British War Graves
736. Mick McCann
Mick McCann founded the ‘British War Graves’ project and has collected thousands of photographs of British war graves and memorials.
Mick has had a lifelong interest in the First World War, and was inspired to begin photographing individual graves at battlefields after a trip to Ypres in Belgium. Later, Mick decided to create a public resource so that his images could be made available to others, free of charge, so he created the ‘British War Graves’ website to help to commemorate those who gave their lives in service. This has since become an invaluable tool for students and members of the public tracing their family history. This award coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele.
In a personal letter to Mick, Prime Minister Theresa May said:
“Through the ‘British War Graves’ project, you are helping to ensure that we remember those who have given their lives in service. Your photographs provide invaluable support to people who are tracing their family history, and you should be very proud of what you have achieved.”
Mick said:
“I’m very happy to accept this award on behalf of ‘British War Graves’ and the hundreds of people who have contributed to our collection of photographs of war graves over the past ten years. If our photographs are helping people to remember those who died while serving their country then our aims are being achieved.”