British Cemetery and Cremation Records from Deceased Online

This week tributes are being paid across Europe and the world to those who served one hundred years ago at the Battle of the Somme. In this week's post, I look at two extraordinary men who survived both the battle and the First World War, and whose cremation records are found in the Deceased Online database. The first day of the Battle of the Somme, the 1st of July 1916, remains the bloodiest 24 hours in British military history. Those soldiers of the British Empire who went "over the top" on this day a century ago had no idea how devastating this battle would be. Tens of thousands of men walked out of their trenches and straight into German machine-gun fire. On just this one day, 19,240 were killed and around 40,000 wounded. Those that survived were left with lifelong turmoil. Musicians like Ralph Vaughan Williams and writers such as J.R.R. Tolkein would, famously, transmute their experiences through art. Others were left with "shell shock" or what we now u...

Over the next few days, Deceased Online will be adding records for the final three sites in its Calderdale Collection. In my latest post, I look further at these West Yorkshire cemeteries and their extensive records. Sowerby Bridge by Bolton Brow by Malcolm Street, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4026626ion As you may know from my first post on the Calderdale Collection and the recent update , so far records for the following cemeteries have been uploaded to the Deceased Online database : Brighouse Cemetery , Lightcliffe Road, Brighouse HD6 2HH (1874-1996) Elland Cemetery , Exley Lane, Elland HX5 0SW (1861-1996) Halifax General/ Lister Lane Cemetery , Lister Lane, Halifax (1842-1962) Luddenden Cemetery , Stocks Lane, Luddenden HX2 6PR (1860-1996) Rastrick Cemetery , Carr Green Lane, Rastrick HD6 3LT (1884-1994) The last three sites to be added are: Park Wood Crematorium , Park Road, Elland HX5 9HZ (1956-1997) Sowerby Bridg...

In honour of the recent anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Normandy, this weeks post looks at some of those who died in its preparation - giving their lives for their country. Royal Marine Commandos attached to 3rd Division move inland from Sword Beach on the Normandy coast, 6 June 1944.  Royal Marine Commandos attached to 3rd Division for the assault on Sword Beach move inland, 6 June 1944. A Churchill bridgelayer can be seen in the background. (IWM Non-commercial Licence) Last week, surviving veterans and the families of those who have died travelled to France for the annual D-Day commemorations . It is now 72 years since that fateful day, 6th June 1944 , when Allied forces invaded Normandy in Operation Overlord - the allied invasion of north-west Europe. The assault phase of the operation, Operation Neptune , was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The successful attack on German-occupied western Europe would lead, eventually, to Allied victory in May 1945. 1...