Before you create a new record, search existing records to check that that you are not going to create a duplicate

To create a new memorial record: 

1. Click 'Content' at the top left of the dashboard
2. Click 'Add new'
3. Select 'Memorial' 

You will then be shown the new memorial form

The memorial ID is automatically generated

 

Memorial title

 

The name or title should reflect who the memorial commemorates. This could be groups of people, names of regiments or if the memorial is dedicated to an individual, their name.

It is important that we are as consistent as possible here as the title is the main search function used by the public. 

Naming tips

• Use sentence case
• Do not include 'The' at the start of the title
• Do not include conflict unless there is more than one memorial for the same town or organisation from different wars, E.g. St Swithins- WW1 and St Swithins- WW2
• Do not include 'Memorial' unless it is part of the title itself, e.g. Duxford Memorial Hall
• Do not include what the memorial is, unless there are multiple memorials in the same place for the same war, e.g. St Swithins-WW1-tablet and St Swithins-WW1-Cross
• Only include the place name to identify a building, or village memorial e.g. Lambeth Primary School or
• Do not use ampersands (&), quotation marks (") or exclamation marks (!)
• Church names should be used where the dedication commemorates the parishioners. E.g. All Saints.
• Do not use apostrophes in the Church name, e.g. St Marys Church, not St Mary's Church
• Use the common name of Cathedrals and Abbeys, e.g. Salisbury Cathedral, York Minster, Westminster Abbey
• If a memorial is lost note this in the title using (Lost) at the end e.g. St Marys Church (Lost)
• For records dedicated to individuals use their rank (if known) in full, along with first initial and last name. e.g. Private A Smith, not Pvt Allan Smith
• Use (lost) at the end of the title to denote lost memorials, e.g. St Marys Church (lost)

 

Location

The location allows researchers to find the physical location of a memorial. Try to make this data, especially the address, as accurate and up-to-date as possible.

When inputting an address, try and provide as much information as possible to help researchers find the memorial.

Lost and moved memorials

The following fields are for memorials which have been lost or moved during their history, the guidance supplied as

• Has this memorial been lost

If the memorials location is known select 'No'

If you know that the Memorial has been moved but can not find out where to, select ‘Yes’.

• Is this the memorial's current location?

If you are inputting a past location for the memorial select 'No'.

For memorials which have been moved, used the 'add location' button to input all known locations,

Address tips

• Use 'Private residence' if the memorial is located on private property, this is important for data protection
• Do not abbreviate. Use Road, and Street, not Rd or St.
• For roads with local names and numbers put the number in brackets, e.g. London Road (A1).
• For memorials located on a crossroads, include both street names in the address e.g Corner of London Road and High Street

Address details should give the 1989 district and county (if known) as this is when the majority of War Memorials were built.

District and County can be selected from a list, you can skip to the term you need by typing e.g. typing “Su” will jump to “Suffolk”.

OS References

You can also input addresses using the Ordnance Survey National Grid reference code (known as OS Reference), which takes the format LL 00000 00000 e.g. TQ 24988 86226

• Find OS Grid References
• About the National Grid
• If you require any help using this tool, contact the War Memorials Project Manager.

Using the map

All memorials must be given a location on the map

Use the search box in the top right-hand corner of the map to locate a specific building or address.

Map search tips

• You can get the best results by searching Street name, town name, postcode
• Click and drag to move the map around

Once you have found the exact location or building on the map left click to drop a pin.

 Latitude and Longitude fields are automatically filled, but you can also input specific locations using Latitude and Longitude data

• Find Latitude and Longitude References

 

 

Memorial Details

Types of memorials

There are over 80 different types of Memorial on the register

• If you require a glossary or need help contact the War Memorials Project Manager.

Description and Ornamentation

Provide a short description of the memorial's appearance, including any significant ornamentation. Technical architectural terms can be helpful but are not required, this has to be understandable to the layman using our website.

This is a physical description, it should not include details of who or what is commemorated.

 

Reason for status change

If you've changed the status of a memorial, you can use this field to explain why and provide supporting information. Data input will only be visible to other volunteers, and will not appear on the public-facing version of the War Memorials Register.

