How to find out if an ancestor died in the First World War

Commonwealth War Graves Commission records 

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) maintains records for every British and Commonwealth soldier who died during the First World War. Their free online database is a great starting point.  

Each record typically includes: 

• Full name and regiment 
• Rank and service number 
• Date of death 
• Age (if known) 
• Grave or memorial location 
• Next of kin and home address (in many cases) 

You can search the CWGC database online and, if a grave doesn’t survive, you may find your ancestor commemorated on a memorial like the Menin Gate or Thiepval. 

Online First World War records 

Family history websites like Findmypast have made a wide array of First World War records available to search. It’s best to start with a general search for your ancestor’s name, then narrow down your results.  

A few record sets may prove helpful when trying to understand an ancestor’s wartime death: 

• Soldiers Died in the Great War (SDGW): This is a near-complete register of British Army fatalities, often listing birthplaces and enlistment towns 
• Ireland’s Memorial Records: A collection for Irish soldiers who died in the war 
• British Red Cross POW and casualty records, available for the Army and the Navy. 

Local or regimental rolls of honour may also provide vital insights. Alongside the above collections, these records can help confirm both identity and details of death, such as the cause (‘killed in action’, ‘died of wounds’, ‘disease’, or ‘accident’). 

Local newspapers from the period are rich sources of detail. They often contained obituaries, death notices, letters from the front, and tributes to fallen soldiers. Newspapers can reveal more personal information than military records, including photographs, quotes from comrades, and insight into how a death affected the family and community. 

You can search digitised pages online via the Findmypast newspaper archive.  

If your ancestor served in the armed forces of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, or another part of the British Empire, there’s a good chance their records are available online. Many of them can be found on Findmypast. 

Findmypast includes a wide range of Commonwealth military collections such as: 

• Canadian Expeditionary Force records, including personnel files and attestation papers. 
• Australian Imperial Force records, featuring service details and embarkation rolls. 
• New Zealand service records, plus casualty lists and roll of honour entries. 
• India and South Asia military records, covering colonial regiments and honours. 
• South African military casualties, and other empire-wide memorial collections. 

These records can tell you where your ancestor served, when they enlisted, details of their unit, and whether they were wounded or killed in action. Many entries include next of kin, places of birth, or enlistment, helping you confirm their identity. 

By combining these international records with British sources, you can piece together a fuller picture of your ancestor’s war service, no matter where they fought. 

If you know your ancestor’s regiment or battalion, regimental histories and war diaries can add valuable context. They don’t usually mention individuals by name, but they describe movements, battles, and conditions, helping you understand what your ancestor experienced before they died.