The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-04-03
$500 MISSING,
SAYS PERSHINC
TOTAL COMPARES WITH ENG
LANDS 1880.
List Already Reported
Access to Prison Camp Sites in Ger
many Leads to Many Ameri-
can Graves.

shing reported to the war depart
ment today that there are still $500
officers and men of the expeditionary
forces listed as missing. This total
compares with the British official fig
ures of 161, 800 missing and the
French of 100000.
All of the $500 names have been
reported as missing" in the casualty
lists already published, the report
said. Reinterments Of bodies from
isolated graves in the centralized
cemeteries is furnishing additional
Identification in a number Of cases,
and for this reason the records of the
grave registration service are being
carefully studied.
Reexamination of grave registra-
tion reports, and also of hospital rec
ords, referred to by Gen. Pershing
was said by officials at the war de-
partment to explain the KILLED in
action" and wounded in action"
casualties still appearing in the daily
casualty lists sent out by the depart
ment.
British Policy.
The British war office, Gen. Per-
shing's report said, had adopted the
policy of considering twenty-six
weeks in the case Of an officer and
thirty weeks for an enlisted man as
the length of time after the man had
been recored as missing before death
Is presumed. In the French army,
he said no definite period had been
fixed.
mo accurate estimate Of unre-
ported deaths can be given," said
Gen. Pershing's report. There are
are, however, $500 missing to be
accounted for, all of whom have been
reported to Washington as missing.
Refinement of bodies removed from
isolated graves to centralized ceme-
teries is furnishing additional identi-
fcation of deaths hitherto reported
as missing. This Is especially true
Of reburials Of bodies originally bur-
led by allied units to which American
troops were attached, identiflcations
of deaths hitherto reported as miss
ing. This is especially true of re-
burials of bodies originally buried by
allied units to which American
troops were attached, identifcations
being either incomplete or imperfect
ly registered at interment.
Many American Graves.
deaths of American soldiers in
French hospitals, of which only
meagre and often incorrect records
on file, are likewise disclosed by re-
burial of these bodies, resulting in
complete Identification. Access to
sites of prison camps in Germany
and to territory formerly within en-
envy lines is leading to discovery OF
many American graves and identifl-
cation of casualties previously re-
ported as missing.
Each company or other unit OF
the American expeditionary force
has heretofore been furnished a
complete list of officers and men
carried as missing up to February
1. All units are required to display
such list in places accessible to men,
bers of command for the purpose OF
securing casualty information from
every possible source. This exped1-
ent is resulting in locating hitherto
unknown graves and Identification
showing present status and where
abouts of many battle casualties.
Exceptional Difficulties.
reconsideration should be given
to the fact that methods OF warfare
as we'll as the extent OF terrain
fought over lent exceptional diff
culties to discovery and burial OF
dead. Burial parties frequently COM
pleted their mission under heavy fire
and often could only be done under
cover of darkness, thus making iden-
tiication in a great majority Of such
cases. For this reason grave reg
istration and chaplain reports are
being again investigated. A small
percentage OF such reports investl-
gated are proving to be cases of
American dead previously unreport-
ed as such. AS rapidly as identih-
cation can be completed from infor-
nation originally filed or subsequent
ly obtained from every possible
source. correct present status OF each