IT IS considered to be the largest naval battle of World War One.

Now Hampshire researchers are appealing to residents to identify the men who died in the Battle of Jutland.

Researchers at the University of Portsmouth have published a naval casualty database, a record of men who died in the 36-hour battle that claimed more than 6,000 British lives.

It was on May 31, 1916 that the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet clashed in the waters off Denmark’s Jutland peninsula.

More than 8,000 British and German servicemen were killed and 25 ships sunk.

As a result, German naval fleet’s capabilities were diminished to such an extent that they couldn’t fight again during the war.

Dr Melanie Bassett, history researcher at the University of Portsmouth, said: “It has been traditionally assumed that most sailors were enlisted from seafaring communities since the navy recruited sailors directly from their base ports rather than establish recruiting centres in the UK’s major cities like the Royal Marines.

“This isn’t the case though; families nationwide were affected as many people weren’t living in port towns – they were from all over the UK.”

Now researchers want to map the sailors killed in Jutland and assess whether certain communities suffered disproportionally from others and have found 6,102 records.

Dr Bassett said: “We have traced every Royal Navy sailor killed at the battle, which has allowed us to understand how the naval war affected society, where sailor families lived and the long-term effects of the war.

“The research also uncovers the streets, neighbourhoods and communities which were hardest hit.”

The database created as part of the project includes information on the names, ranks, service numbers, dates and places of birth, and names and addresses of next of kin.

However, some information is still missing and researchers are now appealing to the public for help. Dr Bassett said: “We’re reaching out to the public to ask for help because there is still missing data and we want to ensure all the men who lost their lives are represented.”

The project aims at providing a new perspective on the battle and understanding its impact on the communities of the 6,102 men lost.

Dr Bassett said: “It has been easier to find information about the next of kin for those in ordinary ranks, but not for mid-shipmen, who were usually only 15-16

years old, or for commissioned officers.

“We’d like further insight into the lives of those sailors who were lost at sea and then lost in history too.”

The project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council Gateways to the First World War research centre.

To access the database visit porttowns.port.ac.uk/source-information/jutland-casualty-database/ or email ptuc@port.ac.uk to contact the research team.