WIREDGOV

One million records of servicemen, servicewomen and civilians who were taken captive during the Second World War are being published online for the first time at Findmypast.

The publication, which is in association with The National Archives, coincides with the 70thanniversary of the end of the Second World War.

For the first time, relatives and historians can search online through the records of some of the most infamous prisoner of war (POW) camps of the Second World War.

The Great Escape

Included are the records for Stalag Luft III, the Nazi camp renowned for the mass escape by British and Commonwealth prisoners that inspired the film, The Great Escape, and the Far East POW camps immortalised in films such as The Bridge Over the River Kwai and The Railway Man.

What the records reveal

The records cover the period 1939-1945 and contain the names, ranks and locations of prisoners of war, along with the length of time they spent in camps, the number of survivors, details of escapees and the nationalities of prisoners.

Britons represent the largest number of POWs in the collection, followed by the Dutch, Americans and Australians. The collection also comprises 360,000 images, including pages from personal diaries and photographs.

The new resource enables members of the public to research the histories of relatives and those held captive during the war.

David Langrish, Military Records Specialist at The National Archives, says: ‘Extraordinary stories of men and women whose lives were caught up in the war have been told for years and the online publication of these POW records makes it much easier to research.

‘The National Archives is committed to widening access to its records and this publication is a great addition to our online collection of war records.’

Read our guidance to help you explore all our collections of POW records.