British Rolls of Honour and Nominal Rolls, First World War

About this collection

Many of the 310,000 records in this collection contain photographs of servicemen. Most of the Manchester photographs in this collection feature men in uniform, however you’ll find some men in civilian clothes, where their uniforms had not yet arrived.

In late 1914 or early 1915, men were grouped by platoon and photographed. Every man in the photograph was named in the record, though, to the frustration of researchers, not necessarily in the order that they appear in their photograph. So you may be able to identify which photograph a person appears in – but you may not necessarily be able to pick him out.

Nevertheless, this is a superb resource which gives great detail down to platoon level, of where a soldier served. There were four companies in a battalion – designated as A, B, C and D Company - and four platoons to a company – designated by roman numerals. Platoon no I was the first platoon in A Company, while platoon number XVI was the last platoon in D Company. Using this logic, if you know a soldier’s platoon, it is possible to work out which company he must have served with. Platoon V would, for instance, belong to B Company.

This collection also includes rolls of honour from universities, public schools and trade unions, as well as county, city and town rolls. One roll – Leicestershire and Rutland, Soldiers Died 1914-1920 – recounts the names of men who gave their lives during the First World War.

You will find the following rolls of honour in this collection:

• Activities of The British Community in Argentina During The Great War 1914-1919
• Birmingham Employers Roll of Honour 1914-1918
• Board Of Trade Rolls of Honour 1914-1918
• Bradford Pals 1914-1918
• Coventry Roll of Honour 1914-1918
• Edinburgh Pals 1914-1918
• Essex, Clacton Roll Of Honour 1914-1918
• Etonians Who Fought In The Great War 1914-1919
• Glasgow Pals 1914-1918
• Honourable Women of The Great War, 1914-1918
• Jersey Roll of Honour 1914-1918
• Kempston Servicemen 1914-1920
• Leicestershire and Rutland, Soldiers Died 1914-1920
• Liverpool Pals 1914-1918
• Lloyds of London Memorial Roll 1914-1919
• London County Council Record of War Service 1914-1918
• London Stock Exchange Memorial Roll 1914-1918
• Manchester City Battalions Book of Honour
• Manchester Employers' Roll of Honour 1914-1916
• Manchester University Roll of Service (Pub 1922)
• Oldham Pals 1914-1920
• Oldham Pals Roll of Honour
• Oxford University Roll of Service (2nd Edition, 1916)
• Oxford University Roll of Service (3rd Edition, 1920)
• Plymouth and Devonport World War One Rolls of Honour 1914-1919
• Railwaymen Died in the Great War
• Royal Artillery Commemoration Book
• Royal Fusiliers, Stockbrokers' Battalion 1914-1918
• South Down Battalions, Royal Sussex Regiment, 1914-1918
• The 23rd (Service) Battalion Royal Fusiliers (First Sportsman's): A Record
• The Birmingham City Battalions Book of Honour
• The Lancashire Fusiliers: The Roll of Honour of the Salford Brigade
• Trade Union Members, Service & Casualties 1914-1918
• University of Aberdeen Roll of Service in The Great War 1914-1919
• University of Durham Roll of Service 1914-1919
• University of Edinburgh Roll of Honour 1914-1919
• University of London Officers' Training Corps Roll of War Service 1914-1919
• University of St Andrew's Roll of Honour & Roll of Service 1914-1919