The UK National Inventory of War Memorials, which was set up in 1989, aimed to record as many war memorials as possible across the UK. This was in part due to how visible the effects of age and neglect were becoming.

Leicestershire’s project aimed to extend this work, by collecting more in-depth research about the local significance of the memorials, and about the lives of the fallen.

The project has benefited enormously from the help of over 300 local volunteers who have contacted us with information, or volunteered their time to carry out research. Most of this is already now online in our main database website.

A recording and research pack was devised at the beginning of the project, which over 50 volunteers received. Whilst a large part of this is now out of date (as much research has been completed), the guide to researching war memorials (pdf file 2.4Mb) is now available online. This was produced by the Record Office and included in the recording pack. It gives information on the sources available which can help you to investigate a local war memorial or casualty.