Links & Resources
Collection of useful links and books
Websites
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
All of those who died in WW1 are commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The CWGC have an excellent website where you can trace where a soldier is buried or commemorated. There is also a host of information about specific battles and lots of videos and further reading.
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Pen and Sword
With over 350 books published every year, Pen & Sword has established itself as a specialist book publisher. Over recent years the company has continued to grow and has added new imprints to its core area of military history. Pen & Sword now specialise in all areas of military history, naval and maritime history, aviation, local history, family history, transport, discovery and exploration, collectables and antiques, nostalgia and true crime.
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Lives of the First World War
There are many commercial websites where WW1 soldiers can be traced, such as Ancestry and Find My Past. These normally require a subscription but often have periods when access is free. The Imperial War Museum Lives of the First World War project is a way to bring this research together and also allows you to find the page for your relative and add your own details and memories, to help create a permanent memorial to all those who served.
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WW2 Talk
Service records and medal rolls for WW2 are not yet available on sites like Ancestry and Find My Past, although both have some limited records. A good source of help is World War 2 Talk, a WW2 internet forum where some of the members are actually WW2 veterans! You can post questions and ask for help from some very friendly and helpful WW2 specialists.
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The Old Front Line
The Old Front Line website by Leger Guide Paul Reed contains a host of information about WW1 and the battlefields, including the Western Front and Gallipoli. Useful for getting an idea of what you may see on tour.
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The WW2 Revisited
The WW2 Revisited website by Leger Guide Paul Reed contains a host of information about WW2 battlefields. Useful for getting an idea of what you may see on tour.
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War Hats
Genuine, Refurbished, Replica world War Two & other periods Helmets, Hats and Accessories. Our mission is to supply as accurate as possible, period head-wear and accessories. We only deal with head-wear: helmets, hats, caps etc. This helps us to provide you with accurate period items.
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WW1 cemeteries
A site of remembrance and a comprehensive guide to over 4000 WW1 Military Cemeteries and Memorials throughout the world.
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Airfix
Airfix offers a wide range of plastic model kits of military and civil aircraft, ships, cars, figures and military vehicles. Across a huge selection of scales, skill-levels and prices, Airfix has also developed QUICKBUILD - an innovative range of “No Glue” models, unique to its category.
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Old Wrekinian Lives Lost 1914-1918
In excess of 330 former pupils of Wellington College, Shropshire; which formally adopted the new name of 'Wrekin College' in January 1921 following a change of ownership and the appointment of a new Headmaster, served in WW1. Of these 54 paid the ultimate sacrifice, either at home or abroad: the youngest was eighteen years of age and the oldest forty-four. This website gives a brief account of their individual service and ultimate demise.
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Asian War Graves
Formerely - Asia War Graves Photo Group - and continuing to supply FREE images of 50,000+ graves and 160,000+ names-on-memorials.These images are from 60+ CWGC and civilian cemeteries located within 19 countries in Asia.
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It is not essential to read anything before you go on a battlefield tour, but it can help to have some points of reference or background knowledge. Some suggested pre-tour reading is shown below:
General Books
- The First World War in 100 Objects (History Press) - Doyle, Peter
- The Western Front Then & Now (After The Battle) - Giles, John
- Before Endeavours Fade (After The Battle) - Coombs, R.E.B.
- Great War Lives (Pen & Sword 2010) - Reed, Paul
- The First World War: A New History (Simon & Schuster)
- WW2: A Layman’s Guide (Createspace) - Addington, Scott
- The Second World War (W&N) - Beevor, Anthony
- All Hell Let Loose: The World At War 199-1945 (Harper) - Hastings, Max
- Hitler (Penguin) - Kershaw, Ian
- The Holocaust: A New History (Viking) - Rees, Laurence
- The Rise & Fall of the Third Reich (Many editions) - Shirer, William
British Battles of WW1
- Somme: 141 Days, 141 Lives (History Press) - Churchill, Alex
- Battle Story: Loos 1915 (History Press) - Doyle, Peter
- Cambrai 1917 - Hammond, Bryn
- Gallipoli - Hart, Peter
- Somme - MacDonald, Lyn
- They Called It Passchendaele - MacDonald, Lyn
- Cheerful Sacrifice: Arras 1917 (Pen & Sword) - Nicholls, Jon
- Walking Arras (Pen & Sword) - Reed, Paul
- Walking The Somme (Pen & Sword) - Reed, Paul
- Walking Ypres (Pen & Sword) - Reed, Paul
- The Somme - Sheffield, Gary
- Messines 1917 (Osprey) - Turner, Alexander
Battles of WW2
- The Maginot Line (Osprey) - Allcorn, William
- Monty’s Men (Yale) - Buckley, John
- Snow and Steel: Battle of the Bulge (Arrow) - Caddick-Adams, P.
- Anzio (Headline) - Clark, Lloyd
- Cassino 1944 (Osprey) - Ford, Ken
- St Nazaire 1942 (Osprey) - Ford, Ken
- Forgotten Voices: Dunkirk (Ebury) - Levine, Joshua
- Arnhem 1944 (various editions) - Middlebrook, Martin
- Walking D-Day (Pen & Sword) - Reed, Paul
- Merville Battery (Pen & Sword) - Shilletto, Carl
- Pegasus Bridge & Horsa Bridge (Pen & Sword) - Shilletto, Carl
- Utah Beach (Pen & Sword) - Shilletto, Carl
