Unknown Soldiers

Small photograph of a young woman in Soviet military uniform with a pilotka cap and red star. On the back: "For Sasha, with love — L. 1944". Found inside a Russian poetry book purchased at a second-hand bookshop in Leeds in 2020.

Studio portrait of a Soviet Army medic, identifiable by the medical corps insignia on his collar. The photograph is of high quality, suggesting it was taken at a professional studio, possibly during leave in London. The reverse has a photographer's stamp reading "Hay & Co., Piccadilly" but no name or date. The man appears to be in his mid-thirties.

Photograph of two soldiers shaking hands — one British, one Soviet — at what appears to be a port during Arctic convoy operations. British soldier has sergeant stripes. Donated by a Liverpool family whose grandfather served on convoys. The Soviet serviceman is unknown.

Water-damaged wartime military booklet found in a Russian almanac at a London antiquarian book fair in 2023. Name nearly illegible. Born 1920, served as private in infantry, wounded 1943. Small photo attached shows young man with dark hair. Unit partially readable as "...th Rifle Division".

A damaged photograph showing two Soviet soldiers standing in front of a stone memorial, possibly in a British cemetery. The image is partially torn, obscuring any text on the memorial. One soldier wears an infantry uniform with sergeant stripes. Found in a collection of WWII memorabilia at a charity shop in Manchester.

Photograph of a Soviet military officer receiving a medal from a British officer during a formal ceremony. The reverse bears a faded handwritten inscription: "...medal presentation... London 1944". The British officer has been identified as Brigadier H. R. Gale, but the Soviet officer remains unknown.

A wartime identity card photograph of a young woman in Soviet military uniform. The card was found tucked inside a 1944 edition of a Russian-language newspaper discovered in a house clearance in Edinburgh. The woman appears to be in her early twenties, wearing a signals corps insignia. No name is visible on the document.

A group photograph of three Soviet sailors in uniform, taken at what appears to be a British dockyard. One man is identified as Senior Sailor Petrov (partial stamp on reverse), but the other two remain unknown. The photograph was found in an antique shop in Portsmouth in 2021 and donated to the project.