The replacement headstones for nine recently identified  Australian soldiers were dedicated at Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery on 20 July - the 96th anniversary of the Battle of Fromelles.

The ceremony was co-hosted by the Australian Army and the Mayor of Fromelles.

The Fromelles Project is a joint Australian Army and UK Ministry of Defence project to identify the remaining unidentified Australian and British soldiers buried in Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery, France.

The bodies of 250 Australian and British soldiers were buried in the cemetery after being recovered from burial pits adjacent to nearby Pheasant Wood in 2010.

The project's 2012 Joint Identification Board recently convened in London and confirmed the identification of another nine Australian soldiers.

This image was captured by Robert Mc Neil MBE.

A rededication service was held on Friday, 20 July, for the headstone of Flying Officer Derek Hurlstone Allen DFC.

Flying Officer Allen was originally buried at Poix Du Nord Communal Cemetery Extension in France as an unidentified casualty. However, due to research by the Air Historical Branch of the Ministry of Defence, he has now been identified and his grave can be marked accordingly.

Flying Officer Allen, a member of the Royal Air Force 85 Sqdn. who died in May 1940, was previously commemorated at the RAF Memorial in Runnymede.

Twenty-six members of his family, spanning three generations, travelled to the cemetery from the UK and Canada to attend the rededication service.

David Moutter shared this moving image of Flying Officer Allen’s great nephew laying a cross at his grave.

Click below to view a copy of the order of service.

On 10th July the Olympic torch passed by our Head office in Maidenhead.

We marked the occasion by flying the Commonwealth flags from the roof of our office building.

We also took the opportunity to remember former Olympians, who died serving in the two world wars.

Click below to discover more -- including details of where they are now commemorated.

People are often surprised to learn that over 300,000 Commonwealth war dead are commemorated here in the United Kingdom.

In a move to educate people about the war graves in their neighbourhood -- the CWGC has begun a project to put up signs identifying the sites containing war graves.

We are initially seeking permission from local authorities to erect 3,000 signs.

This remarkable picture was taken by First World War Military Historian, Jeremy Banning. It is made all the more remarkable by the fact that, Jeremy, a self-confessed nervous flyer took the shot while hovering above the Somme in a microlight.

"I spent most of the time feeling sick," he said. "It was just like sitting in a deck chair with a lap strap on."

So, why bother? Jeremy is part of a team of eight who, together, form La Boisselle Study Group.

The La Boisselle project is a long term study focused on a unique area of battlefield near the village of La Boisselle, Somme, which contains  one of the most extensive tunnel networks on the Western Front.

The multi-disciplinary study aims to explore, survey and record this fascinating historical site, which has lain practically untouched since 1918.

The project is entirely dependent on donations and always delighted to hear from anyone interested in volunteering. Click below to discover more about La Boiselle and get in touch with the group.

Mary Kemp and her grandson George, eight, share a passion for Second World War planes, which began when George was just three.

On 4 July 1944, a Lancaster crew crashed at Ellecourt, just four kilometres from Mary’s home in Seine Maritime. The seven airmen are commemorated in Ellecourt Communal Cemetery and their graves have become a focal point for George and Mary.

The pair made it their mission to track down as many living relatives of the airmen as they could, before travelling to France to lay tributes and pay their respects – working hard to track down appropriate native flowers for the Australian aircrew.

George and Mary took a particular interest in the casualty George (Titch) Dowling. At just 5’2’’ he was considered too small to fulfil his dream of becoming a pilot and had been rear gunner when the plane came down at Ellecourt.

The duo took photos of all the headstones to send to the families and are already busy planning their next project.

Many men flocked into the army in 1914 when Lord Kitchener made his famous call for volunteers.

It is often thought that the first time the volunteers raised by Lord Kitchener went into action was at the Battle of the Somme in July 1916.

While this was the first time in the Great War that Kitchener’s men had been used in large numbers, this feature explores two actions which took place earlier.

Thanks to the Western front Association (WFA) for providing this article. The WFA is a registered charity dedicated to perpetuating the memory of those who served in the First World War.

For further information about the WFA and how to join their association please visit their website.

Over 230 Commonwealth war dead are buried or commemorated in eight locations in Jamaica – along with war dead of 23 other nationalities. 

Eighty graves lie elsewhere in the country, in cemeteries or on private property. But as they cannot not be satisfactorily maintained, the casualties are officially commemorated on three memorials.

During the 1914-18 War, military hospitals were established at Up Park Camp, Bumper Hall and Port Royal and an internment camp was set up at Swallowfield. 

Most of the casualties of the two world wars died during garrison and training duties. However, some casualties of the 1939-45 War died in U-boat attacks on shipping and during naval and air operations against the U-boats.