Commemoration

 

Image by Tim Hill from Pixabay

As we approach Remembrance Sunday, I share some ways of commemorating those who have taken part in war and those who have gone before us.

The first is the National Army Museum’s programme of free online talks and in-person events. These are on an eclectic mix of topics, such as spiritualism in the wake of the First World War, the Cold War, and 20th-century India.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has long been involved in the establishment and care of war memorials, cemeteries, and individual burials. This year I’ve booked to go on one of their guided tours near me. Although it’s a municipal cemetery, it contains the graves of many casualties of war, and I’m looking forward to learning more about their stories from a volunteer guide. You can find out more about the CWGC's year-round guided and self-guided tours on their website.

Everafter is a recent addition to my research toolkit, thanks to my friend and fellow genie Sheila, who recommended the website after success in locating a relative's grave. It covers many UK cemeteries (and hopefully more in the future), giving exact locations within them of burial plots for each person indexed. Also included in the database are the names of people who were cremated, which is a significant addition to this kind of burial website.

Bonus tip

Scottish Indexes are preparing to host their 34th conference, if you can believe it. This free online event has been going for six years, and the next one is on Saturday 14 November. The website provides details of how to join (either on Zoom or via Facebook) and the presentations that will be shown; then about a week beforehand, the organisers will post the schedules for both sessions. Each presentation will be shown twice throughout the day to allow viewers from around the world to watch it at a time convenient for them. I’ll be speaking about researching your urban ancestors in Scotland, as well as taking part in live Q&A sessions. Hope to see you there!