<< [Back to Press releases]
14 MILLION WW1 MEDAL RECORDS LAUNCH ONLINE – ANCESTRY.COM.AU
16,000 Australians and more than 250 New Zealanders named for their outstanding bravery – their names and heroic actions published in the London Gazette (UK) during WWI
Famous names including Australians CEW Bean and Edmund Drake-Brockman, and celebrated Brits Noel Coward, Noel Chavasse and Ernest Shackleton among others
Images available
The complete medal records of all British soldiers, and also those for many Colonial soldiers who fought in World War One go online for the first time today as Ancestry.com.au launches the British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards: 1914-1922.
A testament to the bravery of 5.5 million soldiers, including Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought alongside the British Army, these records form the most comprehensive WW1 British and Colonial military collection still intact. In all, the collection contains the records for more than 14 million commendations.
During WW1 all British Army medal entitlements were compiled by the Army Medal Office in lists called Medal Rolls. From them index cards were produced for every soldier containing details of medals awarded, the reason for decoration, and also corps, unit and regiment.
Australian and New Zealand soldiers praised for their outstanding bravery in the field in the ‘Mentions and Dispatches’ in the London Gazette were subsequently listed in the Medal Rolls. ‘Mentions and Dispatches’ have long been Britain’s official public wartime reports detailing military operations.
The original index cards are now held by the Western Front Association (WFA), an organisation dedicated to furthering interest in the period 1914 -1918. Through a partnership with the WFA, Ancestry has for the first time colour digitised both sides of the cards and launched them online.
The collection will provide millions of people the opportunity to uncover their heroic ancestors, many of whom sacrificed their lives for their country in battles from the Western Front to Gallipoli. Without it, tracing many such heroes would be impossible as the majority of official WW1 service records were destroyed in the bombings of WW2.
In all there were 15 different WW1 commendations from campaign medals such as the 1914 Star, the Victory Medal and the Silver War Badge, to awards for extreme gallantry such as the Military Medal and Victoria Cross. Full details of every medal are included on the website.
The collection also contains famous names from politicians to aristocrats, actors, poets, sportsmen, artists, military, and scientists, including:
Edmund Alfred Drake-Brockman (Australian politician, judge, soldier)
Famed politician and judge, Edmund Drake-Brockman was a distinguished soldier who took part in nearly all major actions of the A.I.F. He was ‘Mentioned in Dispatches’ for his commendable service.
Charles Edwin Woodrow Bean (Australian journalist)
Australia’s famous war correspondent, Bean was awarded the 1915 Star for his service in France.
Te Rangi Hiroa (New Zealand anthropologist)
Famed anthropologist P H Buck, who is also known as Te Rangi Hiroa, was ‘Mentioned in Dispatches’ for having performed noteworthy actions during the war.
Alexander John Godley (New Zealand Major General)
Alexander John Godley was the Commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. During the Battle of Gallipoli Alexander commanded the New Zealand and Australian Division for which he was awarded the Victory and British War Medals.
Noel Chavasse (British soldier)
The most decorated (British) serviceman of the Great War, Chavasse was a Captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He was awarded the Victoria Cross on two separate occasions for courageous action under enemy fire.
Noel Coward – Academy award winning actor and playwright, Coward saw active duty before being discharged due to ill health. He was awarded the Silver War Badge.
Ancestry.com.au Marketing Director Debra Chesterton comments: “The Australian and New Zealand soldiers in this collection are there because of their outstanding bravery. Australians searching for their ancestors may not think to look in British records but this particular collection may just reveal one - and a brave one at that.
“This significant collection preserves forever the heroic actions of an entire generation of young men and is the single most comprehensive resource for anyone with an interest in researching soldiers enlisted in the British Army who fought in the Great War.”
The British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards: 1914-1922 can be viewed at www.ancestry.com.au. 2.1 million records launch today, with the remaining 3.4 million to be launched shortly. High resolution images of all medals are available upon request courtesy of Medal Yearbook, Token Publishing.
