JISC

 

Contribute your family’s history to the archive

People up and down the country – and overseas – have the chance to add personal anecdotes and memorabilia from World War One to the UK’s first online archive of this type.

The call for items comes from the Faculty of English and Computing Services at the University of Oxford and funders JISC, who have set up the archive. Around 5000 items have already been digitally collected, including many items that were are at risk of being lost forever. The First World War archive is part of JISC’s digitisation programme which is unlocking a wealth of unique hard to access materials, to create a permanent digital resources for the widest user base possible within UK further and higher education.

George Cravan's last message to his wife and children enclosed in a matchbox
The matchbox thrown from the train window
William Jones in uniform, front row, extreme right

Dr Stuart Lee, Director of Oxford University Computing Services, Member of the English Faculty, and manager of the project explains its uniqueness; “This is the first time that a collection of this nature has been set-up. We have created a website to allow easy submissions of digital photographs, recordings and simple stories from anyone who has materials they want to record.

“The stories and images that have been uncovered so far are fascinating and add a very personal dimension to our history. I believe that the archive will enrich our existing social history and enable us to have a greater understanding of what individuals and families experienced.

“Many of the stories are very poignant concerning the death of a loved one, and in one particular case means that a soldier lost in the Great War has, for the first time, some sort of memorial.

“William Robert Jones joined the 32nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers in 1916 and, after attachment to the 10th Royal West Surreys (The Queens), was listed as ‘missing in action’.

“However, as he died before his paperwork joining the services had been processed, there was no record of him and thus he was not listed on any monument – meaning the only memorial to William Robert Jones is as part of the Great War Archive.”

The Great War Archive will be launched on November 11th, 2008 on the 90th anniversary of the Armistice and will be free to access.  

Submissions to the Great War Archive Project must be received before June 30th, 2008 and unfortunately can only be accepted digitally.

For further information contact Dr Stuart Lee or Kate Lindsay at the University of Oxford.