Behind the Names: Leamington History Group's new project to honour those who lost their lives in WWII
Leamington History Group, sponsored by the Royal Leamington Spa Town Council Community Fund, is embarking on a new project to honour those who lost their lives in the Second World War, starting in November 2026, in the month that the town remembers its fallen.
Every name engraved on Leamington's War Memorial is the story of a person, a family and a community touched by war. Behind the Names aims to bring those stories together in one place, ensuring they are preserved and shared for future generations.
Volunteers from Leamington History Group will be researching individuals and compiling stories and would like to invite the community to get involved too. Over many years, local historians, family researchers, heritage groups and volunteers have already carried out excellent research into the lives of those commemorated on the Leamington memorial. This project seeks to capture, preserve and build upon that work by creating a comprehensive and accessible record of Leamington's fallen on our website.
Our aim is to bring together biographies, photographs, military records, newspaper reports, family histories and other historical material to tell the individual stories behind the names. By bringing existing research together and encouraging new discoveries, we hope to create a lasting resource for the community, schools, researchers and anyone with an interest in Leamington's history.
The project is an ongoing collaboration, and there is always more to discover. We welcome contributions from families, local organisations and members of the community who may have photographs, letters, documents, medals or memories that can add to our understanding of those commemorated. We also hope to explore the experiences of local families, schools, churches, businesses and organisations during the war. By placing individual stories within their wider historical context, we can better understand how the conflict shaped the town and its people.
Together, we can ensure that the stories of Leamington's fallen continue to be remembered, understood and shared for generations to come.
If you have a story, photograph or artefact relating to someone commemorated on Leamington's War Memorial, we would be delighted to hear from you. Further information: https://leamingtonhistory.co.uk/behind-the-names-leamingtons-war-memorial/
or email [email protected]
This project also builds on the success of our recent short film, Leamington at War, https://leamingtonhistory.co.uk/leamington-at-war-video/ produced by film maker, Mark Ellis, of Postmaster Media.
Please join Leamington History Group and residents for our World War Two Memorial Service on Tuesday 10th November at 10.45 a.m. at the Leamington Memorial to remember the citizens of our town who died during the war.