Names of 16 Million Commonwealth War Heroes

Names of 16 Million Commonwealth War Heroes Free To Search Online This Anzac Day

Ancestry.com.au makes nine military collections free to all New Zealanders, including newly released British Commonwealth War Graves Registers, 1914-1918

Original images and case studies available upon request

Embargoed until 00.01am on Monday 20th April 2009 **

A New Zealand Victoria Cross recipient is one of the Commonwealth soldiers featured in the British Commonwealth War Graves Registers, 1914-1918, which have been released today by Ancestry.com.au to commemorate ANZAC Day and the soldiers who fought in World Wars I and II.

Sergeant Richard Charles Travis DCM MM was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his courageous actions on 24 July, 1918 at Rossignol Wood in France. He was killed the following day from enemy bombardment.

The British Commonwealth War Graves Registers, 1914-1918 is just one of nine collections being made available free on Ancestry.com.au from today until midnight (AEST) on 30th April, to commemorate ANZAC Day 2009.

Other collections include the ANZAC Memorial, 1914-1918, a book comprising a Roll of Honour of nearly 20,000 Australians and New Zealanders who died in the war; and the British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920, which contains the names of approximately 90% of the soldiers who fought in the British Army in WWI, including many from New Zealand.

In total, more than 16 million names have been made available in military records for soldiers from New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, the US and Canada.

The British Commonwealth War Graves Registers, 1914-1918 comprises registers of some of the 2,000 cemeteries in 150 countries that were constructed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in 1917 to honor the men and women who fought for the British Commonwealth. The collection includes references to approximately 900 New Zealanders.

Ancestry.com.au spokesperson Brad Argent comments: “New Zealanders are renowned for going above and beyond in the field of battle - their contribution to the legend of the ANZAC being a great example.

“The material contained in this collection, and the vast array of other military records available on Ancestry.com.au, provides documented evidence of their important contribution.”

The British Commonwealth War Graves Registers, 1914-1918 now online provide an insight into significant events in the area surrounding the cemeteries located in France or Belgium, numbers and nationalities of those buried and information about the exhumation and removal of mainly German casualties. Most of the registers also contain cemetery maps.

When the ANZAC Day promotion is finished, the British Commonwealth War Graves Registers, 1914-1918, as well as the other 8 military collections being made free as part of this promotion, will be available at Ancestry.com.au via a monthly or annual subscription.

ENDS

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