[Graves Registration]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

Document Reserve
WAR DEPARTMENT
TECHNICAL MANUAL
GRAVES REGISTRATION
September 23, 1941
NON-CIECULATING
NTSU LIBRARY
TM 10-630
TM 10-630
C 1
1.35 •.
CAoAojes I
TECHNICAL MANUAL
GRAVES REGISTRATION
Changes 1	WAR DEPARTMENT,
No> 1 I	Washington. June 9, 1942.
TM 10-630, September 23, 1941, is changed as follows:
10. Supervision of burials.
*******
d. Salvage service cooperation.—Those in charge of burial parties will cooperate with salvage units to the extent of collecting the small arms of the dead and turning them in for salvage; or, if unable to make the collection, will cover them for protection against the elements and report same to a salvage officer.
[A. G. 062.11 (5-16-42).] (C 1, June 9, 1942.)
26. Cooperation of service units.
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b. Salvage service cooperation.—Rescinded.
[A. G. 062.11 (5-16-42).] (C 1, June 9. 1942.)
By order of the Secretary of War :
G. C. MARSHALL,
Chief of Staff. Official :
J. A. ULIO,
Major General,
The Adjutant General.
464196°—42
«. S. GOVERNMENT FEINTING office- I94J
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CLM\. Chief, Graves Registration Service.—The chief exercises general technical direction of the Graves Registration Service. He is re
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sponsible to the chief quartermaster, theater of operations, who in turn is responsible to the commanding general, theater of operations for—
(1)	The preparation of a complete plan for building up the organization of the Graves Registration Service and its expansion in conformity with the general plan of operations and approved priorities.
(2)	Efficient operation of the Graves Registration Service.
(3)	Establishment and maintenance of simplified and uniform methods of administration, operation, and procedure for all Graves Registration activities in the theater of operations.
(4)	Cooperation with graves registration unit officers in subordinate commands, with commanding officers of combat units, the medical service, and chaplains.
(5)	Development of new, improved, or special techniques and methods in connection with the execution of his technical duties, and to meet the particular requirements of the theater of operations.
c.	Functions of Graves Registration Service.— (1) The acquisition, under laws of war or of the country in which operating, of land for use as temporary burial places for deceased personnel of the Army.
(2)	The location, control for preservation of such cemeteries, and the proper marking and official recording of graves therein until permanent burial is accomplished or the remains are delivered to the next of kin designated by the soldier upon his entry into the service.
(3)	The proper burial of the dead in accordance with existing regulations, reducing to a minimum the number of isolated or single graves.
(4)	The receipt, collection, and disposition of all personal effects found on the dead.
(5)	The registration of all graves so as to enable identity of the dead and the relocation of isolated graves and cemeteries, and graves within cemeteries.
(6)	The preparation of sketches, maps, etc., and the compilation of sufficient data to show the location of graves and cemeteries, with particular reference to permanent landmarks which would not be obliterated by heavy shell fire.
(7)	The general supervision and control of all personnel assigned to the Graves Registration Service.
d.	Method of functioning.—Quartermaster companies, graves registration, organized in accordance with War Department Tables of Organization will constitute the principal agency through which the Graves Registration Service will function. These companies will be assigned in the theater of operations in accordance with policies hereinafter outlined.
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e.	Control.—In its operations, the Graves Registration Service will be subject to the control of the commanding general, theater of operations, and will serve as a division of the office of the chief quartermaster, theater of operations.
/. Theater of operations assignments.—Graves Registration Service troops are assigned to armies. They will report to and be under the disciplinary and sanitary directions of the commanding generals of the armies with which they are serving. They will receive their technical instructions directly from the chief of the Graves Registration Service or through the graves registration officer of the army in whose area they are serving.
g.	Distribution of Graves Registration Service.—The combat zone will be divided into Graves Registration Service sectors which may be enlarged or diminished as circumstances require, in order that the work of graves registration may be completed in the rear of each advancing portion of the battle line.
h.	Graves Registration Service officers with sections or armies.— Graves Registration Service officers assigned to inspection or other staff duty will, in order to promote uniformity of reference, be designated as follows:
(1)	The officer assigned to the staff of the commanding general of each army for the technical supervision of Graves Registration Service affairs will be referred to as Graves Registration Service officer, First Army; Graves Registration Service officer, Second Army; etc.
(2)	The officer in charge of Graves Registration Service work at headquarters, combat zone, will be referred to as Graves Registration Service officer, combat zone.
