Digitising the Book of Remembrance

One of the permanent legacies of Cymru’n Cofio Wales Remembers 1914‑1918 is the new digital version of the Welsh Book of Remembrance, an undertaking which transforms access to this important memorial of the First World War.

The Welsh Book of Remembrance is a substantial physical book of over 1000 pages and nearly 50cm in height. It was written in the 1920s as a record of the names of 35,000 Welsh men and women, as well as members of Welsh regiments, who lost their lives in the First World War. These individuals were listed by regiment and battalion. The Book of Remembrance is kept in a specially-constructed underground vault at the Temple of Peace in Cardiff. It was digitised by the National Library of Wales in conjunction with the Wales Centre for International Affairs as part of the Wales for Peace project. To make it easier to identify individuals, the Library developed special software to allow volunteers to transcribe the content. Over 100 volunteers transcribed and tagged the names – a digital act of remembrance to remember each individual for future generations. Alongside the digitisation project, a touring exhibition for the book was created and it visited 10 venues across Wales. Local volunteers and community groups created exhibition materials about some of the individuals behind the names from their area.

Now digitised and published on the web, people all over the world have access to the thousands of names inside the covers, ensuring their sacrifice continues to be remembered. Find out more: www.library.wales/discover/digital-gallery/manuscripts/ modern-period

Above: The Welsh Book of Remembrance, The National Library of Wales © Welsh Centre for International Affairs