Website lists British war heroes

Medal records of soldiers that fought in World War One have been digitised and made available to browse online for the first time.

Ancestry.co.uk has added WW1 Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1922, to its website, which catalogues a total of 14 million medals awarded to 5.5 million British and colonial soldiers.

There were 15 different WW1 commendations from campaign medals such as the 1914 Star, the Victory Medal and the Silver War Badge, to awards for extreme gallantry such as the Military Medal and Victoria Cross.

"This fascinating collection preserves forever the heroic actions of an entire generation of young men and is the single most comprehensive resource for anyone with an interest in researching British or colonial soldiers who fought in the Great War," said Simon Harper, managing director of Ancestry.co.uk.

"This collection will be relevant to just about anyone with ancestors living in the UK during World War One and is both a rich source of military information and a means of ensuring that the exploits of these brave soldiers are remembered for generations to come."

The collection contains some famous names including Lord Mountbatten, who held the senior position in the Royal Navy at the outbreak of war and was awarded Victory and British War Medals, and the 1914/15 Star.

It also includes Harry Patch, the second oldest living man in the UK and oldest surviving ‘Tommy’ to have served in the Western Front.

www.ancestry.co.uk