(3)	Each Graves Registration Service officer at base, intermediate, or advance sections of the communications zone will be referred to as Graves Registration Service officer, base, intermediate, or advance section, communications zone.
i.	Graves registration troop movements.—Orders for the movement of Graves Registration Service troops will always be made according to the recommendation of the chief of the Graves Registration Service unless some general military consideration makes it inadvisable to comply with these recommendations, in which case the chief of the Graves Registration Service will be notified immediately and any modified recommendations which he may have to make will be considered.
24. Quartermaster company, graves registration.—a. Organization.—The quartermaster company, graves registration, is organized in accordance with T/O 10-297:
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Quartermaster company, graves registration (T/O 10-297)
,	I
I I 1 I
headquarters	Platoon	Platoon	Platoon	Platoon
r i	~—i	-
Section	Section	Section
b. Basic functions.—The functions of the graves registration company are to supervise the identification and burial of the dead, the collection and disposition of personnel effects of those killed in action (the term “killed in action” includes not only those meeting sudden death, but all casualties who as a result of wounds die on the field before reaching an aid station) and the plotting of location and registration of battlefield graves and cemeteries in the combat zone. The company does not perform embalming. Labor for grave dig-ging is furnished by the service units of the Quartermaster Corps, unless burial by organizations is essential under certain circumstances.
c. Subdivision of company.—(1) Section.—The section is an element of the platoon. It consists of a corporal (section chief), 1 private (record clerk), and 4 privates. Two of these sections serve the foot elements, and one the motorized elements of a division. The section must be taught to function under its section chief and to coordinate its activities with those of the platoon. One Medical Corps noncommissioned officer will usually work with the section.
(2)	Platoon.—The platoon is the basic work unit. It serves a division. It is commanded by a commissioned officer assisted by a staff sergeant (topographical draftsman).. The attached Medical Corps noncommissioned officers will be assigned to the sections as directed by the company commander, or by the platoon commander if it is discretionary with him. The number of Medical Corps noncommissioned officers will permit of one being attached to each section, and this is expected to be the usual assignment. It may be, however, that casualties in certain areas from artillery fire will necessitate a different arrangement. The platoon commander will, under general instructions from the company commander, serve under the commanding general of the division in the sector to which he is assigned. His immediate superior, insofar as administrative details
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are concerned, will be the division quartermaster. His Graves Registration Service reports, however, will be transmitted to his own company commander. The division will supply him with the necessary data to enable him to perform his tasks.
(3)	Company.—The company will be attached to the corps. Under general direction of the corps commander and technical direction of the chief, Graves Registration Service, it will serve under the direct supervision of the corps quartermaster. Its elements will be assigned to subordinate units as determined by the corps commander.
d.	Administrative reports and records.—In addition to reports and records having to do with graves registration and the burial of the dead, the company, like any other company, must maintain records and submit reports at stated intervals.
e.	Technical instructions and reports.—Graves registration units will receive their technical instructions from, and render the reports prescribed by regulations, through military channels, to the chief, Graves Registration Service, who in turn will forward them through the chief quartermaster of operations to The Quartermaster General.
f.	Troops to assist.—Troops will be assigned, when necessity demands, to assist and work under the technical direction of the Graves Registration Service of the army, corps, division, or other independent organization, as the case may be, at the discretion of the commanding general concerned.
g.	Additional guartermaster duties.—When quartermaster personnel assigned to an organization to take care of mortuary affairs are not fully employed, either in training operations or actual mortuary work, they may be assigned to such other quartermaster duties as will not interfere with the technical operations of the Graves Registration Service.
h.	When command moves from one area to another.—When a division or other similar command moves from one area to another before graves registration work in the area is completed, the commanding general of such command will be responsible for the assignment of adequate personnel to complete the burials pertaining to his command and to compile the required records. Should tactical requirements or other considerations make it impossible or extremely inexpedient for a commanding general to detach sufficient personnel for the above purpose, he will make immediate report of the circumstances to the next higher commander; and only in a most serious emergency will such commander be justified in withdrawing from an area without leaving adequate personnel to complete the burials per
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taining to his command, unless so specifically authorized by higher authority in each case.
i.	Working parties.—These may be detailed from time to time by commanders of corps and divisions, for the labor of policing graves and cemeteries, but it is not intended that work of more permanent character shall be undertaken by working parties, other than those which are directly supervised by Graves Registration Service personnel.
