As Remembrance Day approaches, we hear about a Commonwealth War Graves Commission project to remember those who lost their life in the First and Second World Wars.

Since 1917, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) has maintained a record of all those who died serving in British Imperial forces in the two World Wars. Those records now contain more than 1.7 million names of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. In 2023, the CWGC launched a project, called For Evermore – Stories of the Fallen, to record not only the names but stories behind them too.

For Evermore – Stories of the Fallen is an online portal, which enables members of the public to upload stories and photographs of those commemorated on the CWGC database, allowing visitors searching records to discover more about the person behind the name. So far, nearly 7,000 extra pieces of information (military careers, citations, pictures etc.) have been uploaded, with hundreds more being added each month.

The CWGC are now looking for help from the Leeds and Yorkshire region, which has a strong military connection and many are amongst the 1.7 million that the CWGC commemorate. Their respective stories need to told and shared.

Leeds people already featured include Flight Sergeant Arthur Louis Aaron VC, Private William Haw and Private Walter Longbottom.

If you are interested in uploading a story on the For Evermore – Stories of the Fallen online portal, please visit www.cwgc.org/stories/home/.  There is a tutorial to assist with the content and example stories – not to mention the opportunity to browse the 7,000 stories that have already been uploaded.