HomeAbout the Fallen Railwaymen Database

About the Fallen Railwaymen Database

In 2010 the National Railway Museum started a project to record the details of all the railway workers who died whilst serving in the armed forces during World War One. It took more than two years of painstaking work by the museum’s archive staff and a team of dedicated volunteers researching, collating and cross checking information from many sources.

The database records over 20,000 railway employees who died in World War One. It contains information on railway job titles, company and departments worked for as well as military unit, rank and date died. Some entries contain extra information about age, family, how individuals died and which memorial they are recorded on. The list combines information from items in the NRM archive and library collections as well information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

We are also grateful for many members of the public who have contributed information about their relatives. We continue to welcome further information which can be sent to our archive team at search.engine@railwaymuseum.org.uk

Information sources

War Memorials

After the war, railway companies constructed war memorials in remembrance of their workers who had died. These were usually located at major stations, and railway workshops.

Rolls of Honour

Rolls of honour were also displayed by railway companies and the National Railway Museum holds many examples of these within our archives.

St Paul's Cathedral Order of Service

On Wednesday, 14 May 1919 a national Service of Remembrance was held at St Paul’s Cathedral to commemorate all the railwaymen ‘who laid down their lives for their Country in the Great War, 1914-1918’. The service took place at 2.30 pm and was led by a number of senior clergymen, with an address by the Bishop of Peterborough. Music was played by an orchestra made up of railway employees. To accompany the service a booklet was issued containing the Order of Service and a list of the names of all those known to have died by early 1919. The booklet notes that ‘186475 Railwaymen of Great Britain and Ireland, joined His Majesty’s Forces, 18957 of whom were killed in action, died from wounds etc’.

Railway Company staff magazines

Some railway companies published in-house magazines for staff and during the war prominently featured the exploits of the men who were serving their country. There were regular reports of the deaths of workers. Many of the reports included photographs of the lost men and we have included many of these in the database.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The CWGC database includes the records over 1.7 million men and women has provided valuable extra information.

About the National Railway Museum

The National Railway Museum in York has the largest collection of railway objects in the world attracting more than 750,000 visitors per year

The collection includes over 260 locomotives and rolling stock, 600 coins and medals, equipment, documents, records, artwork and photographs

The National Railway Museum is part of the Science Museum Group of national museums which includes Locomotion in Shildon, the Science Museum in London, the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester and the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford