Graves Registration Service

Field Manual FM 10-63 dealing with Graves Registration, published by the War Department, dated 15 January 1945

Background Information:

The care of deceased military personnel and the maintenance and supervision of National Cemeteries are among some of the special services entrusted to The Quartermaster General. In 1861 the Secretary of War ordered The Quartermaster General to provide forms for preserving burial records and materials for registered headboards to be placed at the heads of all fallen soldiers’ graves. In 1876 the Secretary of War formally charged The Quartermaster General with the responsibility of supervising the National Cemetery system, and centralizing all  Mortuary Records. The way was further paved for a Theater Graves Registration Service during WW1, when  The Quartermaster General was now responsible for the care of the dead and charged with the preservation of Mortuary Records as well as the maintenance of Temporary Burials and Semipermanent Military Cemeteries. The outbreak of WW2, brought about a complete reorganization of the War Department. Fighting forces in 1942 and early 1943 were obliged to improvise their own Graves Registration Service, and tactical units were responsible for collecting and burying their own dead. Between March 28 and December 2, 1943 – thirteen GRS Companies were activated. Tactics and doctrine, as well as training were not yet available; the first document to be used as a basis was T/O 10-297 dated 1 November 1940, and another tool became TM 10-630 dated 23 September 1941. There was a strong need for simplification and reorganization, and finally The Quartermaster General was designated Chief, American Graves Registration Service by War Department Circular 206, dated 11 September 1943, making him responsible for formulating policies for the operation of Graves Registration Services outside the continental United States. In the field, Tunisia helped gain experience by trial and error, and the first official  Theater Graves Registration Service was announced on 1 April 1943. Sicily was already better organized, while the first efficient recovery and evacuation of American dead took place during the Italian Campaign. On 9 June 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower finally signed Standing Operating Procedure No. 26 governing Army Burials, Graves Registration and Disposition of Effects, effective in the European Theater of Operations…

World War Two:

In time of war a “Graves Registration Service” will be organized for the purpose of caring for deceased military personnel interred outside the continental limits of the United States. Graves Registration Service personnel will also care for civilian, allied, and enemy dead when circumstances of war make this necessary. As this kind of activities requires GRS unit Officers to cooperate with Commanding Officers of combat units, the Medical Department, and Chaplains, we thought it opportune to include this non-medical organization in our medical website.

June 1944 Chart detailing the Graves Registration & Effect Division, as part of the overall E.T.O. Chief Quartermaster's organization

It should be clear that Medical personnel attached to the Graves Registration units are not intended for use in treating the wounded or performing other functions of the Medical Department in the combat zone. Their main function is to assist GRS personnel in establishing cause and certainty of death, and in the identification of the dead by means of technical inspection and notation. Their basic training has fitted them for a rapid and accurate execution of this task. They are familiar with medical terminology and anatomical details, and therefore serve as technical contact men. Close coordination between Medical Department and Graves Registration personnel will facilitate the separation of the dead from the wounded and the rapid burial of the former.  

As we have pointed out earlier (please see above background information), The Quartermaster General, in addition to his other regular duty; is designated Chief, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), and is charged with formulating the policies for the operation of subject services outside of the U.S. The Commanding General of each Theater of Operations or Defense Command (outside the continental United States) is to organize a GRS which will function as a part of the Office of the Quartermaster of the Theater or Defense Command. He will issue the necessary instructions for his Command, and will conform to those instructions herein, and in Section II, Army Regulations 30-1805.

Functions:

The major functions of the Graves Registration Service are –

• Selection of a site for a temporary cemetery, although its acquisition and plotting would normally be performed by the Corps of Engineers.
• Location and control for preservation of temporary cemeteries, including the proper marking and official recording of all graves, until permanent burial can be accomplished, or remains can be returned to the next of kin.
• Proper burial of all dead in accordance with existing regulations, reducing the number of isolated or single graves to a minimum.
• Receipt, collection, and disposition of all personal effects found on the dead.
• Registration of all graves in order to enable proper identification of the dead and relocation of isolated graves, cemeteries, and graves within cemeteries. This includes the preparation of sketches, maps, and data to show the location of graves and cemeteries, with particular reference to permanent landmarks.
• General supervision and control of all personnel assigned to the Graves Registration Service.

View of St. Laurent-sur-Mer temporary American Cemetery on the bluffs above 'Omaha Beach', Grave Markers are still made out of wood ...

Organization:

The basic functions of a Quartermaster Graves Registration Company are the physical collection, evacuation, identification, and burial of all battlefield dead, as well as the collection and disposition of the personal effects of all those deceased in the Theater of Operations, as well as those killed in action (KIA), the plotting of location and the registration of battlefield graves and cemeteries. The term ‘Killed in Action’ applies not only to those meeting sudden death, but to all casualties who as a result of wounds die on the field before reaching an Aid Station.  The GR Company is not authorized nor equipped to perform embalming. Labor for grave digging is normally furnished by organic service units of the Quartermaster Corps, or is secured locally (paid civilians, and/or enemy prisoners of war), unless burial by organizations or units is necessary under certain circumstances. The standard GR Company (T/O 10-298 of September 1944) consisted of an aggregate of 265 men, including 5 Officers . It was theoretically intended to support an Army Corps of three Divisions (later four), and first consisted of four Platoons, one in reserve and one each per Division. Each Platoon was divided into two Sections; one Collecting and one Evacuation Squad. The Company will be attached to an Army, under direction of the Army Quartermaster, or such other Army or Army Corps Staff Officer delegated by the Commanding General of the Theater of Operations. The different elements of the Company will be assigned to subordinate units, as determined by the Corps Commander.   

typical example of GRS assignment:
In March 1944 (England), the 603d QM Graves Registration Company was reserved  to support VII Army Corps during its D-Day operations, and each of the four Platoons was assigned to support one of the assaulting Divisions. First Platoon went to the 4th Infantry Division, Second Platoon to the 9th Infantry Division, Third platoon to the 90th Infantry Division, and  Fourth Platoon to the 82d Airborne Division.

The Platoon is the basic subdivision of the Graves Registration Company and its basic work unit. It is designed to serve a Division, and will serve under direct control of the Division Quartermaster. The Platoon is commanded by a Commissioned Officer responsible for directing and supervising all activities, and for burials and all matters pertaining thereto. The XO, a Noncommissioned Officer, in addition to his duties as a assistant Platoon Leader, will be responsible for final inspection of identification and burial records, including forwarding records and data to Company Headquarters, furnishing the draftsman with ID data, and the Section leaders with information concerning the location of Collecting and Clearing Stations. The attached Medical Department NCOs will be assigned to the Sections as directed by the Company CO. They will make the final and more technical phase of identification, and will be responsible (with the Platoon NCO) for the final check of records before they are forwarded. The number of attached MD Noncommissioned Officers permits the normal assignment of one to each Section (which is expected to be the usual assignment). It may be, however, that casualties in certain areas, due to the character and extent of the action (such as Airborne fighting and resulting losses, after D-Day, 6 June 1944), necessitate a different distribution. The Platoon Commander, will then, under general instructions from the Company Commander, serve directly under the CG of the Division in the sector to which he is assigned. His immediate superior (for administration) will be the Division Quartermaster; reports will first be transmitted to his Company CO, and further to Division.

Member of a GR unit sorting personal effects of a deceased soldier

The Section is an element of the Platoon, and consists of a Section Chief and additional personnel (as authorized by T/O & E 10-298). All GR activities will be well coordinated with the Platoon. One MD NCO will work with the Section and contribute to efficiently perform its function, consisting of collecting, identifying, and evacuating all battlefield dead. To accomplish its mission the Section is divided into 2 different Squads.

The Collecting Squad is part of the GR Section, and is responsible for collecting battlefield dead, including both personal and issue items (which may help identification). The Collecting Squad will transport the bodies, via litter, to a central Collecting Station. Personnel consists of the Squad Leader, assisted by a number of laborers all trained in identification procedures.

