On a recent visit to the Preston Cemetery, Tynemouth to search for a grave of a Royal Navy man who served on HMS Nottingham which was sunk in the North Sea in 1916 I was surprised to see that his and many other military headstones there were made of what looked like blue marble. I have only ever seen those made of white stone and slate before so I was wondering if this is unusual and for what reason. Most of the men were seamen and the others were army. Also would I be right in saying that the white marble headstones were for those who were killed in action or died of wounds and those made of blue slate were for those who died for other reasons whilst still serving or between conflicts eg there are two made of slate in my local cemetery of a soldier who died of illness in 1920 and another who died of pneumonia in 1918 whilst still doing basic training. Regards Peter

Peter The colour has nothing at all to do with cause of death, and the stone used for CWGC headstones comes in many types and colour. Some of these variations are regional, with granite being used a lot in Scotland, and slate in Wales; also red Corsehill limestone, the reddish-green Robin Hood limestone, and here in Sussex, Littlehampton has some in a very pronounced shade of green. The Royal Navy also had some completely different styles of headstone, in the form of a cross, used in it's own cemeteries. These differences are also in evidence in France and Belgium, e.g. the headstones at Martinsart being red Corsehill stone. Sue Sue Light [Lancing, West Sussex] www.scarletfinders.co.uk > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GREATWAR-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >