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Welcome to the Wartime Memories Project Website.
The original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time.
Stories of the Second World War
The aim of this website is to share stories, photographs and documents relating to the Second World War. The site was begun in 1999 and will always be a work in progress. All the entries have been submitted by the family and friends of those who served, if your relative is not listed, please complete this form so that they can be added to the site.
- Allied Forces
- Axis Forces
- Features
Did you know that we also have a section about The Great War of 1914-18 and a Timecapsule to preserve
stories from other conflicts These include: Vietman, Korea, Aiden, The Falklands, Iraq, Afghanistan and many others.
The Wartime Memories Project has been running since 1999. If you would like to assist, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin costs or this site will vanish from the web.
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Wanted
The project is actively seeking recollections from the war years.
If you lived through the war years and have a tale or two to tell, we would love to hear from you.
If you have any stories, of your own or from friends and relatives please:
Add to our records
Listed below are some of the areas of interest to the project:-
- Fighter pilots
- RAF instructors and ground crew
- RAF Maintenance Units
- Aircrew who made a landing at one of the designated emergency landing grounds.
- Coastal Command
- Bomber Command
- Evacuees
- Wartime school children
- WW2 Refugees from Europe
- WAAF
- ATS
- WRENs
- WVS
- Nurses
- Doctors
- Teachers
- AFS
- Fire Brigade
- Fire Watchers
- Womens Land Army
- Farmers
- Civil Defence workers
- Air raid wardens
- Observer Corps
- Home Guard
- Members of Auxiliary Units
- Police
- Special Constables
- Police Auxiliary Messengers
- Bevin boys
- Mine workers
- Ship yard workers
- Munitions and war effort factory workers
- Aircraft manufacturing or repair workers
- ICI workers
- Research / technical development staff
- Office staff evacuated to suburbs/countryside
- Anyone in Reserved occupations
- Anyone who worked at Aircraft recycling facilities
- RAF
- Army
- Navy
- Merchant sailors
- Lifeboat men
- Dock workers
- Railway workers
- Anti Aircraft Gunners
- POWs (allied or axis)
- POW camp staff
- Allied forces training or based in the UK
- Air raids
- Rationing
- Blackout
- Amusing incidents
- Sad incidents
Latest statistics for the site show over 5 million hits per month, if every visitor gave just one penny in donation the funding issues for this project would vanish in an instant. Please consider giving a small donation.
We would like to say a huge Thank You to those who have made donations and enabled
the move to our new server, however it still costs to run the site! Any donation however small is always welcome.
If you have not yet added your
recollections please consider doing so, many of those who have, have
found it a rewarding experience.
Add your recollections.
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New: In response to many requests, we have just launched a timecapsule to preserve
Stories from Other Conflicts
Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. We are currently undergoing a technical redesign of the site, this will take take some time to complete and whilst it is in progress some images will be off line and some links may be broken.
We are aware of the issue with missing images, this is due to the redesign of the website, images will reappear as soon as the new version of the page is completed, thank you for your patience.
We are also looking for volunteers to help with the website. We currently have a huge backlog of material which need to be edited for display online, if you have a good standard of written English, an interest in the two World Wars and a little time to spare online we would appreciate your help. For more information please see our page on
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If you have any unwanted
photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them.
The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. |
Celebrate your own Heritage
Honour members of your own family who served in the First or Second World War and those on the home front who lived though this unique times. Our Family History resources will help you to find out more about your relatives. Please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that their contribution will be recognised.
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The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
Announcements
- 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time.
- The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 25 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
- 19th Nov 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than
264989 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
- Looking for help with Family History Research?
Please read our Family History FAQs
- The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site
please consider making a donation.
Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our
Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. |
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Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted
photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them.
The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.
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Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
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We are actively seeking more volunteers to help with this website. If you have a computer and would like to volunteer, please get in touch. There is no need for any specialist web skills, or knowledge of the social history of the two world wars. It will be a great learning experience and it would look great on your CV.
Click here to open a new page and find out more.
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The Great War and World War Two were perhaps the most traumatic times in recent history.
The fighting and hardships affecting the whole of Europe, the Pacific and having a knock on effect through out the world.
This project aims to collect and preserve the memories of people
who have lived through the war. Not just the dramatic events which are usually recorded,
but also the everyday memories.
This web site aims to be a collecting point for the project.
If you lived through the war years please leave your memories on the form provided or send an e-mail.
If you were born after the war and know someone who would like to share their stories, please
ask them and add their tale to the collection.
We also accept recollections in audio and video formats,
please get in touch if you want to send an audio-video file or a tape of memories.
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The project continues to grow and we are still actively collecting recollections from the years 1914 to 1918 and 1939 to 1945.
If you or any members of your families have recollections or photos from the time
we would love to hear from you. Recollections from any part of the world are welcome and from both sides of the conflict.
Contact us
Please be aware that we currently have a large backlog of material waiting to be added to the
website. We will respond to all emails as quickly as possible, please accept our apologies for any delay in replying.
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Do you want to help the Wartime Memories Project?
The Wartime Memories Project is looking for a funding
to meet the costs of keeping the site running.
If you would like to make a dontation towards the costs of keeping this project online, please get in touch or use the button below to make a donation via paypal.
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A message from one of our regular visitors:
I explore many WW2-orientated websites and always read through
the forums. In so many cases families of those who have died
since the war are searching for information about husbands,
fathers and grandfathers who had one thing in common -
"They didn't like to talk about the war". Sad to say,
that is/was a very selfish trait. Sometimes 'old war stories'
are the few remaining precious links that families have with
their loved ones. I'd like to enter this plea to whoever reads
it that present generations MUST persuade their living
ex-servicemen family members to open up, put all other
considerations aside and tell it like it was. Or if they're
too reticent, at least write things down for their descendants
to have as a record of what their forbears endured during those
momentous years. MAKE THEM DO IT BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE PLEASE!
We're all dying off at a very rapid rate. Peter Deacon
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It is important as time marches on to gather memories before
the generations who live through the war pass away and their memories are lost forever.
The project will publish some memories, and photographs on-line.
Others will be collected for publication in print.
Memories of all types can be added, no matter if you were at home
during the war, (which ever country you call home), posted abroad with one of the services, helped in the home guard or resistance,
were evacuated or in a reserved occupation. Memories are welcome from both sides of the conflict,
the project is not politically motivated, the aim is to preserve the stories without judgement.
No matter which area of the world and what part you played, active or observer,
the list is endless. No matter how small please add your memories
to the collection and help preserve the wartime spirit forever, in the hope that it will never happen again.
Thank you for your time
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The stories published on this website are protected by copyright
The opinions expressed are those of the individuals concerned.
The Wartime Memories Project is non-political does not condone any political party.
This website has nothing to do with any religious,
political or racial tendence. The views expressed as those
of the individuals who have submitted the recollections.
Recollections from any part of the world, both Axis and Allies
are welcome.
The Project aims only to record history as it is
remembered by those who lived through it.
Please select an area to browse.
We hope you will enjoy our site.
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