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Christopher Nolan's blockbuster film Dunkirk tells the story of one of history's most daring military feats. Operation Dynamo saw the combined effort of civilians and the armed forces to evacuate over 300,000 stranded allied troops from a beach in France during the Second World War.Like so many British families, the film's cast have connections to a military past, as discovered in Findmypast's extensive records. Harry Styles' great-grandfather: One Direction singer Harry Styles made his acting debut in Dunkirk, perhaps inspired…

The Royal Archives Collection on Findmypast is comprised of a unique selection of records relating to nearly 400 years of the British Monarchy. If your ancestor worked for the royal family or was associated with them in other ways, these royal records could be vital for learning the history around them. Our partnership with the Royal Archives has made these fascinating records available online for the first time, only at Findmypast.Royal Household Staff 1526-1924 includes over 386,000 employment records from royal residences

Singapore, an island at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula, was a vital part of the British Empire. Often referred to as the "Gibraltar of the Far East", it was widely considered to be as impregnable as a fortress; an allusion that was quickly shattered when Japanese forces overran its ill-equipped defenders in little more than a week. After the squadron of warships defending the peninsular were destroyed by Torpedo-bombers, it was down to the army to stop the…

Paratrooper Lance Corporal Josh Leakey was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) in 2015 for bravely coming to the aid of isolated and wounded comrades in the face of the enemy in Afghanistan. Although L/Cpl Leakey is the third British soldier to receive a VC for service in Afghanistan, he is the first recipient to have survived the conflict. Until now Pte Johnson Beharry from 1st Battalion the Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment was the only non-posthumous British military recipient since 1965, for…