Friday 14 August 2015

CWGC releases 600,000 records of WW2 casualties

http://www.cwgc.org
To mark VJ Day* (15 August) the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has released some 600,000 records of Irish, British and Commonwealth casualties from the Second World War, together with records for most other nationals commemorated at CWGC sites: this includes the records for German soldiers.

The release of the CWGC's Second World War records follows the successful release of the First World War archive in August 2014.

The documents give a unique insight into the process of commemoration undertaken by the armed forces and the CWGC during and after the war, and include details of personal headstone inscriptions, date of death, rank, regiment and even some documents which show the journey of the deceased to their final resting place. The records are freely available to the public through the CWGC website at www.cwgc.org

In a press release, Andrew Fetherston, the CWGC's Archivist and Records Manager, said: "The release of our Second World War archive online opens a new avenue for members of the public to investigate and remember the individuals we commemorate."

"With the addition of these documents, alongside records relating to non-Commonwealth casualties buried in various sites around the world, it will now be possible, for the first time, to see the original records of all 1.7 million individuals the Commission commemorates."

* A commemorative ceremony is to be held this afternooon in Belfast. It is the first of a number of events taking place this weekend to mark the 70th anniversary.