25. Medical Department liaison and assistance.—a. Preliminary considerations.—Burial of the dead and graves registration activities are closely interrelated to activities of the Medical Department. Medical inspectors will exercise sanitary supervision over the burial of the dead. The bodies of those individuals who die after being delivered to medical units and establishments are prepared for burial by personnel of the Medical Department, in accordance with policies and sanitary measures adopted by the medical service.
b. Report of death.—W. D., A. G. O. Form No. 52 (Report of Death) in the case of every person subject to military law, as defined in the second article of war, will be prepared in triplicate, immediately subsequent to the date of death, by the surgeon or by the immediate commanding officer of the deceased, if there is no medical officer with the command. In practice, on the battlefield, those dying after reaching the forward aid stations will have these reports prepared by the medical officers thereof; while for those killed in action, W. D., M. D. Form No. 52b (Emergency Medical Tag) will serve as the basis upon which officers will subsequently prepare W. D., A. G. O. Form No. 52. The carbon copies of the emergency medical tags will be assembled and utilized by the senior medical officer of each unit to prepare for the organization commander such a daily list of casualties as may be required in preparing and checking his reports. At the end of each month, all the carbon copies, having served the purpose indicated, will be collected and forwarded with the monthly report of sick and wounded to the chief surgeon, theater of operations, for transmittal to The Surgeon General.
c. Liaison.—(1) It is essential that the officer commanding the graves registration unit attached to an organization, receive information from the commander thereof concerning all contemplated operations, and that he be kept informed of the progress of events as they occur. The Graves Registration Service officer should especially acquaint himself with the medical plan as expressed in those data furnished by the surgeon to G-4, for publication in the administrative
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order of the division or the corps. The solution of the problem as to the location and distribution of graves registration units is simplified by a knowledge of the Medical Department’s plans.
(2) Prior to battle, conferences with G-2 and the division surgeon will result in corroboration of or change in the estimate of the graves registration officer as to probable casualties and their distribution along the line upon which final assignment of graves registration personnel and service troops will be made.
d. Attached medical personnel.—The medical personnel attached to the graves registration company are not intended for use in treating the wounded or in performing other functions of the Medical Department in the combat zone. Their fuction is to assist graves registration personnel in the identification of the dead by means of technical inspections and notations. Their basic training has fitted them for the rapid and accurate execution of this task. They are familiar with medical terminology and to some extent with anatomical details and minutiae. Inasmuch as the disposition of graves registration personnel for operation is somewhat similar to that of the Medical Department in the collection of the wounded, the medical personnel attached to graves registration units will serve as technical contact men with medical personnel performing their usual duties. Close coordination at this point will facilitate the separation of the dead from the wounded and the rapid burial of the former. At the same time where there is any doubt as to death, the doubt can be resolved.
e. Detailed operations of attached medical personnel {indicative but not exhaustive').—(1) Identification of portions of a body dismembered by explosion, and the proper disposition of viscera.
(2)	Thumbprints and fingerprints of the right hand, or, if those are missing, of the left hand (in the event identification tag is missing).
(3)	Preparation of tooth charts in the event identification tags are missing.
(4)	Notation of anatomical characteristics when identification is open to doubt.
(5)	Inspection of the body for other identifying media.
(6)	Preparation of W. D., M. D. Form No. 52b, in the absence of medical personnel regularly detailed for that purpose, and the removal and disposition thereof together with the proper disposition of the carbon copies, for those killed in action.
(7)	First aid in an emergency.
/. Procedure of Medical Department.—At the termination of combat, or during lulls thereof, regimental medical and collecting detachments, assisted when necessary by details from troops, make a careful
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search of the portion of the battlefield assigned to them to discover and bring in any wounded who have been overlooked. In the absence of accompanying Graves Registration Service personnel or a burial detail during this search, the location of all the dead is marked in such a manner as to call them to the attention of the burial parties, and emergency medical tags are prepared showing “KIA” thereon when applicable. The medical service and other details searching for wounded and dead may operate simultaneously.
26. Cooperation of service units.—a. Combat requirements.— The graves registration officer will indicate to the division quartermaster the number of details from the service company which he will require to dig the number of graves necessary and fill them in after interment. The number of details required depends upon the kind and intensity of the engagement, and the acquired skill and speed of the personnel in this work. No more men should be detailed from service units than the assigned graves registration personnel can supervise with assurance that the work is being done properly and identifications made with accuracy. Experience in one or two engagements will indicate to the graves registration officer the proper proportion of graves registration and service unit personnel.
b. Salvage Service cooperation.—The chief of the Salvage Service will instruct his field force to permit bayonets, rifles, helmets, etc., which may be used as temporary grave markers to remain until replaced by regular Graves Registration Service markers, and to indicate grave locations which they may discover. Graves Registration • Service personnel will promptly report to the Salvage Service any articles they discover which are susceptible to deterioration from the elements.
