Grave Adoption

Hello,

We are from the Netherlands en today we recieved Certifications of Adoption from 2 British soldiers on Brussum War Cemetery.
On the Cerifications is some information but we hope to find and get more information about he soldiers and Family.
So any information and tips are very welcome, also adresses in England where we can write to?
We don't know where to search and find information.

The first soldier:
Miles, Edmund Aubrey.
Nr. 4205106
Royal Engineers.
Date of Death, 7 Jan. 1945
Age 30
Son of Ernest and Julia Miles, of Swansea; Husband of Bridget Miles, of Swansea.
This is what we found ourselfs:
The War Graves Photographic Project

The secound soldier:
Rawle, Sidney.
Nr. 3977338
Royal Engineers.
Date of Death, 7 Jan. 1945
Age 21.
No other information on the Certification.
What we found ourselfs:
wargravessittard.org

Thx you very much and we hope to get information.

Ed

 

Hallo Edan

what's a certificate of adoption,
I haven't heard of this before?

very best

 

Our English is not perfect so maybe I wrote it wrong.
When you adopt a grave in Holland you recieve a Certificaat from the Cemetery.
Some information from the soldier is written on this paper, you can read this under The first soldier.
Our names are also written on this paper.

Ok for you?

 

Oh, yes, ok. I hadn't heard that you can
adopt a grave before. Do you have to pay
for it? I hope not, as that would be a commercial
business from the Commonwealth War Graves

Your english is actually very good. It's not
your english I dont understand it's the idea
of adopting a grave.

Do you have a link to the website which
offers this service (even if it's in dutch)

I found this, for American cemeteries - is it similar to your one?
Adoptiegraven-Margraten


all the best to you


(Moderators - perhaps move this to
the Searching for Someone section?)

 

Both are from 241 Field Company part of the 52 (Lowland) Division, Airborne

May I suggest that for E A Miles, you contact the local paper in Swansea and ask them to place a request asking for any relative or anyone with information of the family to contact you.

Also for both contact The Royal Engineers Association and ask if they hold any information.

 

Children of The Netherlands Adopt GI Graves

also

Dutch teenager honoured for adopting soldiers’ graves » The Windmill news articles » goDutch

Homepage | Adoptiegraven.nl

 

Edmund Aubrey Miles married Bridget Donovan in 1939 in Swansea Registration District, County of Glamorganshire, Wales.

A son John was born in 1943

There is a marriage of a Bridget Miles to William Lynch in 1949 in Swansea, and this might be Edmund's widow getting married again.

A Bridget Lynch of Swansea b. 1915 died 2001 aged 86.

Edmund A Miles was born in the 2nd quarter of 1914 in Swansea Registration District.

his mother's maiden name was Dunlee.

Julia Dunlee and Ernest A Miles were married in 1911 in Swansea Reg. Dist.

They also had a daughter Margaret E Miles born in 1912 in Swansea Reg. Dist.
and a son Ernest Dunlee Miles born 20 January 1916 in Swansea Reg. Dist. and he died in June 1987 in Swansea.

Their father Ernest A Miles was killed in WW1 at Ypres and is buried there. So his mother must have had a very hard time raising 3 very young children without their father, only to then lose a son in WW2. Very tragic.

I have sent a message to a member of the Miles Family and hopefully they might be in contact through this website soon.

Edmund's father's death is on CWGC :: Casualty Details

He is buried at Essex Farm Cemetery Ieper, Belgium.

 

Sidney Rawle aged 21 in 1945, there is only one birth in England or Wales that matches, so this is him, unless he was born in another country.

born 3rd Quarter of 1923 in Pontardawe Registration District, this is seven miles away from Swansea where Edmund was born.

He was the son of Walter John Rawle (1887-1972) and his wife Daisy Winifred Barnes (1889-1959). They were married in 1911 in Pontardawe, Wales.
He had 3 brothers Robert, Ernest and Albert
and 3 sisters Edith, Eva and Mary

His brother Albert passed away recently Albert RAWLE : Obituary - ThisIsAnnouncements

Again I have sent a message to someone I suspect is a relative and hope they might contact you through this website soon.

 

Oh, yes, ok. I hadn't heard that you can
adopt a grave before. Do you have to pay
for it? I hope not, as that would be a commercial
business from the Commonwealth War Graves

Your english is actually very good. It's not
your english I dont understand it's the idea
of adopting a grave.

Do you have a link to the website which
offers this service (even if it's in dutch)

I found this, for American cemeteries - is it similar to your one?
Adoptiegraven-Margraten


all the best to you


(Moderators - perhaps move this to
the Searching for Someone section?)

Hello and thank you,
It is not a commercial business, but for some cost you have to pay €5 and this is once. So for the 2 graves we have adopted we pay €10 and that's it.
So very low cost but we don't care and we think nobody cares.
All the graves in Brunssum are almost adopted. So the Dutch people like to do this for the soldiers who gave their live for our freedom.
It's the same for American Cemetery's in Holland, we also adopted 2 graves from The Wall of Missing and you pay a little for the cost (official document, Certificate of Adoption). The same like the British Cemetery in Brunssum.
We adopted 4 graves in Belgium ( Henry-Chapelle and Ardennes Cemetery in Neuville-en-Condrzo.
In Belgium you pay nothing but here you get no official papers.

