British PoW records made available online

A collection of records detailing more than 100,000 British prisoners of war captured during the Second World War was launched online today in a "world first".

History website Ancestry.co.uk said the lists were compiled by the German military authorities under the 1929 Geneva Convention and were one of the few sources open for public inspection.

Prisoners in the collection include:

* Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn, the actor most famous for playing 'Q' in the James Bond films served as a lieutenant with the Royal Welch Fusiliers during the war. He was captured by in 1940 and held at Oflag IX-A/Z in Germany for five years.

* George Henry Hubert Lascelles, the Viscount, 7th Earl of Harewood, KBE, currently 40th in line to the throne and 7th at the time of his capture. Viscount Harewood was incarcerated in Colditz Castle from 1944 until the end of the war.

* JRE (Jock) Hamilton-Baillie, a serial escaper from German prison camps, getting beyond the perimeter of five separate camps before being sent to Colditz, where he nearly escaped dressed in a tight-fitting black burglar's cat suit.

Ancestry.co.uk has also published online the UK Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945, featuring the records of all British Army personnel killed in action during the Second World War, including those who died of natural causes, wounds and disease.

The Roll of Honour contains more than 170,000 names and was compiled between the end of 1944 and 1949. Details include the perished soldier's name, rank, date of death, service number, birth place, residence, branch at enlistment and regiment at death. Well-known names in the collection include Ronald and Anthony Cartland (real names John and James), the brothers of Dame Barbara Cartland.

Daniel Jones of Ancestry.co.uk said: "The unwavering spirit of British prisoners of war was astounding - with many trying to escape their captors at every opportunity in order to rejoin the war effort. This collection of records will be a way for people to find out more about the heroes in their family."