It is usually the case that if a relative died during the World Wars more information will be available about them. Sources in the Department of Printed Books include a complete set of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission registers, which list all those who died on active service between 4 August 1914 and 31 August 1921, and between 3 September 1939 and 31 December 1947. These are arranged in cemetery or memorial order, and certainly for the First World War it would be necessary to know where an individual was buried to avoid a time-consuming search.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission also compiled the seven-volume 1939-1945: Civilian War Dead. The first six volumes cover those who died in the United Kingdom, and the final volume contains details of those civilians who were lost at sea, or who died abroad. This includes all those civilians who died on Malta, as well as the details of all the children on board the SS City of Benares when she was sunk en-route to Canada in 1940, and it can be informative about those civilians who died in the Far East.

See also the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's online Debt of Honour Register