Unknown Soldiers

Photograph of about 20 women in factory overalls posing before an industrial press at a munitions factory in the Midlands. One holds a shell casing with chalked message "To Adolf from the Girls." Found in a Birmingham house clearance in 2022. No names identified.

Hand-drawn map on tracing paper showing defensive positions along the Kent coast: machine gun posts, anti-tank obstacles, mine fields. Annotations include Home Guard unit designations. Found inside a 1940 Home Guard Manual at a Brighton book fair. Draughtsman unknown.

Service medal group: 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, Italy Star, Defence Medal, and War Medal. Found at a house clearance in Southampton in 2021. Also found: a photograph of a soldier in tropical kit beside a jeep with "Tunis 43" on the back.

Photograph of a young woman in ATS uniform, taken at a studio in Nottingham circa 1943. She wears corporal's stripes and a Royal Artillery cap badge. On the back in pencil: "To Mum with love, your Dot." Found inside a second-hand book at a Nottingham charity shop in 2019.

Identity disc found near Arromanches, Normandy, 2017. Reads "CAMPBELL A. / C of S / KOSB" — soldier A. Campbell, Church of Scotland, King's Own Scottish Borderers who landed on Sword Beach on D-Day. Disc handed to Glasgow Museum for identification efforts.

Hand-drawn map on the back of a cigarette packet showing what appears to be a river crossing point. Annotations include "Jerry MG nest", "safe crossing 0300", and compass bearings. Found tucked inside a 1944 edition of a pocket Bible at a house clearance in Swansea. A remarkable survival from someone planning a dangerous river crossing operation.

Colour photograph of a Soviet medal group displayed on a cushion: Order of the Red Star, Medal for Defence of Moscow, and Medal for Victory over Germany. Found at a car boot sale in Cheltenham with no provenance. The medals are genuine and numbered, suggesting they could be traced through Russian military archives. Who earned these medals, and how did they end up in the Cotswolds?

Black and white photograph of three women in ATS uniform standing in front of a heavy anti-aircraft gun. Written on the back in pencil: "Sgt. Wilson, Cpl. Peters and me — Hyde Park Battery, Summer 1943." The third woman is unidentified. The Hyde Park anti-aircraft batteries were among the most famous in London.

Photograph of a young Merchant Navy officer in uniform standing on the deck of a ship. On the back is stamped "J. Salmon, Photographer, Hull" and written in ink "Third Officer _______ SS Dorington Court 1942." The name has been water-damaged and is illegible. SS Dorington Court was torpedoed in the Atlantic in 1943.

Faded colour photograph from the 1980s showing an elderly man wearing a beret with a Chindit badge, holding a Burma Star medal. He is standing in front of a Chindit memorial. On the back: "Dad at the reunion, 1986." Found in a photo album donated to a charity shop in Wolverhampton. The Chindits were special forces who fought behind Japanese lines in Burma.

Studio portrait of a young sailor in Royal Navy uniform, cap tally reads HMS Hood. Photograph found pressed inside a hymn book at a house clearance in Plymouth. The reverse is stamped "Jerome Ltd., Portsmouth" with a partial date — possibly 1939 or 1940. HMS Hood was sunk in May 1941.

Two soldiers sharing a cigarette in what appears to be a bombed Italian town. One wears the insignia of the Royal Engineers, the other appears to be from an Indian Army unit. The friendship captured in this moment between a British and Indian soldier is remarkable. Found in a collection of photographs from a deceased veteran in Leicester.

Formal portrait of an RAF officer wearing pilot's wings and the ribbon of the Distinguished Flying Cross. Photograph by Bassano, New Bond Street, London. Found in a wallet inside a flying jacket donated to an aviation museum in Duxford. No name plate, but the jacket is sized for a tall man.

Small photograph of a soldier in tropical kit, sitting on a stone wall with palm trees behind. Written on the back: "Your loving son — somewhere in Burma, March 1944." The accent suggests the photograph was sent home from the India-Burma theatre. Found loose in a charity shop donation of books in Coventry.

Group photograph of approximately 20 women in matching overalls outside a factory building. A banner reading "Spitfire Fund – Target Reached!" is visible. Handwritten text on reverse: "Girls of Shop 4, Castle Bromwich, August 1943." One woman circled in pencil with initials "M.T." — identity sought.

Informal group photograph of five women in ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) uniforms, standing in front of a Nissen hut. One woman is circled in ink with the annotation "Auntie M" on the reverse. Location unknown but the flat landscape suggests East Anglia. Date estimated at 1943–44 based on uniform details.

Wedding photograph of a British Army corporal and his bride outside a church. The corporal wears the badge of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). Two other soldiers are visible as best man and usher. The church architecture suggests a Scottish Highland parish church. Date estimated 1944–45. Found among papers donated to the Glasgow chapter.

Damaged photograph of a young man in RAF flight gear, standing beside a Spitfire with nose art visible but unreadable. The pilot wears a Mae West life jacket and appears to be of South Asian descent. Reverse has partial text: "...Singh, 152 Sqn, Dum Dum 194..." suggesting service with 152 Squadron in India. The photograph was found in a box of effects at a Brighton antique market.

Photograph of a Soviet officer standing beside a Lend-Lease Studebaker truck. The officer wears a Major's shoulder boards and a winter padded jacket (telogreika). A Guards badge is visible on his chest. Written on the reverse in Russian: "Мурманск, февраль 1944" (Murmansk, February 1944). Found in a collection donated by a Russian family in Edinburgh.

Studio portrait of a Royal Navy officer in dress uniform with peaked cap. Two medal ribbons visible on chest — likely 1939–45 Star and Atlantic Star. The officer wears the rank insignia of a Sub-Lieutenant. Photograph stamped on reverse "Bassano Ltd, London" with a date of 1943. The subject appears to be in his early twenties.

A portrait photograph of a Soviet naval officer, found tucked inside a Russian-language book purchased at a charity shop in Edinburgh. The officer wears the uniform of a Soviet Navy lieutenant with what appears to be a Northern Fleet insignia. The photo appears to be from the 1940s.

A photograph of three men in Gurkha uniforms standing outside a Nissen hut, found at a car boot sale in Oxford. Written on the back in faded ink: "Dehra Dun, 1942. Before Burma." The men are wearing the distinctive Gurkha slouch hat. One man's face is partially obscured by shadow.