Introduction
This site is dedicated to all those who have given their lives in the defence of the United Kingdom (my country), our values and our freedom. During my visits to places whilst on holiday, I like to visit church and grave yards and I actively seek out Commonwealth War Graves, memorials and private graves of those who died protecting this country. I photograph them and then like to research more about the person, their unit/squadron/ship, where they lived and any other information I can find out. I also like to provide details of the place where they are buried and provide links to other sites which contain information pertinent to the person interred and the unit in which they served.
The one thing that strikes when I am out on a field trip, is just how many souls perished in the Wars as a direct result of the conflict. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission ensures that the men and women who have given their lives in the service of this country are never forgotten. One of the unifying things, apart from death, is that the headstones in over 150 different countries all look similar - the headstones are uniform and there is no distinction made with regards to the military rank, race, colour or creed of the person interred - this makes it much easier for me to find each grave in amongst all the other gravestones. I work from a list provided by the CWGC, but have also found that some families may have chosen to have their own memorials / headstones which makes the job slightly more difficult.
Commonwealth War Graves
The Commonwealth Graves Commission's main commitment lies with the commemoration of those members of the Commonwealth forces who lost their lives in WW1 and WW2, between the following dates
4 August 1914 to 31 August 1921
3 September 1939 to 31 December 1947
They are also tasked with compiling as complete a list as possible of the many civilians whose deaths were due to enemy action during the Second World War - visit their website for more information on what this organisation does.
The CWGC also maintain some graves on behalf of the Ministry of Defence for those who have died in the service of this country in more recent conflicts. These graves look very similar to the headstones for World War 1 and World War 2 except that the top edge is notched at the shoulders of the headstone.
Having obtained permission from the CWGC, the relevant Church, Town Council, or relative (where I can trace them), I clean each headstone or memorial with plain soap and water before taking my photograph. Where the headstone is an official CWGC headstone, if it is damaged or shows major signs of deterioration I report these to the CWGC who are responsible for maintaining them if there are no relatives remaining to care for them.
Sometime I find graves for servicemen and women who are not named on the official CWGC lists. In this case I photograph the grave and find out as much information as I can before passing the information to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for further investigation which could potentially lead to the name being added to the official list.
Locations
I have limited myself to only covering places I visit in the United Kingdom. For such a large project I have started my project in my home town of Newbury in West Berkshire and it will probably take me several years to locate and document all the graves within this area. Therefore, over time this site will grow.
Research
My time is very limited as I have a full time job but in my spare time I try and research as much as I can using publicly available resources such as Birth, Marriage and Deathg records, Burial Records and census data, find my past, my heritage and many others.
Research for World War 1 is more difficult due to approximately 2 million records being lost (burnt) during enemy bombing in 1940. They are commonly known as "The Burnt Records WO 363"). This means that the records for about 60% of those who took part in the war are irretrievable lost to us. Therefore my chances of find much information about some people is severely limited.
About 2 million records were saved and are referred to as "The Burnt Documents WO 364" (WO = War Office) These records are for service personnel who were discharged and demobilized at the end of World War 1 or who died between 1914 and 1920
Double Oak Genealogy
I have used some information provided by a local Genealogy service (Double Oak Genealogy) as they specialise in documenting the men on World War memorials. They have produced a number of booklets available for purchase with more titles being added monthly. Where I have used their information I have clearly credited them and provide a link to their website. - it is well worth a visit - especially if you are trying to research your family tree and need help.
West Berkshire Memorials Project
I have also used information provided by Phil Wood who runs the website (West Berkshire War Memorials). As this website holds the information online, I have linked directly to the information rather than reproduce it here. - Again, this website is a mine of information and well worth a visit. The links will open in a new window so you can return to my website.
Can you Help?
If you have any information which could help, then please do feel free to contact me. I have tried to ensure that the information displayed is accurate, however there may be errors and omissions and your help, if you spot anything, would be very much appreciated.
I have deliberately tried to ensure that there is no identification of any currently living members of the families connected to the men I have researched in order to preserve their privacy, unless I have received express permission to include such information.
Tommy
For me, the image "Tommy" - by fine artist Richard Harpum, below, sums up everything about the sacrifices made by those who fought to keep this country free. Like the commonwealth graves, this picture contains a timeless quality, sadness at the passing of a brave soul, but hope that it was not in vain.
The image is reproduced here with the very kind permission of the award winning fine artist - Richard Harpum.
Richard is professional artist based in the United Kingdom. His favourite subjects are landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes and gardens. However, he also paints portraits and figures, along with flowers.
Please take a few minutes to look around Richard's site. http://richardharpum.com/index.html
