Historic and Deceased Estates Casework
Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC)
Halifax aircraft
Another important part of the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre’s (JCCC) work is the Historic and Deceased Estates Casework.
Historic Casualty Casework
The team answer enquires relating to casualty occurrences outside the recent past and co-ordinate the investigation following discoveries of the remains of Service personnel, mostly from the First and Second World Wars, attempting to identify the persons involved and to trace their Next of Kin or descendants. We will then arrange an appropriate Service burial, if that is the wish of the family, or provide some assistance for private burials.
Additionally, we issue licences under the Protection of Military Remains Act, on behalf of the Secretary of State, to groups who wish to carry out archaeological investigations at aircraft (British, American or German) crash sites in the UK.
Deceased Estates Casework
This part of the team deal with the safeguarding of personal effects and, once Probate has been granted, will authorise any payments owing to the Estate of deceased personnel. Additionally the team deals with the Estates of preserved pensioners and investigates cases seeking exemptions from Inheritance Tax on the estates of deceased Service personnel
Gravestones and Memorials
When a person dies while serving in the armed forces, the MOD will arrange a funeral at public expense or provide a grant towards the cost of a private funeral, depending on the wishes of the family. Where a funeral takes place at public expense, the JCCC co-ordinates the provision of a Service pattern headstone, a suitable Plot Marker or an entry in a Book of Remembrance and will ensure the maintenance of headstones in perpetuity.
We also maintain the Armed Forces Memorial Database, which was recently produced by the Armed Forces Memorial Appeal Team, and which records the deaths of all Service personnel from 1 January 1948 onwards.
