In Merton College, Oxford yesterday, I paused in the Fitzjames Arch to read the (sobering) list of members who had died in the Great War, and then noticed that the last entry seemed different. The letters are white rather than gray and there appears to have been a white wash over the entry. Given that the dead man bears a famous German name, and clearly belonged to a German regiment, I fell to wondering if there’s a story here. Was his name engraved only recently? Or was it for a time obscured and has only recently been restored? I tried various kinds of online search, but drew a complete blank.

Later: David Smith, a Mertonian and a thoughtful blogger, saw the post and looked up the college Register:

von WURMB, Carl Friedrich Lothar.—b. 17 Apr. 1893; s. of Maj. Louvard von Wurmb, of Thuringen of Weimar. Educ. Grand Ducal Wilhelm-Ernst Gymnasium, Weimar, 1904–11; Univ. of Geneva 1911; Univ. of Munich 1911–12; Rhodes Sch., Merton 1912–14. Dip. Econ. 1913; read Law 1913–14. Torpids and Eights. Cavalry and Infantry, Eastern and Western Fronts, 1914–18. Capt. Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Cl. Killed in action 23 Mar. 1918.

So now we know who he was. Further developments awaited.