Frequently Asked Questions

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What is the Great War Archive Project?

The Great War Archive project is a nationwide initiative to gather together and preserve, in digital form, everyday memorabilia that reflect the experience of soldiers on the front line and those on the Home Front alike. We will then make these digital versions freely available on the Web for teaching and research in schools, colleges and universities, both in the UK and worldwide. The project is led by Oxford University's Faculty of English and Oxford University Computing Services, and is part of a larger project to create an online collection of the manuscripts of leading First World War poets: The First World War Poetry Digital Archive. The archive will be launched on the Web on 11th November 2008, the ninetieth anniversary of the Armistice.

What do you want me to do?

If you have any memorabilia from the First World War that you are willing for other people to see and to use for educational purposes (but not to make money out of), then we would like you to send us digital copies for inclusion in the Archive.

What kind of material is appropriate?

We are looking for any memorabilia that originated either during the First World War or as a direct consequence. The material must relate to the War as experienced by servicemen (also medical and other battlefield support personnel) or by those on the home front. The kinds of memorabilia in which we are interested include: Letters, diaries, official documents sent to or by the person involved, photographs, drawings, paintings, publications, recordings (film or sound), poems and souvenirs — in fact, memorabilia of any kind. We are also very interested in collecting any stories of wartime experiences that have been handed down through your family. In short, if you possess anything related to the First World War, and are able to photograph it, record it or transcribe it, then we invite you to submit a digital copy of it to the Archive. Note that we are not asking for the items themselves: they will remain in your possession. However, it is essential that you have copyright over each item: that is, you must have the right to send it to us for public distribution. You might also wish to check that other family members are willing for the item to go into the Archive.

Do you just want images?

No. We are happy to take typed-in stories, anecdotes, transcripts of written material, audio files (e.g. of interviews), and even video files.

I was told a story about my family's involvement in the First World War. Can I submit that?

Yes. We also want this archive to collect together stories and anecdotes passed on down from generation to generation about the experiences of the War. So if you have something which is unusual, or adds to our understanding of the experience of the War, then please follow the 'Text' path in the submissions process and type in your story. Please include as much detail as you can.

I have an old souvenir from the war (e.g. a piece of equipment) - what should I do?

We are happy to receive images of artefacts and souvenirs. Just photograph the object from as many angles as you think appropriate and follow the 'Attachments' path of the submission process.

Copyright will vary from object to object. In the case of letters, diaries, etc written by an individual then the rights would reside with the writer or their family until 70 years after the death of the author. For souvenirs (i.e. objects such as military equipment) the right resides with the owner. For printed publications, postcards, comics, official documents, etc, the rights would normally reside with the writer or publisher for 70 years after the death of the writer, or in the case of Crown Copyright for 70 years after publication. We suggest that you submit the items and we will then attempt to assess copyright ourselves, and to get agreement. However, we reserve the right in such cases to remove an item from the public launch of the archive.

How do I get started?

First of all you need access to the technology necessary to digitise your memorabilia. Typically, this will include any of the following:

When you have prepared your materials, go to The Great War Archive website. Here, you will be taken step by step through the submission process.

How do I send you my digital items or stories?

The Great War Archive web site will be open to receive your contributions from 3rd March 2008 to 31st May 2008. Here you will be asked to upload your files, or type in your story or transcript and asked for some information about the item to help us catalogue it. You will also be required to agree to our conditions of submission: that is, you allow your material to be made freely available on the Web for anyone to use for educational purposes. Note, however, that we will not allow anyone to use the material for commercial purposes (i.e. make money from it).

I have an object (e.g. a diary) where I want to send you multiple images, what should I do?

If you have multiple images of one object (e.g. a multi-page letter or diary, or the two sides of a postcard), don't worry, you can upload as many images as you like within on submission . When asked, choose 'Attachments', select and upload each file you have of that one object and submit. If you have multiple images of different objects (e.g. a photograph of a soldier, a photograph of a nurse, a medal etc.) please go through the submission process for each separate item.

I have lots of different items that I have photographed for you. Should I upload all the images at the same time?

If you have you a number of objects that you would like to send us the digital files of please go through the submission process for each individual item. If you have multiple images of one object (e.g. the pages of one letter, the front and back of a postcard, the pages of a sketch book) you may upload all files relating to that object in a single submission.

The basic rule is that you need to go through the submission process for every individual item you would like to submit, regardless of how many files you wish to submit for that one item.

I have an object (e.g. a diary) which I have transcribed, but also photographs of it. Can I submit both?

Yes. For any example like this follow the 'Attachments' path during submission and upload the images. You can either include the transcription in the Additional Information field or attach it alongside the images as a text document.

Why do I have to give you my name when submitting an item?

Simply for our own records. However, you can choose to remain anonymous so that when your item appears in the publicly-available archive your name will not appear.

Why should I enter my e-mail address?

If you enter your e-mail address we will be able to contact you prior to the launch of the final archive in November and inform you if your item/s have been approved for inclusion. We will not make your e-mail address available on the web site or pass it on to any third party.

What are the terms and conditions I am signing up to?

When you decide to contribute an item to the archive we will ask you to agree to some simple terms and conditions. These state that:

Please note that this is an entirely publicly-funded project and we will not give permission for any third party to use your material to make a profit. The rights holder (i.e. you or the person you are submitting on the behalf of) retains the right to do as they wish with the material.

For full details of our licence see the JISC Model Licence.

You say that you can only take files of up to 25 MB - what if my file is larger?

We are attempting to restrict the use of bandwidth and the impact on the project server by limiting the size of uploaded files to 25 MB. For most objects this will not be a problem, but for video it may well prove too small. If you have something which ends up as being over 25 MB but feel it would be useful to the project then email us.

How do you approve the material that is being sent?

Experts in the field will check each item submitted and confirm that it is genuine and appropriate. In the case of stories or anecdotes we will simply note them as unverified and make them available.

What if I need help in submitting something?

We have put up a step-by-step user guide which hopefully will answer a lot of questions. You can download this from The Great War Archive homepage. However, if you are unfamiliar with using a computer but have something you would like to submit we suggest you contact your local library and ask them to help you with the computer, or direct you to a public IT facility.

What will happen to my material?

We will look at every item submitted to check that it is appropriate, and if necessary we will contact you with any further questions (if you have given us your contact details). Once the item has been verified it will form part of our online archive and will be available for anyone in the world to see from 11th November 2008.

If I submit something is it guaranteed that it will appear in the archive?

We wish to include as much as we can of the material submitted. However, we do reserve the right to not include an item on the grounds that:

Who is paying for the project?

The Great War Archive is funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC). JISC supports further and higher education by providing strategic guidance, advice and opportunities to use Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to support teaching, learning, research and administration. JISC is funded by all the UK post-16 and higher education funding councils.

This project is one of 22 digitisation projects being managed by JISC with funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The JISC programme represents a total investment of more than £22m in the digitisation of high-quality online content, including sound, moving pictures, newspapers, census data, maps, archives, journals, parliamentary papers and cartoons for use by the UK further and higher education communities. For further information, please go to: www.jisc.ac.uk/digitisation.

Any further questions?

If you have any further questions or want to become even more involved in the Great War Archive project, then you are welcome to contact us in the following ways: