First World War Imperial War Graves at auction in Aylsham

And now a historic set of books listing the final resting place of every British and Colonial serviceman who died during the First World War is set to go under the hammer in Norfolk.

The Imperial War Graves Commission index up for auction is a set of 64 volumes and one of only two copies of the document in existence.

It lists the location of the graves of British, Australian, Canadian and South African soldiers and sailors who lost their lives during The Great War, or the location of the memorial on which they are commemorated if they have no grave.

The 64 volumes listing the resting place of more than one million soldiers who died in the First World War will go under the hammer in Aylsham (Image: Keys Auctioneers)

The volumes list around one million names, along with their regimental or official number.

They were originally owned by the Imperial War Museum, which sold them in 2016 following a programme to digitise the records.

The only other copy is owned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

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Officially titled the ‘Imperial War Graves Commission Index To Cemetery And Memorial Registers Of Those Who Fell In The Great War, Forces Of The United Kingdom And The Colonies’, the books are being sold by Keys Auctioneers’ militaria and medals sale in Aylsham on March 13.

The records are expected to fetch up to £4,000.

It is one of only two copies in existence (Image: Keys Auctioneers)

Oscar Crocker, militaria expert at Keys Auctioneers, said: “This is a breathtaking and very rare historical document, listing the resting place of every single soldier and sailor who gave their lives for their country during the First World War.

“It is sobering to see listed on every single page the names of 30 fallen servicemen, a total of around one million in total. 

“Each of them had an individual story to tell, and each death was a tragedy for their family and loved ones.”

Allied soldiers in the trenches during the First World War (Image: Archive)Allied soldiers in the trenches during the First World War (Image: Nick Butcher)First World War artillery (Image: Nick Butcher)Piles of First World War artillery shells (Image: Nick Butcher)