Section VI
PREPARATION FOR COMBAT
Paragraph
Location of cemeteries and burials___________________________________________ 27
Selection and location of cemeteries________________________________________ 28
Plans for burial____________________________________________________________ 29
27. Location of cemeteries and burials.—a. General.—-An administrative order headed “Evacuation” sets forth (among other things) the location of cemeteries and instructions concerning burial and reports thereof. The administrative order will state the assignment of troops for burial duty including the time, place, and to whom they are to report unless they are a part of or attached to, the quartermaster battalion (regiment).
410191°—41----4
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b. Reports in absence of Graves Registration Service personnel.—In all cases prompt report is made to the quartermaster (usually of a division) as to the location of graves, identity of the dead, and the disposition of effects. These reports, however, are routine and need not ordinarily be included as a directive in the administrative order.
c. Transportation.—Supplied by the division quartermaster if that of the Graves Registration Service unit is insufficient to meet requirements.
28. Selection and location of cemeteries.—a. Responsibility for selection.—In order to secure the proper interment of those who fall in battle and to establish beyond doubt their identity, it is the duty of the commanding generals of each army, corps, division, or other command to supervise the proper interment of the dead therein, and make the required records relative to place, location, and date of burial.
b. Nwmber of dead to be accommodated.—The strength, composition, location, movements, physical condition, morale, training, and equipment of the enemy largely determine the number of casualties that will result in a given engagement. Furthermore, the proportion of a command that is actually engaged affects the losses in that command. For example, a battalion might lose 20 percent of its strength while the regiment of which it is a part might lose only 12 percent of its total strength. So, also, three or four regiments of Infantry in a division might lose 12 percent each, while the loss in the division as a whole might not exceed 8 percent. With the larger units a progressively smaller proportion is actually engaged in the front line so their percentages of losses is progressively smaller.
29. Plans for burial.—a. Establishment of Graves Registration Service.— (1) Immediately after reporting to the area commander, the Graves Registration Service unit commander should locate a cemetery or cemeteries, being guided by the provisions of existing regulations and paragraphs 27 and 28. Here he should establish his headquarters, station his unit and the labor troops, and supervise the evacuation of identified dead to the designated cemeteries. He should distribute, as required, the labor troops assigned for burial work, and receive, check, and complete all records involved in identification and burial. He should establish contact with all chaplains in the division and all burial officers detailed, see that they are informed of the scope of the Graves Registration Service duties and responsibilities, and coordinate their work. Graves Registration Service personnel should not be stationed farther forward than the collecting stations initially.
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(2) The officer commanding the Graves Registration Service unit will supervise the assignment of his personnel and see that they are supplied with the necessary equipment and supplies, including blank forms. He will also maintain direct liaison with Graves Registration Service officers of other armies operating within his sector, for the interchange of burial reports and information.
(3) His headquarters will be a base of supplies for blank forms and materials required in Graves Registration Service work by groups operating under his direction, and a base for transmission of burial reports, maps, and sketches required to be submitted by them. He may, at the same time, transmit similar reports, maps, and sketches from the chaplains operating in his sector.
b.	Arrangements.—The graves registration unit commander will then determine the routes to be used in collecting the bodies and transporting them to the cemetery, the transportation he needs in addition to that of his unit and the service troops, and make request for any additional required; arrange his schedules and working parties, and proceed with his duties of gathering, identifying, and burying the dead; registering their graves and reporting grave locations to the chief, Graves Registration Service. He should establish contact with the divisional personnel adjutant and obtain lists of the dead as soon as possible. This will facilitate search for bodies and enable valuable identification data to be obtained from officers or men of the dead men’s organizations. There should be no duplication of effort by the Graves Registration "Service units and the Medical Department in advance of the collecting stations.
c.	Use of cemeteries.—When temporary provisions must be made for burial in foreign cemeteries, pending the necessary delay in acquiring land, the selection of the plot should be made with the view of providing for a number of burials within the same area. In places where American military cemeteries shall have been acquired, the use of local private cemeteries will be discontinued.
d.	Number of cemeteries.—There should be a cemetery established in the vicinity of one or two division hospital stations; and one or more, in the event of a wide envelopment, in the zone of action of the enveloping force.
e.	Relative locations.—Other factors being favorable, cemeteries should be located in places convenient to the sectors where the heaviest fighting is expected and, therefore, the greatest number of casualties.
f.	Sanitary considerations.—Insofar as possible, cemeteries and graves should not be located near streams because pollution of the water may result therefrom.
