Click on the appropriate Surname group below, then scroll down
With this latest update all the civilian casualties recognised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as having died in the county (4,600+) are now listed. Also here are a number of civilian war dead apparently unknown to the Commission and a few of those other Essex civilians who died elsewhere in Britain, overseas or at sea, all of whom I am now trying to determine. The on-line index also has all 3,200 or so British and Commonwealth service personnel graves within Essex, plus many other 'Essex-related' servicemen and women buried in other places or having no known grave. The index also now includes the recorded age of the casualty, which I hope will assist family and military historians when searching.
My current task is to add the remaining Essex Regiment casualties (about 1,000 names). Then I had better take some time to sift and merge the growing number of duplicate entries, before working through numerous rolls of honour, casualty lists, war memorial transcripts and other files which are still growing almost daily. There is still a long way to go!
If you have any details of specific incidents and casualties on Essex soil - bombings, parachute mines, V1 and V2 falls, anti-aircraft shells, etc. - I shall be very pleased to receive them, also details of where any of the many civilian casualties are buried, their next-of-kin, and so forth.
A key to military rank abbreviations in the Index appears immediately below, with civilian abbreviations below that.
Index last updated: 10 Aug 2005 and contains 11,479 records.
key to Military Rank abbreviations used in the Index
A/ Air NAmn Naval Airman
AB Able Seaman Nav Navigator
AC Aircraftman
ACW Aircraftwoman O/ Ordinary
Amn Airman Obs Observer
Art Artificer Offr Officer
Asst Assistant
PO Petty Officer
Bdr Bombardier P/O Pilot Officer
Bgdr Brigadier Pte Private
Bmbr Bomber/Bomb-Aimer
BQMS Battery Quartermaster QM Quartermaster
Sergeant QMS Quartermaster Sergeant
BSM Battery Sergeant Major
Rfmn Rifleman
C/ Chief RQMS Regimental Quartermaster
Capt Captain Sergeant
Clr Colour RSM Regimental Sergeant Major
Col Colonel
Cmdr Commander S/ Staff
Cpl Corporal S/Ldr Squadron Leader
CQMS Company Quartermaster SBA Sick Berth Attendant
Sergeant Sig Signalman
CSM Company Sergeant-Major Sgt Sergeant
Sjt Serjeant
Dvr Driver SM Sergeant Major
Smn Seaman
Elec Electrical/Electrician Spr Sapper
Eng Engineer Sto Stoker
ER Engine Room Stwd Steward
F/ Flight Tel Telegraphist
F/O Flying Officer Tpr Trooper
Fus Fusilier
u/t under training
G/ Group
Gdsmn Guardsman W/ Wing
Gen General WO Warrant Officer
Gnr Gunner W/Op Wirless Operator
Instr Instructor Yeo Sig Yeoman of Signals
L/ Lance- (Army)
L/ Leading (RAF and Royal Navy)
Lt Lieutenant Prefix numbers:-
1/,2/,3/,4/ First, Second, Third, Fourth
Maj Major
Mar Marine Suffix numbers:-
Mech Mechanic I,II,III,IV ) 1st Class, 2nd Class,
MSM Master Sergeant Major 1,2,3,4 ) 3rd Class, 4th Class
Many of these abbreviations are used in combination, e.g:-
C/ER Art Chief Engine Room Artificer
F/Sgt (W/Op:A/Gnr) Flight Sergeant (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
WO II (QM) Warrant Officer 2nd Class (Quartermaster)
2/Lt Second Lieutenant
AC2 Aircraftman 2nd Class
or together with unabbreviated words, e.g:
ER Hand Engine Room Hand
Motor Mech4 Motor Mechanic 4th Class
L/Cook Leading Cook
Although the Index distinguishes between 'Sergeant' and 'Serjeant', this is not
continued through the various 'Major' and 'Quartermaster' higher rankings.
The rank of 'Fireman' usually signifies a Merchant Navy engine/boiler room hand.
Fire Brigade Firemen are recorded first as 'Civilian'
'Volunteer' identifies a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) or an
early member of the Local Defence Volunteers (LDV) which became the Home Guard.
key to abbreviations used with civilian casualties
AFS Auxiliary Fire Service NAAFI Navy, Army & Air Force Institute
Amb Ambulance NFS National Fire Service
ARP Air Raid Precautions
ARW Air Raid Warden PWR Police War Reserve
ATC Air Training Corps
Attdt Attendant ROC Royal Observer Corps
BRCS British Red Cross Society SJAB St John Ambulance Brigade
SRN State Registered Nurse
Cmdt Commandant Svce Service
CNR Civil Nursing reserve
WJAC Women's Junior Air Corps (?)
FAP First Aid Post WVS Women's Voluntary Service
L/ Leading
MN Merchant Navy
MPS Metropolitan Police Service