Where can I find a First world War grave?

The record of a location of a grave or memorial inscription is held by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). The register of war dead for the First and Second World Wars is available to search for free online.

Are bodies buried in war graves?

Thousands of soldiers were being buried on the battlefields in individual or communal graves by their comrades. They were often buried where they fell in action, or in a burial ground on or near the battlefield.

Who gets a war grave?

A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations.

Who looks after war graves?

The CWGC
The CWGC is now a truly global organisation – working to care for war graves at 23,000 locations in more than 150 countries and territories. We commemorate almost 1.7 million individuals.

How can I find out where my grandfather served in ww1?

You can find veterans’ military service records from World War I to the present from the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). The NPRC houses many types of records, including Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF).

Are there still bodies from WW1?

Nine British soldiers who died in World War One have been buried more than a century after their deaths. Their bodies were discovered during engineering works in De Reutel in Belgium in 2018.

Why are some war graves close together?

After the war, except for a few cases in which some cemeteries were concentrated into one, the war cemeteries were made permanent. This explains why there are such a large number of British cemeteries and their close proximity to one another. The British chose this solution as a mark of respect to the soldiers’ bodies.

Where are the ww2 graves?

The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial (French: Cimetière américain de Colleville-sur-Mer) is a World War II cemetery and memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, that honors American troops who died in Europe during World War II.

What are war grave headstones made of?

Portland Stone
Most Commonwealth War Grave headstones are made of Portland Stone. This is a soft stone and mainly white in colour however, on occasion the Commission have used a red Portland stone, which, in my humble opinion, is not as nice.