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g.	Physical and terrain features.—Cemeteries and graves should be screened from hostile ground observation, defiladed from enemy fire, and as nearly as possible, without the range of hostile artillery. Local cemeteries should be utilized when suitably located, subject to restrictions on their use indicated above. Cemeteries should be located in open fields where the soil is well drained and easy to dig, and with or near good lateral roads leading from the flanks of thS command which it is designed to serve. In any event the ground should be suitable for the purpose. It should not be underlined with rock, requiring blasting, nor should it be swampy, which causes the graves to fill with water; neither should it be situated on the bank of a stream, because this subjects the site to the possibility of overflow of the banks of the stream and, in addition, subjects the stream to possible pollution. The overflow of the stream may also cause grave markers to be washed away thus removing valuable identification media.
h.	Plans for cemeteries.—In laying out temporary cemeteries the standard plan furnished by The Quartermaster General will be strictly followed, both as to plotting and number of graves, except when deviation is actually required by terrain conditions, in which case immediate report of the modifications and reasons therefor will be forwarded through military channels to the chief, Graves Registration Service. Once a cemetery has been established and burials therein begun, neither the plan nor the numbers of the graves will be changed, except by authority of the chief, Graves Registration Service of the Army.
i.	No alteration by local authority.—It must be remembered that the plotting of cemeteries is not a matter to be decided by any local authority. In authorized cemeteries graves are to be dug in accordance with an exact survey, and steps should be taken, when practicable, to indicate in advance by use of numbered pegs or preferably the exact spot where graves are to be placed.
j.	Graves and paths to be countersunk.—Ordinary difficulties in following prescribed measurements and complying with the requirements of blueprints may be obviated if at least one section of each cemetery is marked according to scale and all graves and paths included therein are countersunk to a depth of 3 or 4 inches.
k.	Graves to be alined.—Special care will be taken that graves are on a line with one another so that the headstones will be in aline-ment, both laterally and longitudinally. Where headstones or markers are out of alinement the matter will be immediately rectified.
I.	Fencing.—Cemeteries and isolated graves or groups of graves will be fenced as soon as practicable after being established. The Quartermaster General will furnish specifications for a suitable fence, but
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if for any reason it is impracticable to follow specifications for a suitable fence, it will be built in the best way possible from such materials as are found available at the time.
m.	Other considerations.—Sites should be in such a position and of such shape as to interfere as little as possible with the use of adjoining land; for example, the corner of a field should be selected and not the center. The site should be selected with a view to economy, bearing in mind that the owners of the land must be compensated by the nation within whose borders the cemetery is established. For example, as little frontage along the road as possible should be taken. Where there is any choice of land, the poorer quality should be selected rather than the more fertile. Attention should be paid to parcel boundaries, which may usually be distinguished by difference of cultivation, in order that such parcels may not be ruthlessly divided.
n. Descriptions.—The description of the ground should be given with reference to surface conditions, slope, trees, and important vegetation ; also a description of irregularities, with measurements. Roads and other means of access should be indicated. If any graves are already included in the space, the size, spacing, and plotting scheme should be noted, with necessary measurements.
o. Maps.—The Graves Registration Service unit commander must keep an accurate map of grave locations at all times; topographical draftsmen and their assistants are for this purpose. He should be active and conscientious and constantly alert to eliminate uncertainty as to such locations.
p. Digging of graves.—In authorized cemeteries graves are to be dug in accordance with an exact survey, and steps should be taken when practicable to indicate in advance, by the use of numbered pegs, the exact spot where graves are to be placed. Graves should not be more than 6 feet 6 inches long, 2 feet wide, and 5 feet deep, and should not be more than 12 inches apart; and a path not exceeding 3 feet in width should be left between graves.
(1) In light soil.—It is sometimes advisable to dig trenches to a depth of 4 feet and then make single excavations 1 foot deeper, insuring a minimum earth coverage of not less than 3 feet.
(2) In rocky soil.—Where rock is encountered, two adjoining graves will be opened by blasting, and the openings protected by board covers made especially for such purposes and painted grass green. When an interment is made, the body will be placed in the first opened grave, and a new grave will then be blasted, thus leaving an open grave between the one in which the interment is made and
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the place where blasting is required. Only small charges will be used, great care being taken not to injure the adjoining graves. Where no rock is encountered, blasting will be discontinued until rock again appears. The distance between grave centers or between the heads of graves will not be changed because of blasting.
Section VII
DISINTERMENT AND REINTERMENT
Paragraph
Deaths during hostilities_______________________________________________   30
Concentration during hostilities__________________________________________ 31
Concentration after hostilities	(including shipment)_____________________ 32
Reports__________________________________________________________________ 33
Rules governing visitors in cemeteries___________________________________ 34
Exhumations_______________________________________________________________ 35
Preliminary arrangements__________________________________________________ 3g
Policing cemeteries_______________________________________________________ 37
Identification and records______________________________________________  33
Preparation of body______________________________________________________ 39
Coffin and shipping case_________________________________________________ 40
Reinterment or shipment___________________________________________________ 41
30. Deaths during hostilities.—When death occurs during hostilities, the remains will be buried at or near the place of death, there to remain until disposition becomes practicable.
