RootsChat.Com

General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: Fibrokitty on Thursday 29 October 20 18:41 GMT (UK)

Title: Does this book actually exist, ww1 deaths?
Post by: Fibrokitty on Thursday 29 October 20 18:41 GMT (UK)
I have been to see my 80year old grandad today and I showed him a photo I found in a newspaper article of his uncle who died in the war in 1918.
He wasnt sure if he had seen it before but he was aware of a " Large book" that his dad had when he was younger which apparently had photos of those who had died in the war or " the War dead" as he said.

His two uncles were apparently in this book, as they both died. It was a proper published book he said and it was large,  I'm not sure if it was every death or maybe just our area, we are in the North west so maybe just Lancashire/Manchester ones? The brothers were from Atherton.

Has anyone heard of a book like this which held names and photos of those that had died in ww1?
I have tried Google searching but I'm struggling, thankyou!
Title: Re: Does this book actually exist, ww1 deaths?
Post by: mckha489 on Thursday 29 October 20 19:07 GMT (UK)
There is

The National Roll of the Great War, 1914-1918

It is on Ancestry.  No photographs though.

There is also

UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919.    But there are no images.

Description says

“ In 1921 His Majesty's Stationery Office published, on behalf of and by authority of the War Office, two lists of those who died during the Great War. One volume, packed with minute typescript, gave the basic details of nearly 42,000 officer casualties. It required an additional eighty volumes to list all the 'other ranks' who gave their lives. Each of the original volumes represented one or more regiments, corps or other units of the British Army. Most were subdivided into battalions or similar groupings. There were often thirty or more of these per volume, each in alphabetical order.
This database contains information extracted from these volumes and includes over 703,000 individuals.”.   

But I don’t think there are photographs there either
Title: Re: Does this book actually exist, ww1 deaths?
Post by: Viktoria on Thursday 29 October 20 19:40 GMT (UK)
Ah, but there were regular publications ,and at the end if the war they were bound in very large volumes,about twelve, something like 14x12 x21/2 inches.
Bound in red imitation leather.
I had a set bought from a house  clearance  shop.
Most of the illustrations were drawings that looked like photographs but the portraits were proper photographs .Men who had been killed .
I am sure it was not possible to include them all ,but notable battles etc were well recorded.
I gave mine to my son who has just moved house so they are probably in a house clearance shop. He had to be ruthless.
I know he would not just tip them.
So it is entirely possible
Those I had were published by The Times.
Sad to say you could probably find a complete set in junk shops etc.
Title was something like The Times Complete History of The Great War.
Viktoria.
Title: Re: Does this book actually exist, ww1 deaths?
Post by: MaxD on Thursday 29 October 20 19:55 GMT (UK)
Worth perhaps noting that the National Roll of the Great War was a commercial publication, included men who had survived as well as those who had died, and that entry in it was by subscription of I believe 2 shillings and sixpence.  As the entries were submitted by the man or the family, detail is not always as accurate as one would wish.

https://www.researchingww1.co.uk/the-national-roll-of-the-great-war-1914-1918#:~:text=The%20National%20Roll%20of%20the%20Great%20War%201914-1918,the%20Empire%20during%20the%20Great%20War%20of%201914-1918%E2%80%9D.

This may be the one referred to by Viktoria.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=qDf9wYP%2f&id=1708541EDF2FEB784D068A44640415DE3AF3B6B8&thid=OIP.qDf9wYP_f1GLFw3TAtK87QAAAA&mediaurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.turnerdonovan.com%2fbooksFullSize%2f51826.jpg&exph=600&expw=454&q=national+roll+of+the+great+war&simid=608004315255344698&ck=420BC95935F5E41D4D8F6EB8B5980885&selectedIndex=0&FORM=IRPRST&idpp=overlayview&ajaxhist=0

MaxD




MaxD
Title: Re: Does this book actually exist, ww1 deaths?
Post by: tonepad on Thursday 29 October 20 20:02 GMT (UK)
Findmypast has the Manchester Employers' Roll Of Honour 1914-1916. A very small number of rolls include photographs of the men named. There are also other Rolls associated with Manchester.


Tony
Title: Re: Does this book actually exist, ww1 deaths?
Post by: Viktoria on Thursday 29 October 20 20:16 GMT (UK)
Sorry, my post did not make it clear that there were ten or twelve books ,in date order.
A compilation of war reports and Rolls of Honour , issued in weekly form oerhaps .

Perhaps not bound at the time of printing but after the war they were.

I have looked and I paid only a few pounds for my ten volumes,they are now for sale  at £ 400 +
Hope my son did not chuck them away ,but being interested I doubt that.
 Viktoria.
Title: Re: Does this book actually exist, ww1 deaths?
Post by: purplekat on Thursday 29 October 20 20:57 GMT (UK)
You could email Manchester Central Library with the details of your relatives and ask them.  I received a photo copy of a page of Varley's Royton Annual with my Great Grandfather's photo but I can't remember how i found out his was in it, it was a good few years ago  :)  Try . in a google search for the Manchesters regiment
Title: Re: Does this book actually exist, ww1 deaths?
Post by: Ross996 on Monday 02 November 20 22:39 GMT (UK)
MaxD
De Ruvign,s Roll of Honour contains about 7.000 photo,s with about 27.000 names listed.
Ross
Title: Re: Does this book actually exist, ww1 deaths?
Post by: Chris Doran on Tuesday 03 November 20 06:12 GMT (UK)
Magazines like Illustrated London News, The Sphere, and The Graphic, plus some war-specific ones, printed pages of around 20 photos with mini-biographies, almost entirely officers. ILN and others are in the British Newspaper Archive and Find My Past. Whole issues or individual pages are sold regularly on auction sites with names listed. I collected these lists for some time and can do a lookup if anyone wants to try their luck.
Title: Re: Does this book actually exist, ww1 deaths?
Post by: heywood on Tuesday 03 November 20 07:33 GMT (UK)
If Atherton is your interest, you could also try:

Wigan Local History
https://www.wiganlocalhistory.org/

https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Resident/Museums-archives/Wigan-Archives/Collections/Family-history.aspx
Title: Re: Does this book actually exist, ww1 deaths?
Post by: Guy Etchells on Tuesday 03 November 20 07:34 GMT (UK)
De Ruvign,s Roll of Honour is on FindMyPast & Ancestry or you can buy a softcovered re-print for £75 from Naval & Military Press or hardcover for £145
Cheers
Guy
Title: Re: Does this book actually exist, ww1 deaths?
Post by: MaxD on Tuesday 03 November 20 09:35 GMT (UK)
MaxD
De Ruvign,s Roll of Honour contains about 7.000 photo,s with about 27.000 names listed.
Ross

Yes - this De Ruvigny's was another of the unofficial records and as folk have posted, a number of other organisations produced their own rolls.

Fibrokitty didn't know which of the rolls her grandad was referring to and I don't think there enough clues to be sure but there were indeed such books.

MaxD