Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service is releasing the Probate Office’s archive of 280,000 First World War soldiers’ wills ahead of the Centenary.
The wills are to be made available online and hard copies will also be available on request.
Every soldier had to complete a will before departing for the front line. They carried a copy of the document with them and many used the will to write letters to their loved ones. Many of the documents show signs of physical damage, suffered during the conflict.
Courts Minister Helen Grant called the project “fascinating” and said that it had “opened the door to a whole new insight on our war heroes – it has given us the opportunity for the first time to hear the thoughts and emotions of the brave soldiers who died for this country in their own words”.
Source: Inside Government UK website
Date of press release: 29/08/2013
Images courtesy of the Inside Government UK website
Posted by: Daniel Barry, Centenary News