Our Heritage
100 trained volunteers transcribed the information on 244,000 Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) personnel index cards, and created a searchable online database.
Digitising this information for the first time allows us to better understand the people who volunteered to provide humanitarian aid during the conflict. The index cards include each volunteer's social background, gender, age, qualifications, and responsibilities - an invaluable resource for family history researchers and historians.
The First World War volunteers website launched to coincide with the centenary of the First World War, featuring a searchable database of the index cards and enabling people to learn about the contribution of VAD volunteers to the war effort. The website also features a downloadable teaching resource and a range of multimedia, including photos and audio recordings of VAD volunteers discussing their own personal experiences. The database is available to the public free of charge, and was promoted widely through social media and the printed press to a diverse audience including London history groups, record offices, and local primary and secondary schools across London.