This data base of Royal Navy personnel killed or died began in the same way as my naval events chronology, as a very specific, narrow project.  The known and published Admiralty Communiqués detailed the names, ranks or ratings and ship of larger HM ships sunk during the war.  However, my interest was to expand my 1940 Norwegian campaign information which included many smaller ships.  Through David Brown of the Naval Historical Branch and naval researcher Arnold Hague, we decided to use the Admiralty Miscellaneous Communiqués which listed names of those killed or died in smaller ships that were sunk and in all ships that were damaged.  Through the war, 76 of these Miscellaneous Communiqués were issued, which also gave the same information on wounded and prisoners of war, but this latter material is for another project.

 

The primary concern of the original computer database, which in its entirety originally covered 1914 to 1982,  was to collect together the Naval personnel into a form where they could be studied by date, ship, or person's name.  Much of the information is contained in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site, but in a form accessible only by the person's name or by a search of cemeteries.  However, there is independent and updated information, not contained in CWGC, which has been obtained from the death ledgers prepared by the Admiralty for officers and ratings.

 

The lists now include over 125,000 names, presented both in alphabetical order and by date and ship/unit

 

No longer do I have to search for those officers and men killed in the bombing of HMS PELICAN in April 1940, nor do you.