How long before they're all photographed?

For me it could be years. I still have just under 8,000 WW2 lads to go and have 180/316 WW1 lads. This is now one year since I commenced the RAAF/RAF and the network is increasing. The WW1 lads I commenced in February this year.

My requirements initially were 1066 cemeteries which increased to 1097 when I found 202 more Aussies that died in the RAF. The WW1 burials added another 161 cemeteries to the list for just 316 deaths.

So, 1258 cemeteries in 65 countries. Most of the cemeteries have one, two or three burials as the crews in most cases were a mixture of Commonwealth flyers.

 

The thing is there are lots of us all doing this. I was looking up the locations of all the UK cemeteries/churchyards I need to obtain pics from and found a site for Friends of a particular cemetery. Emailed them in the evening and told them what I was about, and the following afternoon received two photographs of headstones, one was mine, one was very post war (1977) asking if that was what I was after. What service!
I have not bothered to count up how many cemeteries/churchyards I have, defintiely not as many as Spidge.
I must admit I would prefer not to pay for a pic, but do realise that some are far beyond my reach.


Regards to all

Andy
We will all get there in the end, and then what are we going to do?

 

I think I've mentioned elsewhere on the Forum some of the research I've done into the Old Nortonians (of King's Norton Boys' School where I work) who died during both World Wars. I've decided to photograph the Birmingham graves, including private burials and non-KNBS. The School ones I will be putting on our website. I guess I'll store the others. I'll put up a list when I've finished.

Steve W.

 

Going on from what Diane says, it would indeed seem appropriate if the CWGC themselves made photographs available. They have gardeners on-site regularly and presumably supervisors who could wield a camera ?

I have never had contact with the CWGC but I have the impression that they are sticking with their original remit of memorials for the next of kin. They do not really seem to have realised that erm 'Wargraves Tourists' (if that's the correct term) exist - perhaps there actually aren't very many and they are all on this forum where WW2 is concerned ?

I feel that they could do much more in terms of making the whereabouts of graves known. As an organisation that works so efficiently in terms of maintenance they must surely have the records easily available for all locations within a given area ?

The internet has made much of this research possible but three cheers as well for the inventor of the digital camera ! I photographed a few graves for others whilst I was still analogue but the cost and agravation would make it unrealistic for more than the odd grave for a family member or somesuch.

 

Since I bacame active on international forums I've been contacted several times about taking a picture here and there. I think its all just for the greater good and what after every grave is photographed? I think we'll have some more years work cause In Flanders this year alone 8 german soldiers were recovered and several British/commenwealth soldiers were given a new/known restingplace.

 

=dbf;143757]Hi Rich,
I, with some local knowledge still had to resort to googling to confirm whereabouts of some of Spidge's in NI, how dumb is that?
Hi Diane,

Did you get my message about Lisburn?

Hear, hear as to the digital camera. My cupboards are full of negs. copies, and albums, so much easier to store and to share now.
Hooray for the digital camera.

When I went to the Northern Territory a few months ago, I had 400 RAAF lads to photograph at Adelaide River Cemetery.

I took over 400 photos in 3 1/2 hours on the same memory card and one battery.

Came home, downloaded them yet still to catalogue more than half of them.

Total cost - Zip!

 

Hi Geoff,
Message about looking for address? Yes, thanks.

Not to worry though, I will go down to the one I am thinking of and have a wander around...next couple of weeks a little up in the air, but will get there. If it's the wrong one I'll try again.

Diane

I meant the copy of the email I received and forwarded to you from the council at Lisburn with the actual address of the cemetery.

Cheers

Geoff

 

Hi Geoff,
Message about looking for address? Yes, thanks.

Not to worry though, I will go down to the one I am thinking of and have a wander around...next couple of weeks a little up in the air, but will get there. If it's the wrong one I'll try again.

Diane

I meant the copy of the email I received and forwarded to you from the council at Lisburn with the actual address of the cemetery.

Cheers

Geoff

 

Hello Diane, I must admit that I didn't know about the war graves photographic project. I almost feel cheated that they've been getting there before me ! I actually quite like the personal feel of 'knowing' who I'm photographing for and their 'donation' of £3 is quite expensive if the actual work is done by volunteers. That said, for a family geneaologist needing just one picture, it is ideal.

Where the system is inadequate is when the interest is more academic and encompasses complete units.

I have no personal axe to grind with CWGC. In fact it amazes me that they're still funded. It's just, as you point out rather a feeling that they're not moving with the times and that in some way they need to be doing all they can to ensure that the lesser known graves are visited.

I was very aware from the notices on old graves in the French civil cemeteries that they are keen on removing old burials where the concession has expired (generally 100 years there I think and that seems to be their definition of perpetuity). Has the 100 year question been answered on the WW1 graves ? If not, it won't be long before we'll be needing to show that these sites have been visited.

I don't think that there is a problem in Belgium although civil concessions are only fifty years as the shopkeepers of Ieper make too much money selling chocolates to British schoolchildren !

Rich

 

The Project 'The War Graves Photographic Project' is working towards this goal. I quote from their website, War Grave and Memorial Photographs supplied by The War Graves Photographic Project:

<quote>
he aim of The War Graves Photographic Project is to photograph every war grave, individual memorial, MoD grave, and family memorial of serving military personnel from WWI to the present day and make these available within a searchable database. Now working as a joint venture with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, this will enable families, scholars and researchers to obtain, via the CWGC or TWGPP websites, a copy of the photograph of a grave or memorial which for many is impossible to visit due to the location.</quote>


Over 1 million are already available with quite a few still to go.

 

I am happy to say that with the arrival over the weekend of the photographs of the 21 South Lancs Headstones buried in Diego Suarez, Madagascar I have now obtained over 90% of all of the South Lancs Casualties, including a list of over 550 who served the battalions at some point during their army service.

P

 

I am happy to say that with the arrival over the weekend of the photographs of the 21 South Lancs Headstones buried in Diego Suarez, Madagascar I have now obtained over 90% of all of the South Lancs Casualties, including a list of over 550 who served the battalions at some point during their army service.

P

A fanstastic effort Phil!

 

I am relatively new to this site but have an involvement with others in related fields. I have been looking for references here to The War Graves Photographic Project (War Grave and Memorial Photographs supplied by The War Graves Photographic Project) but not come across any so far.
I am sure the site will be of interest to many given some of the postings I have seen here. TWGPP started off under another name and with the intention of photographing the headstone or memorial of every British serviceman or woman killed in action, or dying from injuries received in action since the start of WW1- wherever those headstones or memorials may be.
It has subsequently grown like Topsy and now covers a wider field. There has been cooperation with C.W.G.C. from the very beginning, they kindly supplying information as to 'target' graves. Now there is a formal association with the C.W.G.C.
The TWGPP is composed entirely of volunteers from all over the world and, last time I looked they had over 1.5 million images collected and recorded to date. These are searchable. Donations are sought for electronic or hard copies of images to cover the considerable costs of operating the website etc but collecting and recording is done freely by volunteers. Some far flung members of this (WW2Talk) site may be interested in contributing, details of how to assist are on the TWGPP site. Others may be interested in the contents. Because of past abuse of the information and images, steps have had to be taken to protect copyright but I hope that all will find it a useful, informative and valuable resource even though it's being was intended initially as a resource for the families of the dead and a lasting memorial to them.
The site is not concerned with town and village memorials as such, but centered upon the individuals concerned.
Personally, I think it is a prime example of the internet being put to good use.
Sadly it looks like being an ongoing project for all the wrong reasons. My apologies if I repeat information available elsewhere on this site.
Tim