Hi While researching the Termoli battles I came upon a couple of oddities. One photo shows crosses for two tank crew members next to their KOd tank. When I went to photograph their current graves I found one in the Sangro cemetery and the other on a panel at Cassino so an unknown grave! Under what circumstances might this happen? The second oddity is in the same series of photos (Major Sale's album, National Army Museum, Chelsea). It shows shots of two different graves under a tree, but it is clear that it is the same grave photographed with different crosses. Again they are tank crews. How likely is it that these photos were taken to keep families happy rather than to mark the exact (original) burial spot? Could that also be what has happened in the photo described above? Has any of you struck anything similar?
Possible cause of 1st instance could be loss of grave marker (cross and Id Tags) so the person was buried in a grave that would a be "soldier of WW11 known unto god" and his name perpetuated on the memorial. 2nd instance you may be right but remember a lot of tank crews are also buried in collective graves with just their names on headstones very close together
Many Tank crews were so badly burned that there was nothing left - and so some guessing had to be done - impossible to recover just dust and a bone or two - I am always reminded of Roy Farran at Beda Fomm - he said a prayer for the Italian crew before he incinerated their remains Cheers
If the two were burned I'd understand both of them or neither of them getting the same treatment, but why one buried and the other not? Do you think CWGC would hold any info that would shed any light? That is, do they have a record of where/when bodies were recovered before reburial?
Ropey Records for re-burial were always taken - BUT - Termoli wasn't a 9-5 thing and dragged on over a few days so it it entirely possible that the original grave was disturbed by a Tank -Gun - whatever was milling around - it is VERY difficult to see from inside a Tank .... Cheers
Ropey You could try the CWGC and see if they can provide further information, I would tend to agree with Tom as to what may have happened