31. Concentration during hostilities.—a. Efforts will be made on the part of all concerned to avoid isolated interments. Every isolated burial renders liable the loss of a soldier’s body, as well as making registration and maintenance of the grave difficult.
b. Groups of less than twelve graves will be considered as isolated burials. Circumstances and surrounding conditions will determine whether the remains are to be at once removed to an established cemetery or marked, registered, reported, and properly safeguarded for the present.
c. Groups of twelve or more graves should be established, marked, registered, and reported as a cemetery, to remain until the disposition of all bodies, during an armistice or after cessation of hostilities, is definitely determined upon. Such graves should not be removed unless the location is unsuitable for the purpose.
32. Concentration after hostilities (including shipment).— The operations incident to these activities subsequent to the World War (1914-18) were conducted in the manner indicated in this paragraph and in paragraphs 33 and 34. Each war presents its own aftermath, no two of which cause identical difficulties. The
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methods used during the last war will doubtless be of value in determining the methods to be used subsequent to any future hostilities in which the forces of the United States may be engaged.
a. General organization.— (1) For purposes of administration, coordination of duties, and proper functioning, the different phases of activities pertaining to the exhumation work will be divided into those at the ports, concentration points, and in the field.
(a) Ports.—Certain ports will be designated where supplies and material will be received for use in exhumation work, where all supplies intended for the field operation forces will be placed in serviceable condition, and where bodies will be concentrated for shipment.
(5) 0oncentration paints.—Concentration points will be located at such places in the interior areas which provide railroad facilities near groups of cemeteries in which field operations are to begin.
() Note securing screws, iron strappings, and handles.
(e tamped and sodded.—When filling the graves the earth will be thoroughly tamped as it is thrown in and the graves carefully sodded. Graves will not be mounded. When the graves sink, as they ultimately will, they will be filled level with the ground. The turf will be removed in as large and regularly shaped pieces as practicable so that it can be neatly replaced when the graves are filled. Sunken graves should be leveled in the early spring.
(3)	Graves not to t)e mounded.—This prohibition is applicable to American cemeteries acquired by the Graves Registration Service but will not prevent the symmetrical arrangement of American graves in accordance with prescribed plans in effect in cemeteries where space is placed at the disposal of the A. E. F. This is in accordance with the rule established by The Quartermaster General, promulgating National Cemetery Regulations.
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(4)	Graves and grave plots will be seeded to grass or sodded, and no flowers or shrubs will be planted thereon. A well-kept lawn is the prescribed adornment, and plants will be confined to the spaces designated on cemetery plans, or may be set between crosses and in alinement with them.
(5)	Out flowers and even artificial wreaths may be placed on graves but must not be left thereon after they become unsightly nor long enough to injure the lawns. Wreaths will not be hung upon the crosses. Requests for Graves Registration Service personnel to accept commissions for placing flowers or flags on individual graves cannot be complied with, in view of obvious difficulties, and ought not to be, if the Nation’s dead are to be treated with such equality as their common service merits.
(6)	Lawns, plants, and ornamentation.—Vases, urns, tubs, hanging baskets, or other fixtures intended for plants or chairs, settees, or other obstructions will not be allowed on any plot or grave site. Such of these as have been placed thereon will be removed.
(7)	Proper inscriptions.—Crosses and headboards should show full name of decedent, grade, company, organization, date of death, and grave number.
(8)	Prohibited inscriptions.—All emblems or insignia of fraternal or other secret or civic societies, or other legends, insignia, badges, etc., not relating to the United States military or naval service, are prohibited.
(9)	As far as possible, the inscription should be in accordance with a prescribed arrangement. It is not intended that this arrangement should be used in cases where it would be at variance with permanent crosses already in place, thus marring the uniform appearance of the cemetery. It should be used, however, where the temporary crosses in an entire plot are being replaced by permanent crosses, and in cases where it is necessary to supply additional data, to conform with requirements quoted in paragraph (7), on crosses already inscribed.
(10)	Additional data which seems advisable on account of local conditions should be placed upon the reverse side of the cross.
(11)	The identification tag should be attached to the face of the cross.
(12)	Caretakers will be on duty at the cemetery each weekday between 8 AM and 12 M, 1:30 PM and 5 PM. They are required to perform whatever manual labor is necessary for the proper maintenance of the cemetery and supervise working parties; they will be held responsible for its condition and for failure to report matters requiring attention.
(13)	They will be courteous to visitors and comply with all requests regarding placing of flowers, etc., which are not contrary to these instructions. They will not accept tips from visitors or remuneration for any services rendered to visitors.
