QR codes in cemeteries to bring war dead to life
There are more than 8,000 Commonwealth war graves in Wales and those they belong to are being brought to life with scannable digital codes – QR codes – that allow a visitor to go beyond the simple details of name and date of death and glimpse a person’s history.
Scanned easily with an enabled smartphone, the QR codes provide visitors with a plethora of detail including pictures, video and other media that can give a better understanding of the person’s life.
The QR codes are also hoped to get younger generations involved and interested in what the war dead did for their country. Information with QR codes have been installed at many war cemeteries across the UK.
As well as QR codes organized by local authorities, and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, individuals have been putting the codes on their family’s headstones complete with family photographs and their histories.
QR codes have been added to cemeteries in Wales for more than a year following an official launch of the project by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, in February of last year.
“The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is at the heart of events to mark the centenary of the First World War,” said Prince Edward.
“Our cemeteries and memorials will be the focus for many acts of remembrance over the coming years and this initiative will help inform visitors of the historical context which brought these places into being, while putting a human face to the names of those who died. It is a powerful means of combining traditional methods with new technology to ensure we never forget.”
