Useful Links
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission works in close association with many other organisations to achieve its task of the commemorating those who died in the two world wars. In addition, there are many organisations that have a presence on the world wide web which may be of interest. The Commission is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Sections on this page are as follows:
Commonwealth Member Government Links- information on official bodies of the main Commonwealth nations involved in the commemoration of their war dead.
Photographic Service- for people wanting a photograph of the grave or memorial panel on which a casualty is commemorated
Museums- museums containing material relating to the two world wars
Non-Commonwealth War Grave Organisations- information on how the war dead of other nations are commemorated
Charities and Veteran Support- a range of charities relating to the care of veterans and their families
Further Reading- for those who wish to research further into the history of two world wars
Education- information on initiatives and information for young people and students of all ages
Scroll down the page for the relevant links.
Commonwealth Member Government Links
Mapping our Anzacs - from the National Archives of Australia, lets you browse 375,971 records of service in the Australian Army during World War I according to the person’s place of birth or enlistment.
The Canadian Virtual War Memorial
This web site, built and maintained by Veterans Affairs Canada, contains information about more than 116,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who have lost their lives in major conflicts since 1884. In addition to being a tribute to the men and women who served and gave their lives for Canada, the web site has a searchable database and the facility for members of the public to contribute to the memorial by submitting images, letters and other memorabilia.
UK- All-Party Parliamentary War Graves and Battlefields Heritage Group
Office of Australian War Graves
Heritage Affairs. Ministry for Culture and Heritage, New Zealand
An Agency of the Commission, responsible for war graves in New Zealand.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Canadian Agency
Veterans Affairs Canada
The Canadian Letters and Images Project
An archive of war related material focussing on the personal aspect of war.
The Armed Forces Memorial - Is the first national memorial dedicated to the men and women of the United Kingdom Armed Forces (Regular and Reserve) killed on duty or as a result of terrorist action since the Second World War. The memorial was dedicated in the presence of HM The Queen on 12 October 2007.
Photographic Services
The War Graves Photographic Project This is a voluntary project which is currently working towards obtaining a photograph of each Commission headstone and memorial.
Learn more about the project here, search their online database or request an image.
WW1 Cemeteries.com
Photographs of all First World War cemeteries in France and Belgium. Various other sites are also photographed.
The South African War Graves Project - its aim, to archive photographs of every South African and Rhodesian war grave, from the 2nd Anglo-Boer War, WW1, WW11 to present day.
The Australian War Graves Photographic Archive - photographs of Australian graves, world-wide.
Todayisfree.com - 360 degree panormaics of many of the Commission's cemeteries and memorials in France and Belgium. New sites constantly added.
www.wargravephotos.org - providing a personalised package of photographs of an individual War Grave or Memorial Inscription thoughout Northern Europe, with a family message, and British Legion Poppy or Wreath.
www.fallenheroesphotos.org - Fallen heroes of Normandy project is an appeal for photographs or information about the servicemen who now rest in the commonwealth cemeteries of Normandy
Museums
The Australian War Memorial
The Canadian War Museum
l'Historial de la Grande Guerre
The Imperial War Museum, United Kingdom
www.iwm.org.uk/90
Explore the Imperial War Museum's First World War collections and discover how its five branches are remembering the ninetieth anniversary of the Armistice.
The In Flanders Fields Museum, Ieper
Situated in the old Cloth Hall at the centre of Ieper, the museum provides an insight into the lives and hardships of ordinary people at the front and at home during the First World War.
Delville Wood Visitors Centre
The Juno Beach Centre
The National Archives
The National Army Museum
The Royal Air Force Museum
The Second World War Experience Centre
The Centre was created to collect, document, preserve, exhibit and interpret the surviving material evidence and associated information of the men and women who participated in the Second World War in whatever capacity.
The Royal Engineers Museum
www.museeaustralien.com tells the story of the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, particularly on the Western Front in 1918.
Non-Commonwealth War Grave Organisations
The American Battle Monuments Commission
The Oorlogsgravenstichting/Netherlands War Graves Foundation
The German War Graves Commission is a public service organisation. Duties:
- Acquisition, maintenance and care of the German War Graves
- Tending to next of kin
- Youth and educational work
- Preservation of the memory to the sacrifices of war and despotism.
French War Casualties The French Ministry of Defence website records all French casualties of the First World War and in the near future it will record certain Second World War casualties.
Charities and Veteran Support
The Royal British Legion - Commonwealth War Cemetery Visits
The Royal British Legion specialises in visits to the Commonwealth War Cemeteries and Memorials and to campaign areas world-wide. Anyone may apply. The Legion also administers the Government Grant in Aid Scheme which enables British war widows, who have not done so before, to visit their husband's grave or memorial overseas with the aid of a substantial grant. Each Pilgrimage is fully escorted and include medical staff.
Armed Forces Day celebrates the ordinary men and women who have served in the UK’s Armed Forces, making sure that their contribution is not forgotten. Events to mark the day take place on and around 27 June every year.
