Military Monday - Lives of the First World War

Back in September last year I was delighted to receive an email from 'Who Do You Think You Are' magazine informing me that I'd won a prize draw I'd entered via Twitter. The prize consisted of a year's subscription to both Find My Past and Lives of the First World War.

Since then I've taken full advantage of the Find My Past site, checking information and finding new data sets, but I've only just started looking at the Lives of the First World War.

The site is hosted by the Imperial War Museum and is aiming to document every person who made a contribution to the First World War, whether they survived or not.  There's a short video tour available to help you get started and the site is full of hints and tips.  As a visitor to the site you can search for and read the stories that have already been shared; if you want to add your own you can register and start 'remembering' your own relatives, family friends and even people whose names you've spotted on on your local war memorial.

A subscription is £50 per year, or £6 per month and gives you access to many military data sets, including Soldiers Died in the First World War, British Army Service & Pension records and British Air Force Service Records.

It has taken me a while to work out how to add information; you have to add evidence such as a medal card or service record first before adding the facts supplied by that evidence.  It's a good way to ensure that facts on the site are accurate and proven.

Here's my first contribution to the site; my great-great uncle Harold Richardson, who died at the Somme in July 1916. Have a look - I'd love to know what you think.