A major new collection of records from online data giantTheGenealogist.co.ukwill help anyone researching their World War One forebears.

In the first week of August the site is releasing more than 117,000 unique new records of Non Commissioned Officers and Other Ranks who were awarded the Military Medal for their service during WW1. As well as the combatants who fought gallantly in battle, within the extensive new collection are listed those brave men and women who did not fire a single shot in the four years of hostilities and who were only concerned with saving lives and rescuing wounded soldiers. The records list all those who were awarded the Military Medal (often abbreviated to the MM) in the war.

As well as the men who served in the conflict, these records help to unveil the women who changed attitudes and perceptions of an entire society with their courageous work on the battlefields.

The new Military Medals collection at TheGenealogist includes an elite band of women who volunteered for front line duty to save wounded soldiers, putting themselves in mortal danger. The records provide details of women who rescued soldiers from exploding ammunition dumps, carried them out of ‘no-man’s-land’ to safety and faced hostile fire every day. They were justly awarded the Military Medal, the medal for non-commissioned officers and other ranks for bravery in battle.

Before the war, many people were of the fervent opinion that the frontline was not the place for a woman. This attitude pervaded the British Army in 1914 and they refused any female volunteers. However, after helping the Belgian Army instead, many woman volunteers made their mark and gave assistance to the British Army from 1915 onwards.

In the new records, for example, we find the daughter of the Earl of Denbigh (Lady Dorothie May Evelyn Feilding-Moore, who was the first female recipient of the Military Cross), the daughter of the High Sheriff of Norfolk and other high society young women who left a life of privilege behind. Many of the them were very able horsewomen who joined up with the romantic idea of riding onto the battlefield and picking up wounded soldiers and bring them back to safety. In reality they drove heavy ambulances, but for many it still took them into extreme danger and they thrived on the challenge.

The role of stretcher bearers (along with junior officers) was one of the most dangerous jobs in the war and the new Military Medal collection reveals records of a number of women from privileged backgrounds who risked life and limb saving wounded men in the front line and even out into ‘no-man’s-land’ in full view of the enemy.

The women were faced with idle gossip, inconvenient marriage proposals and dreadful living conditions as well as the usual dangers of working near the front line. However, their bravery won over both the soldiers at the front and the establishment back in Britain who celebrated their bravery. Their role was a ground-breaking one before women even had the vote.

Mark Bayley, Head of Online Content at TheGenealogist.co.uk, commented on the new release: With our military record releases in 2014, we are aiming to cover all aspects of the First World War. Every new record set unearths surprises and the Military Medal collection is no different as we discover the female front line heroes of the war, on a par with Florence Nightingale from the earlier Crimean War. These unique records consistently provide fascinating tales behind them.

To read about the extreme bravery of the men and women who saved lives and the fascinating stories of the wealthy young women who risked life and limb as volunteers in the line of duty see the dedicated page. There you will find photographs, stories, statistics and a free search facility.