- Half of people in the UK openly admit to knowing nothing about WWI – 3 million* claim they've never heard of it
- Despite start of centenary in 2014, interest in the First World War is in decline
- Leger Holidays calling out to continue to raise awareness and keep the memories alive

Ahead of Remembrance Day, Leger Holidays has revealed Brits still have a shocking lack of knowledge when it comes to the great wars – with awareness actually decreasing dramatically in the last six years despite the start of the centenary last year.

Research undertaken by Battlefield experts Leger Holidays shows that a third of people (29 per cent) weren't even aware that 2014 was the start of the centenary of WW1.

Leger undertook research with over 1,000 members of the public asking about their knowledge of the World Wars - a repeat of identical research undertaken in 2014 and 2009 – to see if the start of the centenary had any impact on knowledge of the wars. In all cases it found that general knowledge about the war had surprisingly decreased over the past six years.

Only one in 10 people (12 per cent) were able to identify the main British battlefield in the First World War as Ypres, dropping from 31 per cent in 2009. Eighty two per cent of people could not say what event Armistice Day marks – which is an end to fighting on the Western Front.

Even more worryingly, three million people (six per cent) claim to have never even heard of the First World War – up from one per cent in 2009. This is despite one in 10 being convinced the Third World War has taken place (9 per cent).

According to the Leger research, 43 per cent of people openly admit they don't really have any knowledge of the First World War – with the Second World War faring slightly better, but still at a concerning 28 per cent.

Paul Reed, Battlefields expert at Leger Holidays, said: “We wanted to repeat the same research that we ran both last year and in 2009 to see if knowledge had improved, particularly since the start of the centenary. It's really concerning that the events and media coverage of last year did nothing to increase awareness with the public, and furthermore there does not seem to have been any media coverage since. There are no First World War veterans around anymore (despite 60 per cent of people thinking there are), and so it is down to us as later generations to keep those memories alive and to ensure knowledge is passed down and never forgotten.”

The public's knowledge of the Second World War didn't fare much better than that of the earlier conflict. Nine out of 10 people don't know the meaning of the D in D-Day (88 per cent), rising from 57 per cent in 2009. Half are unsure of when D-Day was (49 per cent) and 53 per cent don't know we went to war for Poland in 1939.

Those who have limited knowledge of either war were remembering what they'd been taught in school (34 per cent), with 28 per cent getting their information from TV shows and films, 17 per cent from family and 14 per cent from their own reading and research.

Leger Holidays is the leading Battlefield tour providers in the UK, offering more than 40 tours which take in different aspects of the First World War and other conflicts. And despite a seeming lack of knowledge in the British public, the sales of its Battlefield tours more than doubled in 2014, with people actively wanting to find out more about the great wars.

Paul Reed continues: “The research showed eight out of 10 people would be interested in going on a battlefield tour to find out more, so the appetite is there to be more aware of our history. It's just concerning that knowledge is so low. A battlefield tour can help encourage people to want to find out more. There's nothing like seeing the places where so many fought and fell and hearing the personal stories – maybe finding out where members of your own family would have been. Walking in the very footsteps of heroes is a profoundly moving experience, and once you've done it you could never imagine wanting the history to be forgotten.”

For more information about Leger's Battlefield holidays visit http://battlefields.leger.co.uk/ or call 0844 324 9256.

Research conducted on a nationally representative sample of 1019 people in April 2015.

*Population figures based on the Office of National Statistics' 2013 estimated population figures for over 18s.

ENDS

Notes to editors

For press enquiries, contact Sam Orbaum, Emma Baylis or Tamarind Wilson-Flint at Lucre on 0113 243 1117 or email leger@lucre.co.uk

Leger Holidays has more than 30 years' experience in the escorted tour industry, and is one of the UK's leading operators. With a focus on making holidays easy, and offering value for money, Leger boasts more than 500 convenient regional joining points across the UK and prides itself on offering quality included and optional excursions. Its portfolio of 184 tours by coach, rail, self-drive and air spans Europe and beyond, offering everything from 3-day short breaks to 23-day Grand Explorer tours, with prices starting from just £165 per person.

Leger is also the UK's leading battlefield tour providers with more than 40 tours covering the First and Second World Wars, and conflicts including Waterloo, the Boer and Zulu Wars and the American Civil War. All Leger's battlefield tours are accompanied by a specialist battlefield guide.