The Evacuation Squad is in charge of the Collecting Station; it consists of a Squad Leader, a number of laborers, and truck drivers. With the assistance of an attached Medical Technician, the Squad Leader initiates the identification process and supervises the loading of litters onto vehicles for evacuation of bodies and remains to the Division Graves registration Service Clearing Stations. A clerk is provided to assist in identification of bodies, segregation, listing and proper disposition of personal effects (via Co Hq) for shipment to Graves Registration Service Headquarters, Kansas City, Missouri, continental United States.

Temporary collecting point, established by personnel of the Collecting Squad, pertaining to the 3042d QMC Graves Registration Company, assigned to Third United States Army (Recreation)

Removal of Dead and Burial:

Unburied dead should be removed as rapidly as possible and buried. The removal should be done in a most considerate manner and with the least confusion in order to sustain the troops morale. Bodies should be covered, especially if they are mangled or in an unpresentable condition, when carried or transported to the cemetery or other place of interment. Routes should avoid contact with troops as much as possible, and places of burial should be screened from roads if possible. The removal of the bodies should be accomplished with a reverent attitude toward the dead. If any wounded were to be found, their removal would be the task of the Medical Department and troops detailed for that purpose. In all cases the bodies should be wrapped in sheets, blankets, mattress covers, or shelter-halves fastened securely with large horse-blanket safety pins (there were no body bags in WW2, and sheets and blankets being in short supply, white cotton mattress covers were normally used) before burial, if possible. When interments are made by Company Commanders they will, as soon as possible, report all facts to the GRS personnel operating in the sector, in order to maintain complete data and records of the burials.
There should normally be a Graves Registration representative to supervise the burials and the preparation of burial records. If not, a Chaplain, a Medical Administrative Officer, or some other Officer should be designated as a burial Officer. Whenever possible, a Chaplain of the Faith of the deceased should perform the burial rites.

Member of a GR unit examining body remains in order to help identify the deceased soldier

When it is necessary for personnel other than GRS to accomplish the burial, an NCO or well-qualified EM of the Medical Department should accompany the burial party on the field of battle and prepare WD MD Form 52b (Emergency Medical Tag) for each body not previously so tagged! The final and complete systematic search for bodies will be made as soon as the combat area is free from hostile fire. Careful searches will be made of battlefields to ensure that burial of the dead and registration of graves have not been overlooked. Unburied dead will be buried in the nearest established cemetery, and unmarked graves will be marked temporarily so that they can easily be relocated later, all this will be reported to the GR Officer concerned, for immediate further action. In the search for bodies, great care should be taken to avoid booby-traps and antipersonnel mines which may have been placed under bodies by the enemy.

Picture illustrating the White Cotton Mattress Cover, used by the Medical Department as a shroud or burial garment, this is Medical Item No. 71620 or QMC Item No. 27-C-7500

The EMT attached to the bodies of the sick, the wounded, or those killed in action, including those prepared by Medical Department personnel accompanying the burial party, will be removed at the time of interment, in order to be forwarded to the Chief Surgeon, who will transmit them further to The Surgeon General. The wire (metal) or tie (cotton) will be removed from the Tag before forwarding, while the carbon copies of the EMT will be assembled and utilized by the senior Medical officer to compile the daily lists of casualties. One of the two Identification Tags (aka Dog Tags) worn as prescribed by Army Regulations, will be attached to the remains when interred, while the duplicate Tag will be removed at time of burial and securely attached to the Grave Marker about two inches from the top.
A complete set of fingerprints (all 10 fingers) should be made, and if possible, tooth charts, notations of anatomical characteristics, and results of body inspection, should be properly carried out or noted. No remains should be buried as Unknowns until every available means of identification has been exhausted. When personal Identification Tags are missing, identification should be made by members of the same organization of the deceased; this should be recorded and a copy of same placed either in a canteen, a bottle (later Identification Burial Bottles), or other container and buried with the body. When bodies cannot be identified immediately, uniformed methods and procedures for burial are to be followed. Unidentified bodies will then be marked Unknown Soldier, designated by block letter X, a dash, and a serial number.
In many cases where the erection of a Grave Marker is temporarily impracticable, the Dog Tag should be placed in a bottle, or in any other container, and buried 6 inches below the surface, centered at the head of the grave. A protruding stake or peg should be driven at least 18 inches into the ground to indicate the position where the Marker will be subsequently placed. If one of the Identification Tags is missing, the remaining one will be buried with the body and the Marker, marked with the name, grade, and Army Serial Number (ASN) until a substitute Tag is made! If there is no Tag, all available identifying data should be recorded on two slips of paper, each placed in a separate bottle (preferably the newly introduced Identification Burial Bottles) or other container), one bottle to be buried with the remains, and the other placed in the ground at the head of the grave. The information contained in the bottle (at the head of the Grave) is later reproduced on a rectangular metal label by means of an embossing machine and attached to the Marker by GRS personnel. Each label has a a capacity of five lines, and will be embossed as follows:

                First line – name of wearer (first name, middle initial, last name)
                Second line – Army Serial Number (ASN)
                Third line – Rank and Organization
                Fourth line – Date of Death, Faith (P for Protestant, C for Catholic, H for Hebrew)
                Fifth line – Grave Location (Section, Row, and Grave Number)

Procedures for collection, evacuation, and burial of enemy dead takes place following same procedures, but  information concerning enemy dead will be handled through the Prisoner of War Information Bureau, and as prescribed by the Geneva Convention. Enemy dead will be buried in separate sections apart from regular burial sites of members of the own or allied armies within the cemetery. Such graves will be properly marked and registered and remain the custody of and be cared for by the Quartermaster Corps. A metal Tag marked “ED” will be attached to the temporary grave marker.

Detailed view of Markings stamped on the White Cotton Mattress Cover

A Report of Interment should be made and forwarded through Army channels; the original to the Quartermaster General; a copy to the Central Records Office (Casualty Section), Adjudant General’s Department, Theater of Operations or Base Command; another copy to the Chief Surgeon (field forces); and a final copy to Reports of Enemy Dead, Prisoner of War Information Bureau, Central Records Office, Provost Marshal General’s Office (in case of enemy dead). There will also be Weekly Reports showing the number of burials made in a particular section, at the end of each week. Deserters or Dishonorably Discharged men will be buried in a separate section designated for this purpose. Reports of Allied dead buried by the GRS will be copied to the appropriate Allied Government authorities.

Grave Registration Supplies:

In the E.T.O., Graves Registration supplies were considered expendable items. Since bedsheets and blankets were both in short supply, white cotton Mattress Covers were normally used as shrouds. The Beach Maintenance sets for “Operation Neptune” (D-Day 6 June 1944) included a single Mattress Cover for 375 man-days, and follow-up sets decreased this allowance to one for 450 man-days. At the end of July 44, the supply in Normandy had been depleted, and QMC rear Headquarters in London were instructed to ship 50,000 Mattress Covers to the Theater immediately – even by air, if necessary! During the next several months, Grave Registration supplies were requisitioned by daily telegram as were other Class II Supplies, with the same unfortunate results. After this procedure was amended, i.e. course of December 1944, 20-day credits for Graves Registration Supplies would be established for each Army and Base Section. Emergency requisitions of supplies actually used in processing the dead, such as Mattress Covers, Wooden Crosses and Personal Effects Bags were further always honoured, regardless of credits. It was however sometimes necessary to edit separate requisitions for distinctive equipment of Graves Registration Companies, such as Rubber Gloves and Stripping Knives. Quartermasters were also called upon to supply such items as Flagpoles, Fencing Materials, Garden Tools, Grass Seed, and various Shrubs for use at temporary burial sites. It should be noted that articles, locally procurable in the European Theater would often be supplied for this purpose.