(14)	They will refer to the central office of the Graves Registration Service all corrections in inscriptions requested by visitors and will not make alterations unless authorized to do so.
(15)	They will not incur any liabilities without proper authority or make any payments on account of the United States for services or supplies of any character, or for transportation charges on any articles purchased for use of the cemetery, except in cases of extraordinary circumstances which will not admit delay.
(16)	They will not engage in farming, gardening, or other private enterprises which would interfere with their duties incident to the care and maintenance of the cemeteries.
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QUARTERMASTER CORPS
(17)	They will not give out any information likely to embarrass the department, such as exceptional action which has been taken in particular cases; or express any opinion regarding the policy of the department in the management of the cemetery; or suggest application for special privileges. This does not prohibit the answering of any inquiry from visitors as to the place of burial, grave number, or the giving of such other information as the public should properly receive. Visitors making inquiries on other subjects will be referred to the officer having supervision.
(18)	There will be a notice board in the cemetery showing name and address of caretaker so that he may be found by visitors who may arrive during the hours when he is not required to be on duty.
Section X
MEMORIAL DIVISION, OFFICE OF THE QUARTERMASTER GENERAL
Paragraph
Memorial Division-------------------------------------------------- 5g
56. Memorial Division.—The Memorial Division, office of the Quartermaster General, controls all operations pertaining to records in that office of graves of officers and enlisted men of the American military service and civilians attached thereto who were killed or died while in the service. In time of war it establishes status of casualty and correct identification on questionable cases by investigation through the records of that office, the office of The Adjutant General, and information forwarded from headquarters, Graves Registration Service, after examination of bodies and search of ground. Determines disposition of remains and transmits instructions to headquarters, Graves Registration Service. Maintains communication with field and expeditionary headquarters in the form of transmittal and supplementary letters on which to base action in all cases pertaining to disposition and identification of remains. Furnishes information concerning deceased in response to inquiries. The registration section of the division is charged with the following duties:
a.	To maintain complete records of graves of officers and enlisted men of the field or expeditionary forces and civilians attached thereto who may have died while serving therein. Such records to contain data concerning burials sufficient to determine original and subsequent location of bodies.
b.	To establish status of casualty on questionable cases by investigation through the records of that office and the office of The Adjutant General.
c.	To determine correct identification of remains by investigation through the records of that office, information from outside sources,
52
TM 10-630
56
GRAVES REGISTRATION ‘
and from the reports of Graves Registration Service headquarters after actual search of the battlefields.
d.	To compile from the results of these investigations information pertinent to unregistered graves and to forward this information to headquarters, Graves Registration Service, with directions.
e.	To send daily reports of grave locations recorded and corrected to the Office of The Adjutant General, and copies to headquarters, Graves Registration Service.
/• To direct Headquarters, Graves Registration Service, to correct inscriptions on grave markers to agree with official records.
[A. G. 002.11 (3-14-41).]
By ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR.*
G. C. MARSHALL,
Chief of Staff. Official :
E. S. ADAMS,
Major General,
The Adjutant Generod.
Distribution :
R and H (6) ; Bn and L (2); IC 10 (10).
(For explanation of symbols see FM 21-6.)
53
INDEX
Paragraph' Page
Arrangements, preliminary, for	exhumation work_________________ 36	36
Bodies, preparation______________________________________________ 39	38
Burials:
Plans________________________________________________________ 29	26
Reports_________v________________________________________ 45, 53	46, 49
Burials on battlefield:
Concentration of burials_____________________________________ 31	30
Emergency medical tags, description and	purpose______________ 13	8
Enemy dead___________________________________________________ 12	6
Identification tags, description and purpose__________________ 6	3
Isolated interments, guarding against________________________ 11	G
Precautions___________________________________________________ 8	5
Responsibility for in absence of graves registration personnel____________________________________________________ 7	4
Sanitary and preventive measures_____________________________ 14	9
Search of battlefields________________________________________ 9	5
Supervision__________________________________________________ 10	6
Caretakers, cemeteries, duties----------------------------------- 55	50
Cemeteries:
Caretakers’ duties___________________________________________ 55	50
Final survey report__________________________________________ 46	47
National_____________________________________________________ 54	50
Policing----------------------------------------------------- 37	37
Permanent____________________________________________________ 55	50
Selection and location___________________________________ 27, 28	25
Visitors in, rules	governing_________________________________ 34	35
Watchmen______________________________________________:__	32	30
Chaplains’ duties________________________________________________ 22	13
Coffins and shipping cases_______________________________________ 40	39
Concentration aftei* hostilities_________________________________ 32	30
Concentration during hostilities_________________________________ 31	30
