IDENTIFYING THE DEAD.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXVI, Issue 1376, 16 February 1900, Page 6

IDENTIFYING THE DEAD.

flow the dead on a battlefield are identified : — lhe names of the British killed and wounded after a battle are ascertained by means of the identification cards which all our soldiers carry sewn up in the left-hand corner of their khaki tunics. Oa the card is written the soldier's name, rank, ronri* mental number, together with the name and address of his next of kin. Tno latter is added so that the authoriL i • > -^ may know where to forward the cßVcfs of any soldier who gets killed. After an engagement the roll is called as sonn as the. regiment gets back to theircunp. Every man who does not nnsws-r i^ ' ticked off' as missing, and search i^ made for him on the field. A; thn search parties come across the dead «nd wounded men they rip open the tunic at the left-hand corner and tike, out the identification card. The c:irds thus collected are carried back to o imp and handjd over to the clerk's of the general in command, who therefrom compile the casualifcy lists. After all the cirds have been collected the roll ;s checked again, and a note made of those men of whom no trace has been discovered. These are usually presumed to have been taken prisoners, bat it does not always follow that the assumption is comer. In the corner of this tunic opposite the identification card every colriier carries a small pad of bandages, etc., for dn s ing a wound. This ' nVd-dressing,' as it is called, is added to ' Tommy's ' equipment in order that he may be Lis own surgeon until medical assistatics arrives, or -may h-vo the wherewithal on him to bind up thft wounds of a ehsim. You will probably ho surprised to lenrn that one •of the last, things l Tommy ' does when ordertd to the front is <o make his will,

aiiho-igh every regiment contains a percentage of hippy go-lucky Fellows who do no!- worry themselves about v, lmt will beconi" of their property whi»M they no longer require it. — London DaHv Mail.