Obtaining photographs of war graves

Once you have located the burial place of a soldier you may be interested in obtaining a photograph of his war grave if you are unable to make a visit in person.

British soldiers’ graves in La Kreule Military Cemetery near Hazebrouck in France.

The War Graves Photographic Project

https://www.twgpp.org/

A volunteer project that has been running for many years, TWGPP says “The original aim of The War Graves Photographic Project was to photograph every war grave, individual memorial, Ministry of Defence grave, and family memorial of serving military personnel from WWI to the present day. However, due to its popularity we have now extended our remit to cover all nationalities and military conflicts and make these available within a searchable database.”

At time of writing it states that it has almost 2 million photographs.

Ask for help

The many members of the Great War Forum includes a large number who make frequent trips to the battlefields, notably in France, Flanders and Gallipoli but also elsewhere. It may be worth searching the site to see if anyone has discussed the specific cemetery or location in the past. You may also wish to make an appeal for help but do bear in mind that this is, in most cases, a person’s hobby and their trip is in their own leisure time: if you receive help, make sure you thank them. Registration at the forum is free.

There are social media groups, notably at Facebook and Twitter, that you may find helpful in obtaining a photograph.

Links

Records of deaths, burials and commemorations

How to research a soldier

Commonwealth War Graves Commission