The War Graves Photographic Project

The War Graves Photographic Project [http://www.twgpp.org] aims to photograph every war grave, individual memorial, Ministry of Defence grave, and family memorial of serving military personnel from WWI to the present day.

Now working as a joint venture with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission [http://www.cwgc.org] , and linked to The Office of Australian War Graves [http://www.dva.gov.au/oawg/] , this will enable families, scholars and researchers to obtain, via the CWGC [http://www.cwgc.org] or TWGPP [http://www.twgpp.org] websites, a copy of the photograph of a grave or memorial entry which for many is impossible to visit due to the location. This service has only been made possible through the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers, from all walks of life, who feel the need to Remember those that made the ultimate sacrifice and who realise the importance for families to see where their loved ones are laid to rest or commemorated. This emulates the CWGC ethos to ‘Remember in Perpetuity’.

The project aims to photograph in excess of 1.75 million graves or memorials by volunteers who are encouraged to participate in the photography of memorials and graves in cemeteries all over the world where British, Commonwealth and other nations servicemen and women are buried or commemorated.

Regular visits are organised where weekend volunteers, as a group, visit a war cemetery in Europe, or further afield, to carryout a photographic and cataloguing exercise.

The project has a website with a searchable database at http://www.twgpp.org. Copies of archived photographs (currently around 950000 as of Sept 2008) can be obtained directly on request to The War Graves Photographic Project [http://www.twgpp.org] . As a voluntary project, not for profit, a donation towards the costs are recommended when obtaining photograph images.

The Project has also been recognised by way of the British Parliamentary Early Day Motion [http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=35457&SESSION=891] calling on the support of Members of Parliament and is linked to the Parliamentary Website [http://www.wargravesheritage.org.uk] .

“That this House notes that the War Graves Photographic Project has been established to integrate the work being carried out by volunteers photographing designated war graves and memorials around the world; commends this work which provides an uncomplicated facility for families to obtain a photograph of a loved one's grave, including many families who have never had a chance to visit fallen relatives' graves, or who are researching family history; and congratulates the team, for their selfless dedication to this work, in the course of which they have now photographed over one million graves and memorial names, on an entirely voluntary basis.”

Regular visits are organised where at weekends volunteers, as a group, visit a war cemetery in Europe to carryout a photographic and cataloging exercise.A group visit to the Netherlands in May 2008 achieved a further 18000 images and a trip to Gallipoli in September 2008 completed all those required (35000) on this Turkish peninsula.

Whether it is an individual covering a particular cemetery or churchyard or a team of volunteers working together as a group to cover a specific area of conflict, the aim of the Project is to record and make available, photographs of as many war graves and memorials as possible so that there is a pictorial record of yesterday's sacrifices for tomorrows descendants. The War Graves Photographic Project [http://www.twgpp.org] is always looking willing volunteers. So if you find yourself driving past a field in France or Belgium with a large cross appearing above the walls please consider stopping and helping out in a worthwhile cause.

External links & References

* [http://www.twgpp.org/ The War Graves Photographic Project]
* [http://www.cwgc.org/ Commonwealth War Graves Commission]
* [http://www.dva.gov.au/oawg/ The Office of Australian War Graves]
* [http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=35457&SESSION=891 British Parliamentary Early Day Motion]
* [http://www.wargravesheritage.org.uk War Graves & Battlefields Heritage - All-Party Parliamentary Group]