Local history: the world wars where you live

Almost every town and village in Britain has a war memorial. It is a starting point for finding out how the world wars touched real local people.

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Reading a war memorial

Most war memorials were put up in the 1920s, after the First World War, paid for by local people. Names from the Second World War were often added later.
A memorial usually lists names, sometimes with ranks and regiments. Some list everyone who served, not only those who died.
In Whitehall, London, the Cenotaph ('empty tomb') became the national memorial; the permanent stone version was unveiled on 11 November 1920. On the same day the Unknown Warrior was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Tracing the people

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (set up in 1917 as the Imperial War Graves Commission) keeps records of the war dead, with where they are buried or remembered.
Census returns show where a family lived and what jobs they did. Census returns are kept secret for 100 years; the 1921 census was released in 2022.
Local newspapers, school records and church memorials often reported deaths, medals and life at home.

The Home Front in your area

In the Second World War the Blitz hit many places beyond London. On 14 November 1940 German bombers devastated Coventry, destroying its medieval cathedral. Liverpool, Hull, Plymouth, Belfast and Clydebank were also badly bombed.
Countryside areas took in evacuees, children moved away from the cities.
Local evidence can include air-raid shelters, bomb sites, pillboxes, memorials, photographs and the memories of older relatives (oral history).
Worked example

You find the name 'Pte A. Smith, Royal Warwickshire Regiment' on your village memorial. How could you find out more?

  1. Search the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records for his full name, death date and burial place.
  2. Use the 1911 census to find his family, address and job before the war.
  3. Check local newspapers from the time of his death, then compare all the sources and note any differences.

Answer: Combine CWGC records, census returns and local newspapers to build his story, checking each source.

Key idea

War memorials (mostly 1920s) list local people who died. The Cenotaph and the Unknown Warrior (11 November 1920). Use CWGC records (founded 1917), census returns (closed for 100 years; 1921 census released 2022) and local newspapers. The Blitz reached many places, such as Coventry (14 November 1940). Evacuees, shelters, pillboxes and oral history are local evidence.

Key words
Census
An official count of everyone in a country. In Britain one has been taken every 10 years since 1801, except in 1941 during the Second World War.
Blitz
The German bombing of British cities, September 1940 to May 1941.

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Extra practice

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  1. Why did local communities build war memorials after 1918?

    1. To celebrate a new king
    2. To mark new railways
    3. To remember local people who died in the war
    4. To advertise the army
    Show the answer

    Answer: To remember local people who died in the war

    Memorials honoured the dead.

  2. Which organisation could help you find where a soldier from your town is buried?

    1. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
    2. The Electoral Commission
    3. Ofsted
    4. The Royal Mint
    Show the answer

    Answer: The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

    The CWGC records the war dead.

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Sources and references

Checked by the GCSE-ready editorial team, 16 October 2026. Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.

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