Find out more about the men and women who served and sacrificed during times of conflict, and learn more about how to search your own family history using the National Maritime Museum's collections.
The art of remembrance
From official war artists and photographs to intimate sketches, explore just some of the artworks showing seafarers experiences' during the First and Second World Wars
The art of remembrance
From official war artists and photographs to intimate sketches, explore just some of the artworks showing seafarers experiences' during the First and Second World Wars
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Wren wireless telegraphist transmitting a message by radio-telephony
By Gladys E. Reed
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Air raid on the anchorage: flak going up (D-Day, 6 June 1944, or following)
By Norman Wilkinson
Find more war artists in our collections
Search our online archives for more paintings, drawings, sculptures and photographs depicting conflict
Remembrance Sunday at Cutty Sark
In 2020, veteran Charles Roper Medhurst laid a wreath at the Memorial for Merchant Seafarers during Royal Museums Greenwich's Remembrance Sunday commemorations.
The 95-year-old Greenwich veteran served in the Navy during the Second World War on board the battleship Malaya on D-Day and on the minesweeper Beachy Head in the Pacific. He was awarded campaign medals for both theatres and, more recently, the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.
As lockdown prevented us from participating in usual services of Remembrance, Charles stepped forward with the Museum director to perform this act commemoration for all those who served.
The Memorial for Merchant Seafarers can be found beneath Cutty Sark.
Wartime records
The 1915 Crew Lists is a unique digital database containing 39,000 crew lists and over 750,000 names of British Merchant Navy seafarers who were active in 1915
Search the National Maritime Museum archives
Kick start your research into the First and Second World War with our helpful subject guides
Royal Navy: First World War
This guide explains how to use the facilities of the Caird Library at the Museum to research the personnel, vessels and operations of the Royal Navy and its auxiliary forces in 1914-1918
Royal Navy ship records
This guide outlines the National Maritime Museum's resources for researching ships of the Royal Navy
Merchant Navy: First World War
This guide outlines the main sources for researching the activities of merchant ships and their crews during the First World War
Merchant Navy: Second World War
This guide outlines the main sources for researching the activities of merchant ships and their crews during the Second World War 1939 to 1945
Tracing family history from maritime records
This guide is a brief introduction to maritime records that you can use to discover more about your ancestors, family history or famous people. It is intended to help you get started on your research, using the National Maritime Museum's library and archives and other resources outside the museum.
Caird Library
Visit the world's largest maritime library and archive collection at the National Maritime Museum
Collections Online
Search our online database and explore our objects, paintings, archives and library collections from home