I am helping someone research her grandfather (E Rudge) and we are wondering where these Reports may currently reside (DDGR/1889 in this case)
Hi, You might be best making an enquiry with Commonwealth War Grave Commission at Maidenhead. I can’t interpret the acronym DDGR (other than ?? Graves Registration). I have seen post war reports in Canadian and Australian files about the recovery of airmen from crash sites. Forum member alieneyes might be able to assist via his knowledge of Canadian sources connected to Squadron Leader Kimber RCAF. Steve
If they survived they will be in the CWGC Archive ,view by appointment, but like most still closed. CWGC Archive | CWGC DGR & E ;= The Directorate of Graves Registration and Enquiries Kyle
Thanks chaps. I've a sneaky suspicion it could mean Deputy Director of Graves Registration (I've just done a quick scan of the NA files database). As you say, it's probably best to contact the CWGC and hope the files still exist.
Deputy Director of Graves Registration and Enquiry is correct, but I am confused; this Graves Concentration Report Form is freely available to view on the CWGC website, so that is where it currently resides.
Thanks. I see where you are coming from but the Graves Concentration Report itself references other documents in the right hand column and it's that document (DDGR/1889) that we are looking for. There must be a series of these because other DDGR documents with different numbers are also mentioned in the right hand column of the Graves Concentration Report.
Did you have any luck finding out where the reports reside in the end? I am on a similar journey and also hitting brick walls!
My original enquiry was for a friend whose grandfather was KIA (see post #1). I don't know whether she was successful or not in contacting CWGC Archive, but, from other posts, that's where the reports reside but they might not be available to the public. I suggest you phone CWGC Archive and ask - no harm in several people asking them the same question.
Thanks, I've done just that and they requested it be sent in as an email request. If its restricted info then I doubt I will get any further though.
.....but hopefully they will provide an explanation etc that could guide those of us who would like to know.
Hi, The best information provided by the CWGC is something called the "place of first burial". As most Allied crews were buried in the nearest churchyard or cemetery it gave one some idea of where the aircraft came down. In this case, Boston BZ382 of No. 88 Squadron came down at Ouilly-le-Basset in Normandy. From the Graves Registration Report Form (attached) we see they were disinterred from Ouillly-le-Basset and moved to Ranville War Cemetery. I had a look at the ancestry file on the RCAF skipper, J15210 A/S/Ldr George Peter Vickers, DFC. Two pages from it attached. Regards, Dave