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Using this site

This site is still under construction, over time more information will be added - my apologies in advance if this page lags behind and features appear that are not explained here.

 

Finding a memorial

 

At the left of the screen are three options to be used when finding a memorial.

 

Find by Place

 

Clicking on 'By Place' will result in a new page appearing with a box that enables you to select the place of interest from a list of all places represented in the data. Select the one of interest and click on 'Submit' to get a list of memorials in that place.

 

Click on the memorial ID (WBxxx) for a memorial of interest to get more information and the inscription. See Memorial Listings for more details.

 

Find by Name

 

Clicking on 'By Name' will take you to a search box into which you should enter the surname you are interested in, chose the type of search and click 'Submit'.

 

Searches can be:

Exact - the only names returned will be exact matches for the surname submitted.

Start - the surname submitted is taken as the start of the name you are interested in. Hence a Start search for 'Smith' will find all Smiths and also all Smithers. You must enter at least 3 characters in order to make a valid Start search.

 

Searches are Exact by default.

 

A list of surnames matching your search will appear, click on the memorial ID (WBxxx) to see the full information on the memorial (use the Back button on your browser to return to the search results).

 

Alongside the name there are columns that might hold:

 

  Story click to get the story of the individual listed. If you have more information that we could add, especially pictures of the individual we would be very pleased to expand the story.
  Link click to access the CWGC record for that individual - these linkages are, in general, 'best guesses' as to the identification of individuals. If you disagree with the choice please contact us so we can ensure the correct link is used.
  Grave click to see a picture of the individual's grave. If you have a picture of a grave that is not available here we would love to be able to add it to the site.

 

List All

 

Clicking on 'List All' will result in a new page appearing, listing all the memorials for which data is already on the site. The list is sorted by place name - please note this is not necessarily the name of the civil parish but the settlement (town, village, hamlet) in which the memorial is sited. For instance the civil parish of Lambourn has settlements at Lambourn, Upper Lambourn, Eastbury and Woodlands St Mary, which each have their own memorials and churches.

 

In many cases there are several memorials in the same place, perhaps a village cross at a road junction, a memorial panel in the church, a couple of CWGC gravestones in the churchyard and a family grave remembering a son buried abroad. A short description of each memorial is included in the list to help distinguish between these.

 

To see the information held on a memorial click on the memorial ID (WBxxx) in the entry of interest.

 

Memorial Listings

 

For each memorial there is a short description, information on location and, where available, a photograph and a transcription of the wording on the monument.

 

Where known, the UKIWM reference is given. This is the entry number in the Imperial War Museum's excellent UK National Inventory of War Memorials. Their website gives further details of the memorial (ownership, condition, etc.). Use their 'Advanced search' and enter the reference number to quickly find their entry for the memorial of interest. The lack of a UKIWM number may mean that this is a memorial they are not aware of, or it may mean that I have been unable to find it in their database even though it is there. The intention is to liaise with them to ensure they are aware of all of West Berkshire's memorials.

 

Click on the map reference to open a new window/tab with a map showing the location. The map references used (Ordnance Survey Landranger) do not always result in the arrow on the map pointing exactly at the memorial, but they are generally within 50 metres.

 

Click on the memorial ID (the WBxxx identifier) to get a list of persons on the memorial. These are sorted alphabetically. Many memorials are not listed in this way some listing by rank, some by the date of death, some (it seems) randomly. The transcripts show the actual ordering on the memorial.

 

Transcripts: Many transcripts indicate line spacing using a '/' to indicate a line break. The ellipsis '...' is used to indicate illegible content (either on the memorial or on the photograph, in the latter case the transcript will be updated once the memorial has been revisited/rephotographed).

 

Many monuments have text on more than one face/panel/side - transcripts often indicate this. An aim for the future is to add separate photographs for each face/panel/side or a close up of the memorial so that the lettering (wherever possible) can be read by any user of this site. Some memorials are in a poor state so photographs of legible lettering will not always be practical.

 

Names are shown in the order they are found on the memorial. In the case of multi-column memorials the columns are not reproduced.

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Find a memorial :


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 Died this day:
08 October 1916
George Pyke
Beedon

British Legion

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