BBC reunites veterans online

Veterans will recount their experiences

World War II veterans are to be reunited online thanks to a new website launched by the BBC.

Soldiers will be asked to share their wartime memories as part of a memorial to Britain's war heroes.

Surfers will be able to look up their regiment and add their comments to the site.

The project is part of the BBC's plans to commemorate next year's 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

People who are retired tend to like to want to relive their memories

Jeremy Lillies
Royal British Legion

It is hoped every British Army unit will eventually be represented on the site.

The initiative has been welcomed by the Royal British Legion as an "excellent resource."

Staff in libraries and the Imperial War Museum will be trained to help elderly veterans use the website.

A BBC spokesman said: "The idea for this came from the realisation that as the survivors of the Second World War get ever fewer, there is a great need for their children and grandchildren to find out what they did, where they served and what really happened to them.

"It also set out to help address some of the more personal unanswered questions such as, what part did members of my family play during the war?"

Informative site

He said the site would create a unique first-hand history of the nation at war that would "flesh out the bare bones of the official record."

And he said the website would provide a vast learning resource.

The site will record not only the experiences of soldiers, but also members of the Home Guard, evacuees and civilians who formed the Home Front.

Jeremy Lillies, head of public affairs for the Royal British Legion, said he was certain the site would prove a great success.

"People who are retired tend to like to want to relive their memories and this is a good way to do this.

"It will prove a great resource for younger people who want to learn about their predecessors."

The site launches at the end of May at www.bbc.co.uk/ww2