Tri-Service
Keeping Local Military History Alive
It's been called the 'forgotten front'.
Whilst grave sites like France's Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme have become ingrained in public consciousness, it's perhaps less well-known that there's 300,000 war graves and memorials in Britain.
Earlier this year, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission launched a campaign in Scotland to encourage the public to research their local war dead.
Called the Living Memory project, it's been launched ahead of Armistice Day.
Dunbartonshire, for example, has 424 war graves. Now, it's hoped the Living Memory project will find out more about the people buried in the cemeteries there.
Local history teacher Paul Hamilton said:
"Our ambition is to essentially not just photograph and record every single one of those headstones on a website electronically, but to actually create a profile for every one of those individuals. We're doing that really through voluntary help, through young people, through people in the local community, through connections with universities and such, so yeah, it's ambitious, but its definitely achievable."
The hope is that the project will help the next generation to learn the stories behind local war graves, and help keep alive the memories of those honoured by them.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
