Identity Disc
Definition
A metal disc worn around the neck by military personnel bearing name, number, unit, and religion. In WWI British forces used two-disc systems (one red fibre, one green); recovery of a legible disc from skeletal remains is a primary identification indicator.
- Worn by
- Military personnel, around the neck
- Data recorded
- Name, service number, unit, religion
- WWI British system
- Two discs: one red fibre, one green
- Forensic role
- Primary identification indicator on skeletal remains
- Field context
- Battlefield and conflict archaeology recoveries
Common questions
Why did the British WWI system use two separate discs instead of one?+
The red fibre disc was designed to be removed from the body at the point of death for casualty reporting, while the green disc stayed with the remains for burial. This let units confirm deaths quickly without losing the identity record needed for the grave.
What happens forensically when only a disc, not documents, is recovered?+
A legible disc gives investigators a strong lead but is not automatically conclusive, since discs could be swapped, lost, or misattributed on a battlefield. Archaeologists typically corroborate it with skeletal biological profile, artefact context, and, where possible, DNA before finalising an identification.
Related terms
- CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves Commission)
- The international organisation, established by Royal Charter in 1917, responsible for commemorating Commonwealth military casualties of the First and Second World Wars....
- DNA Kinship Matching
- The process of identifying conflict casualties by comparing DNA extracted from skeletal remains to reference samples from known descendants, using STR profiles...
- Ordnance Survey Grid
- In the context of conflict archaeology, the systematic metal-detector transect grid laid out before excavation begins, used both to locate metallic finds...
- Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)
- Ammunition, shells, grenades, or bombs that were deployed but did not detonate, remaining live in the ground decades or centuries after the...
- Wound Track
- The path of tissue disruption left by a projectile passing through a body. Consists of a permanent cavity (crushed tissue) and a...