Field Equipment (Mortuary Supplies):

Illustration of a temporary wooden Name Peg (FM 10-63 page 40)	Illustration of a temporary Greek Cross and Star of David, wooden items (FM 10-63 page 41)

Temporary Grave Markers – name pegs, temporary grave markers, labels, may be obtained from the local Graves Registration Service unit, but Chaplains and other Officers are expected to keep themselves supplied by means of prescribed requisitions on the GRS of the Theater of Operations, including such special items as rubber gloves and stripping knives.  Other necessary elements including flagpoles, fencing materials, garden tools,  wood, grass seed, and shrubs will be obtained locally.
Name Pegs are V-shaped wooden boards, 1-inch thick, 6-inches wide at the top, and 38-inches long. In the absence of name pegs, ordinary stakes may be used. In all cases, the duplicate Identification Tag must be securely fixed to the peg (the original Tag having been buried with the body). In the larger cemeteries in which isolated burials have been concentrated awaiting return of bodies to the homeland, the graves may be marked with temporary Crosses and Stars of David (the Identification Tag that was attached to the temporary Name Peg, should then be removed and fixed to this new Cross or Star of David Marker).

Personal Effects – all effects found on remains by the burial party will be regarded as personal effects, they will be disposed of and listed on the Report of Interment. The proper handling and channelling of personal effects by the responsible GRS Officers will reduce theft and pilfering to an absolute minimum and provide for a proper check on their shipment. An inventory list will be placed in the Effects Bag (or other container) together with the articles of personal effects of the deceased. Copies will be distributed, and forwarded to Effects Quartermaster, Kansas City Quartermaster Depot, Kansas City, Missouri. It is to be noted that all Government issue property, other than clothing necessary for burial, will be withdrawn from the personnel effects and will be immediately delivered to the Summary Court Officer. Personnel in charge of burial parties will cooperate with Salvage units to the extent of collecting all equipment of issue of the dead and turning them in for salvage. Personal Effects Bags, Safety Pins, Embossing Machines, should be requisitioned from the Office of The Quartermaster General. In order to conserve cargo space for the war effort, shipment of caskets and other mortuary supplies from the United States to oversea Stations and Base Commands is discontinued!

View of a number of Personal Effects Bags, QMC Stock No. 27-B-250, Bag used to pack Effects found on body remains in order to return them to the next of kin of the deceased soldier

Definitions:

Report of Interment – Graves Registration Form No. 1, is to be made and forwarded in several copies through Army channels. It mentions the place of burial, the name of the cemetery, the exact geographical location (but not the APO number), and the name of the Chaplain (or other Officer) conducting the burial rites.

Weekly Report of Burials Recorded – Graves Registration Form No. 2, is to be filled out and sent through channels, at the end of each week.

Personal Effects Bag – a standard bag, Stock No. 27-B-250, issued for Personal Effects of the deceased, closed by a knotted drawstring and a clamped lead seal, is to include an inventory list i.e. WD AGO Form 54 (made out in quadruplicate).

Personal Effects Pouch – a registered shipping container for Personal Effects Bag, securely locked and sealed with a hasp locking strap, a padlock, and a lead seal (identical to standard Canvas Mail Bag) is to be accompanied by a Dispatch Card, sent from the originator to the Effects Quartermaster, Army Effects Bureau, Kansas City Quartermaster Depot, 601 Hardesty Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri.

Personal Effects Inventory – a list of Personal Effects as removed from the deceased, signed by the NCO or responsible person removing the effects, is to be included in every Personal Effects Bag

Pouch List – a list compiled by the originator of the shipment, containing name and organization of the deceased, will be included in each Personal Effects Pouch, and must be subsequently signed by every Officer receiving it and opening it to check its contents, while in transit to Kansas City.

Dispatch Card – a card contained in the transparent pocket of the Personal Effects Pouch, showing the signature of, the time of dispatch by, the originating Officer, and in the case of each intermediate Officer, date and time of receipt and date and time of dispatch, and signatures as well as any discrepancies noted.

View of Box containing 6 Identification Burial Bottles (green glass and white cap), QMC Stock No. 57-B-1000

Identification Burial Bottle – a cardboard box containing 6 glass burial bottles, Stock No. 57-B-1000, expendable containers which receive written identification marks of the deceased, such as dental works, tattoos, and other necessary notations, one bottle is to contain above data and a copy of GR Form No. 1 and is placed in the left armpit and buried with the body, while a second bottle containing identical information is placed at the head of the grave, until a grave marker can be erected.