Deaths during hostilities________________________________________ 30	30
Deaths, report__________________________________________________  42	45
Disposition, identification tags_________________________________ 15	9
Emergency medical tag:
Description and purpose______________________________________ 13	8
Disposition__________________________________________________ 50	48
Enemy dead, disposition------------------------------------------ 12	6
Exhumations:
Arrangements_________________________________________________ 36	36
Bodies in hermetically sealed caskets________________________ 35	36
410191°—41
54
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INDEX
Exhumations—Continued.	Paragraph	Page
Concentration points, selection and duties of officer in charge------------------------------------------------------ 32	30
Field forces, organization and duties_______________________ 32	30
Port officers, duties and instructions______________________ 32	30
Reports----------------------------------------------------- 33	34
Supervision_________________________________________________ 35	36
Unidentified dead___________________________________________ 35	36
Field forces, organization and duties in exhumation work______	32	30
Grave markers:
Monuments___________________________________________________ 17	10
Responsibility	for__________________________________________ 19	11
Temporary___________________________________________________ 16	10
Grave marking:
Inscriptions________________________________________________ 20	12
Monuments___________________________________________________ 17	10
Responsibility	for__________________________________________ 19	11
Temporary------------------------------------------------16,18	10,11
Graves registration___________________________________________ 23-26	18
Graves Registration Service:
Burial reports,	handling________________________________ 47, 48	47
Organization_____________________________________________ 23	18
Hermetically sealed caskets, exhumation of bodies in__________ 35	36
Identification of dead________________________________________ 15, 38	9, 37
Identification tags:
Description and purpose______________________________________ 6	3
Disposition_________________________________________________ 15	9
Lost-------------------------------------------------------- 49	48
Inscriptions, grave markers______________________________________ 20	12
Isolated interments______________________________________________ 11	6
Medical Department liaison and assistance in graves registration------------------------------------------------------------- 25	23
Memorial Division, Office of the Quartermaster General, functions and duties_________________________________________________ 56	52
Military honors___________________________________________________ 5	3
Monuments, use--------------------------------------------------- 17	10
National cemeteries______________________________________________ 54	50
Organization, Graves Registration Service________________________ 23	18
Permanent cemeteries_____________________________________________ 55	50
Personal effects of deceased, disposition____________'________ 51	49
Plans for burial_____________________________________ __	29	26
■Policing cemeteries_____________________________________________ 37	37
Port officers, duties and instructions___________________________ 32	30
Precautions, burials on battlefield_______________________________ 8	5
55
TM 10-630
INDEX
Preparation for combat:	Paragraph	rage
Plans for burial_____________________________________________ 29	26
Selection and location of cemeteries_____________________ 27, 28	25, 26
Preparation of bodies____________________________________________ 39	38
Prisoner of War Information	Bureau,	purpose and duties_______	12	7
Quartermaster company, graves registration, organization and functions _______________________________________________________ 24	20
Reinterment or shipment__________________________________________ 41	42
Religious faiths, provision for	determination____________________ 21	13
Removal of dead___________________________________________________ 4	3
Reports and records:
Burials-----.--------------------------------------------45, 53	46, 49
Death report_________________________________________________ 42	45
Emergency medical tags, disposition_________________________  50	48
Exhumations______________________________________________33, 38	34, 37
Final survey, cemeteries_____________________________________ 46	47
Handling of Graves Registration Service burial reports___ 47, 48	47
Location of graves, sources of information___________________ 52	49
Lost identification tags__.__________________________________ 49	48
Personal effects of deceased_______________________________   51	49
Work recapitulation report___________________________________ 43	46
Responsibility for—
Burials in absence of graves registration personnel______	7	4
Erecting grave markers_______________________________________ 19	11
Rules governing visitors in cemeteries___________________________ 34	35
Rules of land warfare in regard to burial of enemy dead______	12	7
Salvage service, cooperation in graves registration______________ 26	25
Sanitary and preventive measures in battlefield burials______	14	9
Search of battlefield for bodies__________________________________ 9	5
Selection and location, cemeteries and burials_______________27, 28	25
Service units, assistance in graves registration_________________ 26	25
Shipment of bodies_______________________________________________ 41	42
Shipping cases and coffins_____________________________________   40	39
Supervision of—
Burials------------------------------------------------------ 10	6
Exhumations__________________________________________________ 35	36
Temporary grave markers and marking__________________________16, 18	10, 11
Unidentified dead, exhumation_______________________,________	35	36
Visitors in cemeteries, rules governing______________________ 34	35
Work recapitulation report___________________________________ 43	46
56
II. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1941
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C.
NTSU LIBRARY
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