doodlemem
A weathered stone memorial cross on a village green in autumn, with red poppy wreaths at its base
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

WHAT THE EXPERTS ADVISE

Look after
the names.

Almost every community has a war memorial.

Some are crosses on the green, others are plaques, bells, benches or whole parks. The UK charities and museum that record them ask the same of us: notice them, photograph them, and clean them gently or not at all.

100,000+ UK war memorials

Check a memorial

THE SHORT ANSWER

More memorials
than you think.

They come in many forms,
and the public helps to keep track of them.

WHAT COUNTS

Not just crosses

IWM records plaques, rolls of honour, bells, windows, halls, parks and more, as long as they were created or dedicated to commemorate war.

See the numbers

CLEANING

Gentle or not at all

War Memorials Trust warns that the wrong cleaning can do more damage than leaving the dirt. Water and a soft natural brush is the safe routine.

Check a memorial

RECORDING

Add a photo

Anyone can upload photographs and condition reports to War Memorials Online, building a picture of every memorial in the UK.

How to do it
A person seen from behind photographing a stone memorial in a quiet churchyard with a phone
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

FOUR WAYS TO HELP

Start with the one
down the road.

None of these needs special skills. They follow the advice of War Memorials Trust and IWM's War Memorials Register.

  1. Find out who looks after it

    Before cleaning or changing anything, find the owner or custodian and talk to them first.

  2. Photograph it

    Take clear pictures of the whole memorial and its inscriptions, and upload them to War Memorials Online.

  3. Report a concern

    If it is damaged, vandalised or in poor condition, log a condition report so conservation staff know.

  4. Share its story

    Send details and photographs to IWM's War Memorials Register to help improve the national record.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

So many memorials,
so many helpers.

One figure on how many there are,
one on how many the public has recorded.

100,000+

Estimated war memorials in the UK

War Memorials Trust cites the UK National Inventory of War Memorials estimate of over 100,000, not counting headstones that mark where a body lies.

HOW MANY · WAR MEMORIALS TRUST

80,000+

Memorials added by the public

Contributors have added over 80,000 war memorials to War Memorials Online, along with over 80,000 condition reports.

RECORDED · WAR MEMORIALS ONLINE

War Memorials Trust says it has just 6 conservation staff for 100,000 memorials, so campaigns led by local communities are often the most effective.

A QUICK MEMORIAL CHECK

Does it need
cleaning?

Pick what you can see on a stone memorial to see what War Memorials Trust advises. The bar shows how much intervention the Trust suggests.

Memorial check

Choose what you see
Lichen, names still clearLeave it

Lichen is not proven to damage stone, and removing it can pull pieces of stone away. Photograph it now and then to watch for spread.

Light dirt, names readableWater and a brush

Simple, safe cleaning, perhaps once a year, by hand with water and a natural bristle brush. Add no chemicals or household products.

Pollution hides the namesCall a professional

Cleaning is justified so the names can be read, but it needs specialist techniques. The wrong method can cause long-term damage.

Graffiti over the namesSpecialist removal

Graffiti needs removing by someone who understands the material, as treatments depend on the stone. The Trust can advise.

Source: War Memorials Trust, Cleaning - stone, which sets out six example scenarios for when cleaning is appropriate.

Based on War Memorials Trust guidance on cleaning stone memorials. Always talk to the owner or custodian before doing anything.

Hands gently washing a weathered stone surface with plain water and a natural bristle brush
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

WHY GENTLE MATTERS

Over-cleaning
wears names away.

War Memorials Trust only advises cleaning when dirt is disfiguring, damaging or covering inscriptions. Over-cleaning, or cleaning the wrong way, can damage fragile surfaces and wear away the very names a memorial exists to keep.

The Trust also advises against fixing extra items to memorials, such as flags, plaques or QR codes, because fixings can damage the stone and change the original design. Many memorials are listed, so changes may need consent.

Questions

Questions people ask

What counts as a war memorial?

IWM defines it as any physical object created or dedicated to commemorate war or conflict, victory or peace, or people who served in or were affected by war. That includes plaques, rolls of honour, church fittings, buildings and land.

How many war memorials are there in the UK?

War Memorials Trust cites the UK National Inventory of War Memorials estimate of over 100,000, not including headstones that mark where a body lies.

Can I clean my local war memorial?

First find the owner or custodian. War Memorials Trust says simple cleaning with water and a natural bristle brush suits light dirt, but heavy pollution or graffiti needs a professional.

Should lichen be scrubbed off?

Usually not. War Memorials Trust says lichen is not proven to damage stone and removing it can pull stone away. It supports removal only if lichen covers names.

Are graves counted as war memorials?

IWM's register does not record headstones that simply mark where war casualties are buried, but it does include added inscriptions on gravestones that commemorate a casualty buried elsewhere.

Sources

  1. War Memorials Trust: Frequently asked questions
  2. War Memorials Trust: Cleaning - stone
  3. IWM War Memorials Register: About the register
  4. IWM War Memorials Register
  5. War Memorials Online

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