About Wartime Attic

Most families have one. A tin of medals. A bundle of letters. A pay book with a number nobody can explain. Wartime Attic exists to make sense of them.

What we do

We write plain-English guides to Second World War family history, for British families. Service records, medals, letters, militaria and how to look after it all. Each guide answers one question properly, then points to the next step.

How we check facts

• Official sources first. The National Archives, GOV.UK, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Hansard and the London Gazette.
• Every fact is linked. If we state a fee, a date or a rule, the source is on the page.
• Dates are stamped. Fees and rules change. Each guide shows when it was last checked.
• Examples are labelled. Where we illustrate a form with a made-up entry, we say so.

Spot an error? Email hello@wartimeattic.co.uk. We fix mistakes fast.

Who’s behind it

We’re a small team of family history enthusiasts. We also make The Attic Letters on YouTube: untold human stories from history, starting with the Second World War.

How the site is funded

Some guides will link to record sites such as Findmypast and Forces War Records. If you subscribe through those links we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend. Read our affiliate disclosure.