The Debt Of Honour Register

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The CWGC's principles are:

• Each of the dead should be commemorated by name on the headstone or memorial.
• Headstones and memorials should be permanent.
• Headstones should be uniform.
• There should be no distinction made of account of military or civil rank, race or creed.

Since its inception, the Commission has constructed 2,500 war cemeteries and plots, erecting headstones over graves and, in instances where the remains are missing, inscribing the names of the dead on permanent memorials.   Over one million casualties are now commemorated at military and civil sites in some 150 countries.

Together with the tasks of structural and horticultural maintenance, the CWGC is charged with keeping records of the 1.75 million Commonwealth war dead.   At each cemetery and memorial you will find a register showing the service details and, in some cases, family details, of the men and women buried or commemorated there.   Much of the Commission’s day-to-day work is concerned with maintaining the integrity of the casualty database, the electronic version of the records, which can be accessed via the Debt of Honour Register (DoHR).

It should be noted that in December 2020, the Commission reviewed their policy on amendments to the Casualty Database.   One of the outcomes of the review was that they would no longer add awards to the database where there is no entitlement to post-nominal letters.   Therefore the recording of "Mentioned in Despatches" would no longer be carried out.   Included in the list below are names of officers awarded "Mentioned in Despatches" which will not be recorded in the Casualty Database.

Some apparent inaccuracies in the records of Officers of the Dorsetshire Regiment may have been found in the DoHR.   The Webmaster will investigate and report these errors to the CWGC as the website is progressed.   Included in the list below are names of officers awarded "Mentioned in Despatches" or foreign decorations which will not be recorded in the Casualty Database.

Below is a brief summary of apparent inaccuracies discovered so far and action taken or planned to take.   Also included in this list is the key information from War Office Officers Personal Files held at the National Archives which the Webmaster requires to complete/confirm data in the Devonshire Regiment Officers Roll of Honour.