 

Commemoration

 The commemoration tab is for recording all data about who the memorial commemorates- including a transcription of the inscription and dedication information. 

 

Inscriptions

• Write any inscriptions as they appear on the memorial, including capitals or lowercase text, punctuation and spelling errors. 
• Use forward slashes to represent line breaks.
• Illegible text should be recorded as (…) 
• Errors should be recorded faithfully, not corrected. Use [sic] to denote any errors you spot
• For memorials with more than one name listed use (Names) instead of listing them all
• Translate memorials with foreign language inscriptions. The translation should be recorded in sentence case after the original inscription and start with 'Translated as...'
• If inscription appear on more than one face, describe these using 'Face 1', 'Face 2' etc. moving clockwise from the primary face of the memorial

Sample inscription: 

TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE/ OF THE SACRIFISE [sic] OF THE MEN AND WOMEN/ OF (…)/ “Greater love hath no man than this/ that a man lay down/ his life for his friends.”/ In loving memory of (Names)/ Per Ardua Ad Astra Translated as: Through adversity to the stars

War

Choose a conflict from the drop-down list. Multiple conflicts should be listed separately using the 'Add war' button.

Tips for recording commemoration

• Many memorials don't specify the fate of the people commemorated, do not guess. Include that fate is not stated in the additional information field
• Memorials can list lots of different types of information including, but not limited to:  first initial and/or first name and/ or last name, relationships, manner of death, date of death, age at death, unit, place of death place of burial and decorations.  
• Memorials can also list memorials in lots of different ways. Alphabetical by last name, by regiment and by rank are among the most common.

 

Condition

Custodians

Do not assume that because a memorial is located within a certain place, e.g. a church or post office, that the place is the custodian.  This is often not the case and can result in problems should the memorial need repair or maintenance.

If you are not certain of the custodian leave the field blank.

Maintenance

Include any details of repairs, relocations or conservation.

Where possible please add a year that work was carried out. E.g. “2014 restoration of memorial plinth and new WW1 names added to coincide with centenary celebrations.”

Components

The components fields record the physical nature of a memorial. You can add as many components as required.

If a component is made from multiple materials you can add these by separating the materials by a comma

For memorials with multiple components use the 'add component' button to describe each part. E.g.  For a brass plaque mounted on a wooden cross, you would need to list the plaque and cross as separate components

Dimensions should be recorded in millimetres (mm) as far as possible, even when there are images included in the record. 

For difficult-to-reach memorials (e.g. a church window) list the approximate dimensions, e.g. height c.1500 mm

For information about nationally listed memorials look at:

• Historic England
• Historic Environment Scotland
• CADW (Wales)

 

History

Record any information about the background of a War Memorial. For example the sponsorship of a memorial, its cost, maker and ceremonies associated with the memorial.

Any dates should be recorded in accordance with IWM house style, in the format  DD Month YYYY e.g. 11 November 1920. 

You can find information about a memorial's history from primary sources published when the memorial was unveiled or from the organisation that had the memorial built. You may also find news stories online which describe conservation or restoration work.  

To add historic details click on the word in blue e.g. CEREMONY and a form will pop out. You can also add further information using the “Add …” button at the bottom of each section e.g. “Add Maker”.

References should be limited to archival records, published books and articles which add significantly to our understanding of the memorial and provide evidence about the fabric, ownership, history and condition of the memorial. Provide enough detail to help other users locate the reference for themselves using Modern Language Association (MLA) conventions. Please do not include newspaper reports, etc. which describe remembrance activities or make general reference to the memorial. 

Do not copy and paste text from other sources.  

 

Media

• Read the image upload guide

 

Names

• Read the names guide

Adding names listed on memorials helps family history researchers. By listing names we can create a searchable database of anyone commemorated, where they are commemorated and any details which their commemoration gives us. 

• Information should be recorded as it is stated on the memorial, including all spelling mistakes, geographical errors and historical inaccuracies.
• Do not add any additional or biographical details that are not listed on the memorial

 

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