Who searched for the missing?

Hi.
After the war when everyone that was reported missing was accounted for (grave located, confirmed as PoW, repatriated etc etc) who followed up and investigated the missing? Were military units used solely? Did civilian Police get involved? (I only know of a special unit assigned to find the “great escape” murderers).
This is in relation to names on memorial walls that don’t have a known grave.
Thanks.

Alex.

 

I think the WO361 files would be part of the process, the "missing men" files which have correspondence with soldiers to get their stories on what happened to men from their unit who couldn't be traced - but how that fitted into the bigger picture I've no idea

 

Great bit of knowledge that, thanks very much.

 

Another (missing POW / escaper / war crime) investigation I know of was initially instigated by a fellow officer from the same battalion, no doubt with encouragement from their Regiment. He found their graves, gathered information from locals, etc. But later it was the subject of a criminal investigation involving War Crimes Unit BAOR. It's clear from file linked below that a fair bit of co-ordination between various authorities, districts, etc was required to trace any men thought to be responsible or, who might have information.
See -
Bronzolo, Italy: killing of two British officers | WW2Talk
from Grenadier Guards, 6th Battalion, Murder of Officers | WW2Talk

Cases like the above were essentially investigated as war crimes; distinct from personnel missing as result of battle/accidents which were co-ordinated between Units, Casualty Branch & other institutions like the Red Cross. As per the series mentioned by Alistair and filed at Kew.


The link below gives the annual statistics for all Missing Personnel, brought about by War Office Casualty Branch's enquires. By 1946 there were only 50 cases still outstanding, (see their footnotes) ....
WW2. Remarkable Statistics.

Hope that helps

 

Tremendous, much appreciated.

 

Re investigation procedures for missing persons. Everything seems to have been followed up on paper.
See attached (trimmed) letter from the Casualty Branch Sefton Park Liverpool June 1945.

 

This file from Australian Archives takes some time to download because it is 493.1 MB in size but contains much useful information relating to British procedures post war. There are more downloadable files: just search for "missing" and click on the column for digital copy. If you click on each item and the symbol for a "Pdf" in red appears it is best to click on that and then save it when it opens on your desktop. Otherwise just look for the download symbol when the first page opens and it should go to your download folder. This one is one of the former you have to save:

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=991553&T=PDF

Many units captured in the Far East had their own "historians" who went to great lengths to account for everyone. Their records can be found in County record offices or in files in WO 361, and possibly in both sets of records. There are good lists at the Suffolk and Cambridge Archives. There was a special section operating in secret at Changi prison in Singapore known as the Bureau of Record and Enquiry who constructed rolls of men with indications of "last seen", "on official escape party", etc. Most of the BRE records were opened at the National Archives in April 2011. Post war liberation questionnaires and atrocity or "Q" forms were handled by members of Force 136 very quickly and before war crimes investigation teams were established in the Far East at the end of December 1945. They were never fully manned. Returning PoWs tended to say when asked to complete "Casualty Forms" something like "Information already given" or "ask Sgt. Smith", "Captain Jones" etc. Sometimes they handed over diaries which M.I.9 managed to lose.

The executive branch responsible for tracing war crimes was A.G.3(V/W) which had a Director of Personnel. { Adjutant-General 3 Violation of the Laws and Customs of War ]. At TNA their records have been merged with records of the Judge Advocate General and the vast majority of their records are missing but card indices exist for "Dead Victims" for both Europe and the Far East. The Far East cards are in WO 356 and can be dowloaded free. The Europe ones are not available online.

Bear in mind that the UK Treasury preferred that a man was not "missing" but found so that long term compensation could be assessed. The Japanese were notoriously bad at informing the Allies whether a person was interned or a PoW. The Germans were very good at trying to keep the Allies and the Red Cross informed.

 

Obviously, this in formation is based on just one unit, but just to add to this post. All of the 340 or so British missing from Chindit 1 were processed through the centre based at the Blue Coat School in Liverpool. Correspondence between families and the office began in mid-1943, with some not ending until May/June 1945, when the eventual fate of POWs was known. After the soldier was known to be deceased, the details and further communication was sent on the the Infantry Record Office at Preston.

 

This also might be of interest to those whose research deals with Missing Personnel - an explanation of the Categories usually found annotated beside names listed within series WO 361

Casualty (fatality) categories : 'Cat C' ...

 

The financial consequences for the families of men declared to be "missing" in the Far East and the "extreme delays on the part of the Japanese authorities in notifying the names of prisoners of war in their detention" as stated in the House of Commons on 27th March 1945:

"Missing Personnel, Far East (Dependants' Allowances)

HC Deb 27 March 1945 vol 409 cc1295-7 1295
25. Major Mills asked the Secretary of State far War for what period the allotment and allowances now being paid to the dependants of officers and men still missing in the Far East will be continued.
Sir J. Grigg I will, with permission, make a statement after Questions.
§Following is the statement:

§ When a soldier is reported missing the general rule is that missing allowances equivalent to the family or dependants' allowances, allotments of pay, whether qualifying, contributory or voluntary, and war service grants in issue are continued for 26 weeks from the date his relatives are informed he is missing, provided he continues to be recorded as missing. The period is related to the maximum time which experience shows is taken by enemy Governments in communicating the names of missing soldiers who may be prisoners of war in their hands. Missing allowances, broadly on similar lines, are issued in respect of missing officers.

§ At the end of the period a continuing allowance is normally payable, for so long as the officer or soldier remains missing. This allowance is the same in amount as the pension which would be payable if he were dead.

§ Owing to the extreme delays on the part of the Japanese authorities in notifying the names of prisoners of war in their detention, extensions of the above period have been approved from time to time in the absence of news of the Far East missing. Missing allowances were, however, terminated in May, 1943, in respect of men still recorded as missing at Hong Kong and continuing allowances substituted, because it had to be assumed that the majority of those still missing at Hong Kong were no longer alive."

The full statement is here: Missing Personnel, Far East (Dependants' Allowances) (Hansard, 27 March 1945)