THE UNITED KINGDOM NATIONAL INVENTORY OF WAR MEMORIALS

Background

This national research project was initiated in 1989 by the Imperial War Museum and the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (now merged with English Heritage). By the end of this year our volunteer field workers will have created a new archive holding information on the estimated 54,000 war memorials throughout the British Isles.

What we hold

In addition to files containing documentation about each memorial the archive comprises over 40,000 photographs and slides, a small reference library and a large collection of ephemera. The bulk of the archive holds information on memorials which were erected after the First World War but there is a wealth of information on memorials to earlier conflicts, for example the Crimean and Boer Wars. There is also much information on on commemorative activity from the Second World War to the present.

What we can do

The project is an invaluable source for many researchers. Those with an interest in local history, war in general and its commemoration will find it a key research tool. It will assist the work of students and scholars, especially in the fields of art and cultural history. It will also be a an important source for educationalists, publishers, conservators and public heritage organisations.

The information held in the archive will help those researchers who wish to map the commemorative work of particular artists, the popularity of particular designs and the use of the many different types of material. There will also be a wealth of information about commissioning procedures, the organisation of commemorative ceremonies and the impact of mass death at a local level. Issues of national identity, sculptural practice and community organisation are just some of the topics researchers will be able to explore.