THE British Red Cross has launched an online archive to enable people to search for voluntary aid detachments (VAD) that helped care for the sick and wounded during the First World War.

VAD personnel index cards will detail names and where they worked and tasks they carried out which will be free to search. So far surnames A to B are online with the rest added over the next year.

The archive is available at www.redcross.org.uk/ww1.