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Service, salt, and sweat. Danger and dedication. Here, we take a look at the fascinating history of the Royal Navy's epic - and brutal - participation in the First World War.The Royal Navy, proudly known as the Senior Service, traces its lineage to the 16th century and is deeply rooted in national identity. It protected colonies, guarded coastlines and kept trade routes open. For generations, families sent their sons to sea with pride.As we follow the Navy's history during the…

Reverend David Railton first proposed the idea of having a single grave to represent the many unidentified British casualties of the First World War. While serving as an army chaplain on the Western Front he had seen a war grave with the simple epitaph;“An Unknown British Soldier”In 1920, Railton wrote to the Dean of Westminster suggesting that an unidentified British soldier be buried amongst the kings at Westminster Abbey. His idea was met with resounding support from Prime Minister…

You can begin in the same way, with a name from your family, your town or one of the memorials you pass every day. Because every name deserves to be remembered. Where the stories begin: A war memorial can be so familiar that it almost disappears into the landscape. Then you stop. The traffic continues, shop doors open and close, but the columns of names have you pause a little longer.  Each name belongs to someone whose absence once changed…

Family history doesn’t just have to be about our own relatives. Many of us research for friends, colleagues or people in our local communities, helping to bring forgotten stories back to life.Four members of the Findmypast Community made some incredible discoveries about their local war memorials. Here’s what they uncovered about these lives marked by conflict. A hidden Second World War story: Community member Patricia used to be in the Women’s Royal Air Force. She decided to research a…

Thankfully, one remarkable memorial at York Minster preserves more than 1,400 of their names. But until we look closer, they’re just names. Who were the women who died during the Great War? What are their stories? Where are the women in First World War history?: Think of a First World War memorial and you'll probably picture weathered stone in a town square or churchyard, carved with rows of men's names. Women's names are much harder to find, largely because women didn’t…

The First World War upended thousands of families. For one Surrey family, a soldier's disappearance on the battlefield slowly unravelled an entire household, scattering its children across institutions, counties and, eventually, an ocean. Nearly a century later, family history records helped stitch those pieces back together. An ordinary family: In 1911, carpenter Albert Edward Bance married Caroline Ratcliff in Surrey. Within a few years they had three children: Frances Elizabeth, Daisy Maud, and Albert Edward. The family of five never appeared…

When the First World War was declared in August 1914, Liverpool answered the call like few other cities in Britain. Crowds filled the square outside St George’s Hall, banners flapped in the late-summer wind, and Lord Derby’s voice carried across the steps: “Come along, boys — enlist together, train together, fight together.” Within days, the idea of the Liverpool Pals had caught fire. By the end of the month, so many men had come forward that even the newspapers struggled to keep…

Thousands of British men volunteered or were conscripted into the British Army during the First World War, with regiments raised across the country. But some regiments were different. Pals battalions offered men the chance to enlist alongside their friends, neighbours and colleagues - an extra incentive to go to war that proved popular in local communities.Men fought shoulder-to-shoulder with their loved ones, but when Pals battalions suffered heavy losses, it had devastating consequences for the towns and cities left behind.

In 1914, Britain was the only European power without a conscripted army. Manpower could sway the outcome of the war, so there was no issue more pressing than that of military recruitment. This is where Pals battalions came into play, changing the course of the war and the communities they left behind. What were Pals battalions?: The idea came from General Sir Henry Rawlinson, who believed that men would be more likely to enlist if they could serve alongside their friends.…

Imagine the thundering beat of an excited heart as your great-grandfather signed his enlistment papers, after waiting in line for hours with his friends. That thunder would soon become gunfire in the trenches.By examining his experiences, we can paint a richer picture of what life was like for the average First World War soldier, affectionately known as 'Tommy'.Many of us have a First World War ancestor in our family tree. Stories may have been passed down in your…