How the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation Keeps Stories Alive for Young People

Do you know about the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission charity?

Founded in 2017, the Foundation aims to educate the public, especially younger audiences, about the World Wars and inform them about the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

It also shares the stories of those we commemorate, passing on the torch of responsibility and memory to younger generations, so their experiences are never forgotten.

H2: At a glance: What Commonwealth War Graves Foundation support enables

The work of the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation supports commemoration and storytelling through:

• Story-led learning for young people

• CWGC education resources and school resources

• Digital storytelling through platforms such as For Evermore

• Projects that help stories reach wider and younger audiences

• Volunteer-supported engagement, where relevant and accurate

• Donor support that helps keep stories alive

What does the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation do?

The Commonwealth War Graves Foundation (CWGF) is the charity arm of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).

The Foundation supports the work of the CWGC by engaging with the general public to:

• Share the stories of 1.7 million Commonwealth men and women

• Showcase the work of the CWGC in commemorating these individuals

So, how does the Foundation do that? Each year, the Foundation team work on projects and fundraising events, large and small, to reach a wide range of audiences across a range of age groups via:

Public engagement such as volunteer talks and cemetery tours

• Wider volunteer programmes like Eyes On, Hands On

• Digital storytelling and education technology

• Fundraising challenges and events

Difference between the CWGC and CWGF

The Commission cares for war graves, cemeteries and memorials as part of its statutory responsibility as detailed in our Royal Charter.

The Foundation supports charitable activity that helps people engage with the stories behind that commemoration.

Why stories matter for young people

Family heirlooms, letters, photographs, school projects, and the like all offer entry points to commemoration for young people.

But it’s the stories behind the objects that are the most important. Each represents a real, living person; someone with their own hopes, dreams, and aspirations.

Seemingly, every family in the UK was touched by the World Wars, alongside millions who lost loved ones after they died in these epochal conflicts.

Through our work, we can help pique young people’s interest in the World Wars by revealing the stories behind the headstones and war memorials.

What your support helps make possible

As a registered charity, the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation relies on the generosity of our members, supporters, trusts, and other organisations to fund our projects and programmes.

Education & outreach

Education and outreach are the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation’s core work.

All the Foundation’s initiatives focus on telling the stories and preserving the memories of our shared war dead, so engaging and reaching audiences in the UK and overseas is vitally important.

From talks in schools and universities, to volunteer-led tours at key sites, to edtech initiatives, the Foundation works hard to reach new audiences.

CWGF Guides

The Foundation’s flagship Guides Programme allows young history lovers to work with Commonwealth War Graves on-site in France and other locations.

Normally University-aged or having just completed their studies, the Guides work at areas like the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing and the CWGC Visitor Centre, Beaurains.

They welcome guests, share the history of their assigned sites, share tales and stories of those commemorated within, and help visitors research and explore their family histories,

While working with us, we encourage Guides to develop useful skills, such as research and public speaking, that they can take with them into their wider careers.

The Guides Programme is international too. So far, we’ve welcomed British, French, and South African Guides aboard.

The Foundation is grateful to numerous supporters and sponsors of the Guides Programme. 2026’s cohort was sponsored by the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity and the Rothermere Foundation, among others.

How Foundation support helps stories reach new audiences

Supporting the Foundation helps stories reach new audiences through our projects and volunteer programmes.

Volunteering

The Foundation supports volunteer programmes to help people engage with their local history, share stories, and inform the public about our work.

Eyes On, Hands On

The Eyes On, Hands On (EOHO) programme was launched in 2019 and, since then, we’ve recruited and trained over 2,000 volunteers across the UK.

EOHO volunteers provide valuable support to the CWGC by carrying out inspections on war graves scattered across more than 12,500 locations. Over 160,000 headstones are inspected each year!

But EOHO goes beyond that. Our groups, supported by regional coordinators, come together for regular meet ups, building close relationships, all while learning about the men and women whose graves they help care for.

Other volunteering projects

Commonwealth War Graves Student Volunteer Guides Programme - We're working with prestigious universities across the UK to give student volunteers the opportunity to work and grow with Commonwealth War Graves.

