Have you ever wondered where your military ancestor is memorialised? Whether they fell in battle or returned home, this remarkable collection can help you discover how they were remembered by their community. This growing archive includes over 100,000 photographs and records from more than 4,000 memorials across the UK, the former British Empire, and Allied nations. You’ll find war graves, rolls of honour, and books of remembrance, including thousands of memorials from both World Wars. It also features tributes to police officers and victims of terrorism, offering a broader view than many official registers. Whether you're tracing your family’s wartime story or seeking hidden connections, this collection invites you to delve into the past and uncover the legacy of your military ancestors.
Have you ever wondered where your military ancestor is memorialised? Whether they fell in battle or returned home, this remarkable collection can help you discover how they were remembered by their community. This growing archive includes over 100,000 photographs and records from more than 4,000 memorials across the UK, the former British Empire, and Allied nations. You’ll find war graves, rolls of honour, and books of remembrance, including thousands of memorials from both World Wars. It also features tributes to police officers and victims of terrorism, offering a broader view than many official registers. Whether you're tracing your family’s wartime story or seeking hidden connections, this collection invites you to delve into the past and uncover the legacy of your military ancestors.
When you delve into this unique collection of memorial images, you will be able to see images of the original images and a transcript of the vital details. The transcript may include the following:
Take your research a step further and browse through the memorial images. Discover the names of the individuals who were memorialised alongside your ancestor. The first image will direct you to the memorial image where your ancestor’s name appears. Then you can browse through the images to see the rest of the memorial using the arrows on the left and right. Some memorials include hundreds of images.
This extraordinary and ever-expanding collection offers a treasure trove for anyone tracing military ancestors or exploring the wider impact of conflict on families and communities. This collection brings together over 100,000 photographs and detailed records from more than 4,000 memorials and rolls of honour across the UK, former parts of the British Empire, and Allied nations—an impressive effort to document all those affected by conflict.
What makes this collection truly unique is its remarkable breadth. It honours nearly 550,000 individuals from all services and branches, not just those who died in uniform, but also civilians killed in terrorist attacks or through enemy action on the home front, those who served and survived, and women’s services. Many entries include full inscriptions, descriptions of insignias and embellishments, and moving epitaphs, such as one from Stoke Newington: “Death is but crossing the world as friends do the seas, they live in one another still.”
From the English Civil War to the Iraq War, and with strong representation from both World Wars, the collection includes war graves, community plaques, and memorials to those who worked in the docklands. The largest memorial recorded at Kranji War Cemetery commemorates over 24,000 individuals.
This inclusive approach means that many memorials often overlooked elsewhere are captured here. It’s this broad and detailed coverage that makes the collection truly unique and an invaluable resource for anyone delving into their family’s military connections or exploring local heritage.