Naval graves

[Orlaith17]

I was visiting a local cemetery recently taking photos of Commonwealth graves when I spotted some unusual ones amongst them. All are naval. Some are dated between WW1and WW2 but some are earlier. Earliest death is 1905. Ship he died on was named HMS Cornwallis. I have looked up names of all of the ships and identified them. It would seem sone of the men who are named on the graves died in wartime incidents. What I am asking about is which organisation provided the grave markers as they are not CWG. They are cross shaped with a circular piece. There is a black metal diamond shape bolted on which is engraved with name of man, ship, and date of death. Also engraved at top of metal plaque is what looks like IHS in what looks like a Gothic script. At bottom under the writing is a cross shape with equal length arms and a circle around where they join. In sime of the placques, the cross and IHS inscription are painted vivid red. I wondered if a religious organisation may have provided the stones? Interested in any information and I can provide photos. Thanks in advance.

[AndrewP]

Does it resemble any of the pictures seen on this webpage which lists a few interpretations of IHS.

https://cemeterysymbolism.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/ihs/

ALl the best,

AndrewP

[Currie]

If you don’t have any luck here maybe The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project could help. http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/

Their old forum was the The Scottish War Graves Project. http://scottishwargraves.s5.bizhat.com/

Maybe a search of each site for the names you have will produce something?

Alan

[Orlaith17]

Thank you for replies folks. Andrew, inscription does look similar to top one in link you sent. I think it looks like Greek reference toJesus from brief research I did. Currie, I am not sure these are actually war graves as none of the deaths seem to have occurred during WW1 or WW1. I was confused by these stones among Commonwealth War Graves ones, which they arent, but are military graves. More interested in finding if grave markers were provided by a Christian military society or similar……just an interest in the history really.

[WilmaM]

The CWGC have a page about the different Headstones and Markers used by the commission in different areas.

https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/blog/what ... ar-graves/

The Admiralty markers sound like what you describe:

Admiralty markers - erected by the Admiralty on some Royal Navy graves before the CWGC headstone was designed. - erected by the Admiralty on some Royal Navy graves before the CWGC headstone was designed.

On our travels around cemeteries we have discovered many CGWC stones, but none like you describe, the most curious was the familiar CWGC standard stone shape , but in Double and Triple formant [ seems to have been experimental, and never became standard].

Further 'googling' found me this page:
https://mycornerofsuffolk.wordpress.com ... t-shotley/
It has a close up photo of a marker for a young naval casualty from HMS Ganges, the Royal Naval Shore Training Establishment that was based in Shotley from 1906 through to 1976.
It sounds exactly like your ones.

[Orlaith17]

Thank you Wilma. The Suffolk page link images down about 12th or 13th pics are of stones exactly the same as the ones I am asking about. Looks like they were all for young boys, but some of the ones in cemetery here were older; 29, 35, 41. Youngest listed was “Boy, First Class, aged 16”. There were different ships named. The cemetery is in Invergordon, which has a long standing naval history and is a deep water port for cruise ships nowadays. It may well be that training accidents or similar took place. Thank you for that interesting link. Much appreciated.

[Orlaith17]

Wilma, thank you once again. I just looked at CWGC link you sent above and yes, the stones I saw are certainly asmiralty markers. I had no idea the CWGC used so many different styles of markers, though I knew about the flat ones in Boulogne cemetery as my great uncle is buried there.
I am planning to do a lot more research into Invergordon aa a port prior to WW1 and WW2 and try to find out about ships based there at different times.
Many thanks for your help.

[WilmaM]

We are on holiday in the Black Isle, my crew were exploring the cemetery beside the Gaelic chapel in Cromarty.
They came across more of the grave markers that you found in Invergordon. Various ships but most were pre 1914.