Military Chat

One of my relatives died on 11 May 1917 in Mesopotamia and is buried in Al 'Amara Cemetery, Iraq. His name is Richard Gorton Guest and his birth was 22 June 1886 at Everton, Liverpool, England.

He was in the East Lancs Regiment, having enlisted in Blackburn.

I have just come across his name under the heading 'UK Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects'.

I've never seen this before but am I right in thinking that the Army has lists of every soldiers' effects or does it mean that when they're listed those effects were never claimed?

Richard's father (my 2 x gt grandfather) died before WW1.

On Ancestry, with information about the Registers

About UK, Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects, 1901-1929

This database contains records detailing the money owed to soldiers of the British Army who died in service from 1901 to 1929. A small percentage of soldiers who were discharged as ‘insane’ are also listed here. Records typically include the name of the soldier, his next of kin and their relationship, the date of death and sometimes the place, plus other details. In cases where the soldier was discharged as insane, the place and date of discharge are often recorded in the place and date of death field. The inclusion of the next of kin makes these records particularly valuable to family historians, as this information can help researchers take a family back another generation or distinguish between soldiers with the same name. Early records also list a soldier’s trade before enlistment.
Payments went first to widows, or, if the soldier wasn’t married, to a parent (often a mother) or siblings.

EDIT - have just found your accidental duplicate post, so will also put this answer there as there are more answers on that one

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards/board/military_chat/thread/1351769?jump=1351769