Memorials to the Missing of Fromelles

article by UKNIWM Project Officer, Frances Casey
The anniversary of the Battle of the Somme on 1st July has made me think recently of that equally disastrous attack, intended as a diversion and strategic support to the main Somme offensive, which took place at Fromelles on 19th July 1916. In the news, following the discovery of a burial [...]

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Differences in British and German attitudes to Commemoration

article by UKNIWM office volunteer Gabrielle Orton
 
   After my trip to Ypres some weeks back, I have been looking at the different national attitudes of Britain and Germany to commemoration, in terms of the layout and formation of the military cemeteries.
 
In the Ypres Salient alone, there are over 137 British military burial grounds, ranging from [...]

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How to trace the people behind the names

We recently answered an enquiry from a member of the public who wrote to tell us that she had started what she hoped would become a tradition with her young daughter on Remembrance Day.  They walk to the local war memorial and leave a poppy with a message.  Each year they will pick out one name and try to find out more information  about [...]

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Rugby Union’s tribute to the fallen

Last week, while in France for the Rugby World Cup, the England team made a journey to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial to the Missing of the Somme at Thiepval in France.  In the presence of the full squad of players, the captain and head coach laid a poppy wreath at the memorial.
Read more from The Times
Like other [...]

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Finding the missing

Last week I wrote about how the Commonwealth War Graves Commission commemorates each First and Second World War casualty with either a grave or memorial inscription (‘Remembering each casualty’).  
This week saw the burial of Private Richard Lancaster whose remains were identified after being discovered during an archaeological dig in Ypres last year.  Pte Lancaster was killed [...]

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Remembering each casualty

We received a letter recently from someone asking for help locating the name of their father (a Second World War Navy casualty) on a war memorial.  She had visited the two large Commonwealth War Grave Commission memorials in the area but had been unable to locate his name on either. 
The answer to the query can be found in the fact [...]

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Stories behind the names – Leyton air raid casualties

All memorials tell stories of personal sacrifice but, among them, some stand out for the scale of the loss they describe.
In Manor Park Cemetery, East London, there lies a memorial tablet to 25 civilians who died as a result of enemy action in the city during the Second World War. 
Leyton Air Raid Casualties
On this tablet six [...]

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