RAF Air Cadets CWGC Research project
There are more than 58,000 RAF and air force personnel buried or commemorated in the UK. We want you to discover more about them, learn about their lives and ensure that every name is remembered.
Outline of the project
- Your unit will receive a talk about the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- You will research some of the air force casualties buried in your local area
- You will discover where they are buried and visit their graves or war memorials
- You will share your research with others to make sure that these names will always be remembered
Awards and Rewards
Each cadet who completes the project will receive the ‘CWGC Award’ as a way of rewarding them for taking part.
Each year, we will host an Awards Ceremony to showcase the best research and engagement projects created by young people.
Below you will find all the information you need to help you complete the project.
Project Materials
Download the How To guides which will take you step-by-step through the project:
These bitesize guides are designed to help you research an individual who served and died in the Air Forces in the First or Second World War. Firstly, you will need to decide who you will research… this might be a relative, or you could choose a name from a local war memorial, or you might select a name from a Commonwealth War Graves (CWGC) headstone in one of our cemeteries, or within a parish churchyard local to you.
These guides will take you step by step through your initial research, showing you how to search the CWGC records and archives before making suggestions about where to discover additional information online. You can then use the RECORD FORM to record your findings.
How to research: Air Force First World War
A key part of the project is this final element. We would like you to share what you have researched, discovered and learn with a wider audience. This can be with your peers, or ideally with the wider community. You could look to explore their findings in a publicly accessible event (e.g. presentation, small exhibition within the Squadron, small ceremony within the cemetery, article in the local press). You will also be able to post research on social media using the tag #ShareYourTribute, as well as post on the CWGCs dedicated online Wall of Remembrance.
These documents provide an outline and structure to the project:
