The Story So Far
The Story So Far
The Project Group decided, at its very first meeting, in 2004 that a key means of making the database of material on War Memorials available to all would be a purpose-designed Website.
We applied to Heritage Fund Lottery and received a Grant of £49,000. The Website was launched in June 2006 designed by Paul Campbell and his team at Effective Internet.
www.newmp.org.uk is
- a purpose-designed Website; constructed around a relational database; accessible to all, including those with disabilities and limited IT experience.
- It is searchable by a range of factors, including the War Memorial location, and the individual names of those remembered.
- It is maintained and enhanced as local research improves the information;
- contains a wide range of mutual links to national and local organisations down to a local level; aims to set the information about local War Memorials in the context of local history, community and heritage;
- provides a home for the results of local research work relevant to War Memorials;
- quality assured for consistency of information; and continually refined as further information becomes available through work with local organisations and individuals.
Seaham : Image courtesy of Lonely Tower Film & Media
Newcastle : Image courtesy of Lonely Tower Film & Media
The Website Home Page gives access to:-
NEWMP News; NEWMP Events; Resources including Commonly used Abbreviations; Links to other Major Sites; Educational Resources; advice on How to Research War Memorials; Sources of Quotations found on War Memorials; Resources; Frequently Asked Questions and Answers: History and Details about NEWMP plus Contact Details; Friends of NEWMP Sign Up; PayPal Donation Link; Indexes (Downloadable) and Notes for the three Counties and the North East Region.
In 2011 the 70th Infantry Brigade pages giving details of a local Territorial Army unit, raised entirely in County Durham in 1939, were added with access via the Home Page
The Website Content is split into 3 county areas plus a North East section (added in 2013). Over the years we have added the area now included in Stockton and Teesdale which were previously in Yorkshire. This is still a work in progress. A proposed HLF funded project to go “Over the Tees” to Middlesbrough and Redcar Cleveland was unsuccessful but the intention in the future is to include these areas in the North East War Memorials Project.
Each area is divided into Districts –based on the 1974 Council boundaries – with their own Notes (added in 2009)
The 22 Districts separate into 584 villages/towns/cities. These each have a:-
Parish Page (added in 2008) This includes war time/military information not included on the War Memorial Files – including some photos.
Every Name a Story (added 2011 as In Memoriam, then as ENAS in 2013). This section contains the stories of the Fallen, those who served and survived, people not on War Memorials, Commonwealth War Graves and Family Headstones. The stories are linked to the relevant War Memorials and the Commonwealth War Graves site. At the launch of the new website in November 2024 the total number of ENAS stories was 19,374. As of January 2026 the total number of ENAS stories was 20,931.
War Memorial Files
Totals: 2006 – 3200; 2008 – 3790; 2010 – 3984; 2011 – 4147; 2012 – 4351; 2014 – 4531; 2015 – 4611; 2017 – 4800; 2019 – 4859; 2020 – 5035; 2023 – 5058; November – 2023 – 5073; 2026 – 5172;
War Memorial Files include:-
Details known about the Memorial (surviving or not); Place description; Map Reference; Original location; Present location; Which War; Date of Dedication and who dedicated; Description of Memorial including size and materials used; Inscription; An accurate transcript of all the information on the memorial; Who Commissioned; Costs; How money was raised; Maker; Ownership and maintenance; Notes; Newspaper cuttings, photos or archival material; Research acknowledgements; Research in Progress added 2013 gives details of those researching memorials to prevent duplication; Source Material – copies of Newspaper articles was added in 2010; Links to overarchng Projects such as Durham at War, Historic England Listing etc. Photographs (both those taken when the memorial was built/dedicated and subsequently as well of the buildings housing the memorials).
In 2014 the website was selected to be archived by the British Library on the UK Web Archive.
Public Engagement
From the setting up of NEWMP, members have attended numerous events in the North East – from Berwick on Tweed to Middlesbrough. Mobile Wifi and laptops have enabled us to bring the website to countless people in the North East. “Do you have a family member on a local War Memorial?” is the opening gambit which has uncovered unknown stories and Memorial connections for many grateful people.
Janet Brown has given talks on War Memorials to countless community groups over the years. Presentations by James Pasby and Dorothy Hall have been made to Teachers’ Workshops, Family History and Local History Groups.
In 2017 with Heritage Lottery funds we had a film produced by Lonely Tower ‘Always Remembered‘ It is available on the Web site via You Tube. It has also been delivered to local groups
The Project works where possible with National bodies such as War Memorials Trust and Historic England as well as Local Record Offices and Libraries; Veterans’ organisations; Local history groups and individuals; Family History Societies; Regimental Museums and Associations and Local publications/newspapers.
Project Members and Volunteers
Over the years many individuals have contributed to the information held both on War Memorials and individual histories. At present we have a small band of willing volunteers who regularly send us their research to upload on to the website. Acknowledgement for the information and photographs is the one way the Project can publicly thank these volunteers.
Situation in 2026
We continue to receive nothing but compliments on the high standard and sheer quantity of information on our website. The number of Memorials recorded and the ‘Every Name a Story’ entries continue to increase.
The interest in War Memorials is still evident and the importance of continuing to make all the information gathered over the last 30 years available to the General Public prompted NEWMP to run an Appeal to raise monies for a new and up to date website. Our fund raising was reasonably successful and donations were received from Town and Parish Councils, Masonic Groups, Firms and many interested individuals.
In 2024 the North East War Memorials Project launched an updated website taking advantage of new technology working with Rich Hayden and his team from Sevensun with input from the late Paul Campbell of Effective-Internet.
