More than 5 million First World War campaign medal records go online
More than 5 million First World War campaign medal records go online
08 November 2004
Want to find out how your grandfather was honoured in the Great War? For the first time the medal records of more than 5 million men and women who served in the First World War are available online at DocumentsOnline
The records of the future King Edward VIII, Sir Winston Churchill, composer Ralph Vaughan Williams and war poet Wilfred Owen all appear along with many well known names from the world of entertainment and sport.
The medal index cards, held at The National Archives, Kew, provide the closest thing there is to a 'roll-call' of all those who served in the army and Royal Flying Corps in the Great War, as every individual who served abroad in the army or Royal Flying Corps was entitled to one or more campaign medals.
People from all walks of life are represented: officers and soldiers, civilians whose jobs took them into the War, and thousands of people from commonwealth countries.
TV satirist and Private Eye Editor, Ian Hislop, whose family history will be revealed on BBC2 on Tuesday 9 November said:
"This is a huge leap forward for online family history research. Having spent some time tracing my own ancestors for BBC2's Who Do You Think You Are? I'm sure this will prove an invaluable, time-saving resource."
You can see the medal record of Sidney Godley, the first private to be awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry. After the war he worked as a school caretaker in east London. Tower Hamlets council later named a block of flats in his honour. Find out about Walter Tull, one of the first black professional footballers, who played for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. He was also the army's first black officer. Despite military regulations, which forbade "any Negro or person of colour" being made an officer, he was commissioned in May 1917, and mentioned in despatches for his "gallantry and coolness under fire".
William Spencer, military historian at The National Archives said:
"More people than ever are researching their family history and most want to start online. Medal rolls can be really useful when doing your family history research. With Documents Online, people all over the world can search and download digital images of original documents for £3.50 - that's cheaper than a trip to Kew for most people."
DocumentsOnline is one of The National Archives' websites helping to bring our nation's memory to the public.
Visit DocumentsOnline to discover more about the people who shaped the country you live in today.