The Foundation Speakers & Tour Guides Programme - We have over 300 expert speakers and tour guides who engage with people of all ages across the UK in schools, colleges, universities and through many different social and community groups.

For Evermore

For Evermore is our digital storytelling platform.

Funded by the Foundation and a generous grant from the Post Office Remembrance Fellowship, For Evermore holds the stories of over 12,500 men and women of the Commonwealth.

How For Evermore keeps stories alive

As a digital platform, and an app, For Evermore is easily accessible by users of all ages.

For Evermore keeps stories alive as that is its main purpose: an online platform where people can share their own family stories and explore other biographies and tales of those we commemorate.

Stories on For Evermore

For Evermore contains family stories, stories submitted by individual historians and researchers, those shared by partner organisations, and some submitted by students from primary school age up to university.

They help us get a fuller picture of the men and women behind the names carved into headstones and etched into memorial name panels.

As an online stories resource, we can also help families preserve and share the stories of their relatives and ancestors, so they are never forgotten.

Stories are also grouped to be easily accessible. You can browse For Evermore by:

• Browse all – read all stories with no filter

• By theme – We’ve grouped stories into themes, based around events, campaigns, or people, such as Black History, D-Day and the Normandy Campaign, Women at War and so-on

• By nationality – Filter stories by major Commonwealth nation

• By service branch – Filter stories by army, air force, navy, or civilian war dead 1939-1945

Sharing stories on For Evermore

Uploading a story is easy to do. Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide.

How does the CWGF support the future of commemoration?

As time passes, young people are less likely to have a direct family or living connection with the First and Second World Wars.

Sadly, the veterans of the First World War have long since left us, and the number of Second World War veterans dwindles year-on-year.

Story-led learning helps keep commemoration connected to real people, rather than distant, historical events.

Stories to carry forward

With our public outreach programmes, volunteer student opportunities, Guides programme, and For Evermore, we can share a wealth of stories with younger generations.

They can take these forward, helping share and preserve them orally and digitally, ensuring they are never forgotten.

Supporting education and getting young people involved

Keeping commemoration alive begins with education.

Working with younger people, at home and abroad, helps us connect them with the people who fought and fell in the World Wars, many of whom were only young themselves.

Education and outreach are vital cogs in spreading the word of the CWGC’s work but also keeping the memories of those we commemorate alive.

Outreach and education in action

See below for some of the Foundation’s education and outreach projects.

Supporting youth education in Cape Town

In January 2025, children from schools in Cape Town took part in a pilot immersive education event exploring the stories of the Black South African labourers commemorated on the new memorial.

The workshop used multilingual and immersive headset technology to highlight historical inequalities, but importantly, to encourage reflection through a contemporary lens.

Battle of the Boar’s Head workshops, podcast and exhibition

The Battle of the Boar’s Head is one of the most impactful events for the county of Sussex, when the Sussex Regiment was all but annihilated on 30 June 1916 in a diversionary attack ahead of the Battle of the Somme.

To mark the anniversary, the children of Bamber and Homefield primary schools created a podcast and exhibition on the battle, with help from Commonwealth War Graves and support from the Lawson Trust.

The schoolchildren, having researched casualties and shared their stories, held an exhibition at Worthing Town Hall, highlighting their learning and the men caught up in the tragic attack at Boar’s Head.

Support story-led commemoration for Young People

Supporting the Foundation is easy. Here’s how.

• Become a Member – Become a CWGF Member for just £3 a month and get access to the exclusive members' area, free magazine, early event tickets, and more!

• Regular giving – Set up a regular donation and give as much as you like per month to help support our outreach and education programmes

• One-off donation – Make a one-off donation to help make our projects possible

• Legacies – Leave a gift in your legacy to help preserve theirs

For more information on the Foundation and how you can support our work, visit the website today.

Author acknowledgements

Alec Malloy is a CWGC Digital Content Executive. He has worked at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission since February 2022. During that time, he has written extensively about the World Wars, including major battles, casualty stories, and the Commission's work commemorating 1.7 million war dead worldwide.