Casualty Lists

Horowhenua Chronicle, 1 September 1915, Page 3

Casualty Lists

Ail e-AVitueas present with General Head yuarters m Erance, alter stating that the main duty ot the Adju.-taut-Geneiial's iDepaailanent is the provision of reinforcements, goes on to point out that it is. responsible for the duties connected with, casualties, discipline, prisoners of war, and sanitation. like office ot tlie DdreotorGenerad Army Aledioal (Service Is a department of* tire Adjutant-General's office: A large branch ot the work is carried out at one base, where. under the title of the 3rd Echelon, a staff of several hundred officers and men are employed. "(Roinforcemeii/ta" include complete fresh i unit# and, formations oi all anus sent ouit to increase - the size Oil the army, and drafta of the different airms dispatched to fill, usp, the gaps in the units already at tlie front. Tlie former, as. a rule, pass straight through to the front; the drafts form the floating population of tlie base depots. Apart?'froin--the -wtfrk i>f replenishing .the'army.,, there is-tlu&ial' recofdiug and reporting casualties. A proportion of soldiers- and officers disappearwithout leaving'any trace 01 thdir'fite. With regard to others, before a man's name its sent-koine as a casualty'ii "is necessary to identify him absolutely', and to ascertain his name, initials,. regimental number," and unit, and what lias happened to' him. This is done at tlie base by a email staff detached from tack unit or branch ot the army in the field,' wliicli is employed in checking and verifying every •; piece, of information received from the front regarding any member of its niiit, and in maintaining a complete reoora of all ; ts members in the shape of a sort of life history, in the block ot buildings whore this work.is carried on may be seen several rooms filled with soldier clerks from every unit ot the sea-vice, British and Indian, working at small tables piled with papers, very much as clerks in a large bank or insurance office at home. Thirty copies of the casualty lists are sent home daily, amounting sometimes to 5000 sheets of typed matter. The Adjutant-General's 'branch is also responsible for the disposal of the effects and the wills oi dead men and for their verification and lor ascertaining their place of burial, ihi the latter task it has been much assisted by the Graves Registration Commission, which consists of a small body of gentlemen who give their time voluntarily to the work of collecting information about- the dead. They also furnish the graves with wooden crosses stencilled with the names of the buried and the date of their death. Finally, a not inconsiderable portion of the Adjutant-General's staff aJt tlie base's continuously and solely employed in ioplying to queries about casualties, of which as many as 200 sometimes ooine in on one day.—British Aledical Journal.