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Members of the public are being asked to 'turn detective' to help identify as-yet unfound historical remains of the First World War.

As part of a project dubbed Britain from Above, people are being asked to 'tag' an online archive of aerial photographs of sites, ruins and remains showing the impact of the Great War on English soil.

The four-year project run by English Heritage aims to conserve, digitise and catalogue a collection of photographs taken by the pioneering Aerofilms company over the course of the 20th century.

The Britain from Above project has been launched by English Heritage and is asking people to 'tag' an online archive of aerial photographs. These include sites, ruins and remains showing the impact of the Great War across England (factories pictured). They were all taken by Aerofilms during the 20th century

The high-resolution photos, especially those taken during the 1920s and 1930s, are often the only record left of the Great War's impact on Britain's towns, cities and countryside.

As part of the project, funded through a £1.7 million ($2.9 million) Heritage Lottery Fund grant, users can zoom in to details of the images and tag sites with a description.

They can also add close-up contemporary photos, historic photographs, photos of relatives who were associated with the site, or share the untold stories of the places.

To encourage people to take part Helen Grant, minister for the First World War Centenary, today 'tagged' an online image of the lake at St James's Park from the Britain from Above archive.

The lake was drained to stop reflections on the water attracting enemy aircraft towards Buckingham Palace.

She said: 'The First World War left a huge footprint on the UK's towns, villages, cities and countryside.

Users can zoom in to see details of the images, and tag sites with a description. They can also add close-up contemporary photos, historic photographs, photos of relatives who were associated with the site, or share the untold stories of the places

'No matter where you live now or where your family were living and working in 1914 to 1918, there are likely to be structures, sites or whole buildings that survive.

'Now the public can help create a lasting aerial photographic record of the impact of the war on our landscape.'

English Heritage chief executive Simon Thurley said: 'There are 95,000 aerial photos on the Britain from Above website so we really need help!

'We're calling on members of the public to turn detective and use their local knowledge or family history to identify the many unlocated remains of the First World War across the country.'

In addition to the Home Front Legacy 1914 to 1918 project, the site contains thousands of other images that need to be identified. A selection is pictured

There are 95,000 aerial photos in total on the Britain from Above website, taken throughout the 20th century, and not just during the First World War. For example, the left-hand image shows the countryside in Dunham on Trent, taken in 1952. The right-hand image shows a vessel at sea off Beachy Head in 1926

Users can also explore tagged images using the map of the UK (pictured). Grey pins show nearby images, blue pins with black circles show multiple images with the same coordinates, and blue pins with white circles show single images. Shows of Penlanole in Radnorshire are highlighted

He said: 'Sites needing to be tagged might be defence structures erected on the coast or secret listening stations that intercepted enemy communications.

'They might be shipyards, factories and other buildings where armaments and supplies were produced, gardens and parks turned over to allotments, hospitals where wounded soldiers were treated or country houses requisitioned as convalescent homes.

'Or perhaps you know of a local drill hall where a relative went to sign up or a training camp where they were prepared for the front or was there a prisoner-of-war camp in your area?

'And as it's free to download Britain from Above photographs, everyone who helps can keep a copy of their contribution, their own piece of this great historical jigsaw.'