payment request sent' that would have implied that your mum had to pay.

I don't think that the general public would have stood for forced payments, unless it was because someone wanted extra wording on a headstone and that had been clearly understood from the initial set-up of the Commission.

It's probably a question only the Commission themselves can fully answer.

Pam

[patk]

Yes, I do know what's on the gravestone, having the document on which my mum indicated the epitaph she wanted used, plus the religious emblem -- limited to the Cross, the Star of David or nothing at all. Also I've visited the grave myself, difficult of access in a remote village in N.E. France where it's still tended lovingly by the 'locals'. It's possible that 'contribution' refers to mum's choice of epitaph, but I'm inclined to think it was money they had in mind. Perhaps they tried to take it out of her Post War Credits she never got! I probably need to contact the War Graves Commission to find out the truth of the matter.

[brentor boy]

It is my understanding that if the family wanted an epitaph, in addition to the military details, to be included that was at the family's expense. This would appear at the bottom of the gravestone. In #3 you indicate there was such an epitaph. I suspect the contribution was in respect of this.

[Ernest47]

The wording you refer to relates to payment for a personal inscription. After the first world war relatives were given the option to add such an inscription for a payment. The inscription was added before any payment. Subsequently it was found that many could not afford to pay and these persons were not pursued further. In the light of all this there was a policy change making any payments voluntary. New Zealand, a member of the IWGC, decided that its headstones would not bear personal inscriptions. After WW2 relatives could again choose a personal inscription with the option of a voluntary contribution. Just to clarify, the IWGC/CWGC is not a British Government body. It's a Commonwealth organisation. Virtually all graves overseas are maintained by the Commission's own employees, although there will be a few where the burial circumstances mean that the Commission will achieve the appropriate maintenance of a grave through a local agent.

[patk]

Thanks, Ernest47. That was very instructive indeed. The voluntary contribution when a personal inscription was requested hadn't occurred to me, but it makes sense. In the case of my dad's grave, and those of his other crew members alongside him, the cemetery is not too far from where their Lancaster came down, In addition to keeping the graves tended, with flowers, the 'locals' have erected at their own expense a memorial at the crash site, deep in the forest. I visited about five years ago and was shown great warmth. I was also presented with a fragment of the 'plane that had been saved by one of those present in 1944 and who explained to me what happened in some detail. It was a most moving experience.

[Pam Downes]

This is very much off-topic, but Ernest47 snuck onto the forum by posting in other people's threads instead of posting his own query so -

Hello Ernest47,
Welcome to British-Genealogy.

I know that you've already made yourself at home helping other people. If you have a query (or two!) of your own hopefully other members will be able to reciprocate the help.

Pam

[Ernest47]

Thanks, Ernest47. That was very instructive indeed. The voluntary contribution when a personal inscription was requested hadn't occurred to me, but it makes sense. In the case of my dad's grave, and those of his other crew members alongside him, the cemetery is not too far from where their Lancaster came down, In addition to keeping the graves tended, with flowers, the 'locals' have erected at their own expense a memorial at the crash site, deep in the forest. I visited about five years ago and was shown great warmth. I was also presented with a fragment of the 'plane that had been saved by one of those present in 1944 and who explained to me what happened in some detail. It was a most moving experience.

Glad to be of help. That's an amazing story you tell. What an emotional experience for both you and the locals concerned. You must really treasure that Lancaster fragment.

[Ernest47]

Thanks. I belong to quite a few similar sites etc and so I've no outstanding queries but will certainly seek help should need arise. I get quite a bit of fun helping others so I guess I may appear doing just that from time to time.