The link from the Britisch Cemetery in Brunssum you asked for is:
index

We made soms photo's so you have an idea and can see what these Certificates (documents) are.

Greetings Ed, we hope you understand it better now?
And sorry if we made any mistakes in the language.

 

591-research
Thanks for the follow up, nice bit of detective work

 

THx Oldman
You wrote:
May I suggest that for E A Miles, you contact the local paper in Swansea and ask them to place a request asking for any relative or anyone with information of the family to contact you.
Also for both contact The Royal Engineers Association and ask if they hold any information.

Can and would you find out what newspaper(s) in Swansea to contact please?
And the site The Royal Engineers Association is this one or is there another website?:
REA HQ - Royal Engineers Association and than contact Contact Deputy REA Controller at HQ REA .?

Thx again, ED

 

Thx very much 591-research,
Pleased to get this information from you.

The website you wrote to us Homepage | Adoptiegraven.nl
We know this site.
We have adopted 2 names from the Wall of Missing in Margraten, 2 graves at the American Cemetery and Memorial in Henry-Chapelle and 2 graves at the American Cemetery and Memorial Ardennes in Neuville-en Condroz.

Thx again for your help.

Ed

 

hello Ed
you could try

Western Mail & Echo



Address: 45 The Kingsway
City: Swansea
Postal Code: SA1 5HX

01792-410041

WalesOnline - Welsh news, sports, politics, business, jobs and lifestyle in Wales

regards
Clive

 

Thx CL1,

We try to contact this paper.

Ed

 

Hallo Edan

I am unhappy. Someone has charged you five Euro's,
for nothing more than a print-out of the information
held by the CWGC. As far as I can see, they have
traded on your desire to respect and pay tribute to
the fallen men of all nations who helped liberate your
country.

If they charged you five Euro's, it's a commercial business.
They must pay tax on that. The fact that you have arrived
here on this forum is an indication of how little information
they provided to you about the grave you are adopting.

It's almost like someone selling you a star in a distant galaxy
and telling you, with a certificate, that it's named after your
first-born grandchild...


Your sentiment is thoroughly admirable. For those men who
fell and who have no 'sole-survivors' to follow them and tend
their grave; the placing of your flowers are so meaningful and
really truly pay tribute. But I can not help feeling that someone
has taken advantage of you...


Hmmmmm...


Does anyone else feel uncomfortable,
or is it just me not seeing something?



very best to you



It is not a commercial business, but for some cost you have to pay €5 and this is once. So for the 2 graves we have adopted we pay €10 and that's it. So very low cost but we don't care and we think nobody cares. All the graves in Brunssum are almost adopted. So the Dutch people like to do this for the soldiers who gave their live for our freedom.

 

With 327 Graves at 5 Euro's a headstone thats not a bad return:

CWGC :: Cemetery Details

I make that 1,635 Euro's.

 

Sidney Rawle aged 21 in 1945, there is only one birth in England or Wales that matches, so this is him, unless he was born in another country.

born 3rd Quarter of 1923 in Pontardawe Registration District, this is seven miles away from Swansea where Edmund was born.

He was the son of Walter John Rawle (1887-1972) and his wife Daisy Winifred Barnes (1889-1959). They were married in 1911 in Pontardawe, Wales.
He had 3 brothers Robert, Ernest and Albert
and 3 sisters Edith, Eva and Mary

His brother Albert passed away recently Albert RAWLE : Obituary - ThisIsAnnouncements

Again I have sent a message to someone I suspect is a relative and hope they might contact you through this website soon.

I wonder if Clifford Rawle was a cousin?

CWGC :: Certificate

Looks like he may have drowned on the Lancastria.

 

Who have you paid Edan ? The Gemeente ? The CWGC have no such scheme as far as I'm aware and the site of the cemetery has been given in perpetuity.

I can't imagine quite who has the right to charge you to visit a grave or indeed to lay flowers on it. Who has issued this 'certificate' ?

 

Hello Ed
excellent work you are involved in.

As Rich and AHD stated do you have more information on who is charging you the 5 euros.


regards
Clive

 

Personally I don't feel uncomfortable at all, on the contrary I think it is a wonderful thing that citizens and their children and grandchildren adopt a grave, and research the history of the men who lie there and use that adoption, to educate the next generations about the sacrifices made by everyone, not just the soldiers but the civilians too.
It hopefully teaches youngsters to have respect for these cemeteries, and to become part of the ongoing process of Remembering. It perhaps gives citizens across generations a reason to open up and talk and to share their own experiences.

5 euro is nothing. Less than a packet of cigarettes. it does cost money to run a database and administer a list of adopters, as well as print out and post out certificates. The cost is not indicative of a commercial money making enterprise. You wouldn't be able to name a star for 5 euro! Nor could you visit it and take care of it.

If the charge was in my view excessive then yes I would object, but it isn't excessive at all. Just the fact that so many graves have been adopted is a sign of how popular this scheme is with the citizens. They will all have their own reasons for participating.

If you google the grave adopters, there are many wonderful stories of families living far away who are linking up with families in the low countries to share a common bond.

If I found out or find out who has adopted my grandfather's grave I would feel tremendously honoured that someone who lives much closer than I do, can visit and say hello.

That's my particular take on it. Others may disagree, that's their prerogative.

LEST WE FORGET