Royal British Legion Industries
Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) is a separate charity working very closely with the Legion providing employment, housing and support for disabled ex-Servicemen and women and their families. They have an online mail order operation, 'SupplyLines', which produces the Legion's annual gift catalogue.
The Scottish Poppy Appeal or The Earl Haig Fund Scotland
Poppy Travel - the travel wing of the Royal British Legion and specialists in visits to war cemeteries. Poppy Travel run the UK government's War Widows Grantin Aid scheme, enabling war widows, who have not done so before at public expense, to visit their husband's grave or memorial overseas.
The National Ex-Prisoners of War Association
AJEX - The Association of Jewish Ex-servicemen and women.
Veterans Agency is the single point of contact within the Ministry of Defence for providing information, help and advice on issues of concern to veterans and their families via its Free Helpline
Callers to the Helpline can receive advice on a wide range of subjects such as welfare issues, war pensions, service records, medals and military graves. Veterans Agency has close links with ex-Service organisations, voluntary groups and statutory bodies such as Social Services.
In addition, Veterans Agency is responsible for the management of the War Pensioners Welfare Service (WPWS) and Ilford Park Polish Home (IPPH).
The Royal Navy website is a comprehensive media outlet for the general public. Information can be seen on the site in all areas from current headlines to operations, links to other web sites, a historical section and an interactive multimedia centre.
Royal Navy Community is a new website designed to offer serving, reserve and retired Royal Navy personnel and their families a 'one stop' controlled access, unclassified web-based, Internal Communication resource. It offers a large database of information from various organisations supporting the Royal Navy.
SSAFA Forces Help The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) Forces Help is committed to helping and supporting those who serve in our Armed Forces, those who used to serve, and the families of both.
In From The Cold Project The In From The Cold Project (IFCP) was formed to research and identify all service men and women missing from the official Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) list of casualties from the First and Second World Wars.
The UK National Inventory of War Memorials - is a registered charity working to compile a record of all war memorials in the UK and to promote their appreciation, use and preservation.
War Memorials Trust works for the protection and conservation of war memorials in the UK. We provide advice and information to anyone as well as running grant schemes for the repair and conservation of war memorials. The website provides a range of resources to help you discover more about war memorials and their preservation.
Further Reading
The Western Front Association
World War 1 1914-1918
www.historytoday.com
www.1914-1918.net
www.salientpoints.com
http://www.victoriacross.org.uk
http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/index.html
http://www.esquelbecq.com/
Aircrew Remembrance Society is a non-political society dedicated in helping relatives of fallen and missing airmen in the 1939-45 war.
Naval-History.net is a valuable resource for anyone wishing to know more about the Royal Navy in times of war. Comprehensive guide to twentieth century naval history by a published naval author.
Nga Toa meaning "Many Warriors" in the Maori language is a project dedicated to preserving the oral histories of New Zealand’s last remaining World War II veterans. To date, over 150 interviews have been compiled in the Nga Toa video archive.
The Explore England’s Past website provides free access to the local history materials produced by academics and volunteers as part of each county project. Resources include transcribed documents, images, text, and audio files that can be searched by location, theme, building type, time period, people and project.
Airmen in Denmark - a website detailing place of burial for Allied airmen in Denmark (includes images and search maps).
http://www.ciaops.com/guides/battle/ is a website which gives information on the part played by Australian forces on the Western Front.
The Roll of Honour - a website dedicated to UK memorials and those commemorated on them
Normandie Memoire - a very useful website with historical data on the Normandy campaign, current events and visitor information.
Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Books of Remembrance - Two commemorative books containing the names of people whose lives were lost at War are on display at the Spring Garden Road Memorial Library. Each November, a new page is turned in each book.
Click the following link for information on the Second World War in Northern Ireland.
Legion Legacies, Canada- a great way to learn and share your roots.
For information about Second World War museums, graves and memorials in The Netherlands visit WW2 Museums (in English) or Oorlogs Musea (in Dutch).
Remember September 1944 - keeping the memory alive of Operation Market Garden during the Second World War.
Education
Battle of Arnhem this site was set up by a Dutch organisation, the Market Garden Foundation. It contains a roll of honour and full details of the battle.
Cassino Battlefield Tours
The History Channel
The History Channel's website provides articles from well known historians as well as links to other websites within the history community. The History Classroom, with materials provided by History Review magazine, provides research and study support materials for teachers, and multi-media links to help GCSE and A-level history student.
The Somme Tourist Board - Somme Battlefields
The Somme Remembrance Association
The North East War Memorials Project is intended to assist the public, Local History Groups and Schools, to learn about and research their neighbourhood War Memorials, and record the results
The George Cross Database provides up-to-date information, facts and figures for all recipients of this award.
Pacific Islanders played a vital role during both World Wars and you can find out more about their cultures, traditions and sacrifices at the London Fale website.
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