Our archives and sources

Archives are where companies, like many other organisations, keep unique records relating to their past. The documents they hold tell the story of a company’s history, how it developed and how it became what it is today.

The NatWest Group archive preserves historical records from more than 200 past British banks, as well as the present-day banks NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank, Coutts & Co and Isle of Man Bank. Laid end-to-end, the archive’s shelves would stretch for more than 6km. Among the records they hold are items spanning four centuries and ranging from the oldest banking ledgers in Britain to documents created just last week.

At present, the overwhelming majority of material on this site relates to the First World War, and is the result of detailed research among 5,000+ archival records that relate to the period 1914-18, supplemented by external research. Over time, we aim to enrich this site further by adding the stories and experiences of our Second World War colleagues as revealed by archives from the period 1939-45. 

Sources used on this site

NatWest Group Remembers is based largely on NatWest Group's own extensive historical archive. You can learn more about the archive and its contents on NatWest Group Heritage Hub.

The biographies of our Fallen were compiled from our own archives and a range of online sources including:

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission 
• Ancestry 
• ScotlandsPeople
• The Long, Long Trail

In addition, we have consulted many printed books and articles, as well as accessing a wide range of online material. We are grateful to the historians and other authors whose work has made it possible for us to compile this site.