ARMY RESEARCH

DocumentsOnline ~ Army

Before 1914

Surviving discharge papers for other ranks are held at the National Archives (ref WO97) and those discharged to pension up to 1854 are name indexed on the National Archives online catalogue. There is a 3-year project of digitisation for these records.

For discharge papers from 1855-1882 it is essential to have some details on a man’s regiment which might be found on the census or on certificates.

Other records available at the National Archives include Muster Rolls, Medal Records and Pension records.

For officers of this period, records can be found at the National Archives in references WO 25 and WO76. An outline of an officer’s career can be obtained from the Army List.

Muster rolls and service records for the Militia and Volunteers may be found at the National Archives and Local Record Offices.

For all periods of Army service, other useful sources include the London Gazette which is searchable online, for announcements of promotions and awards of certain medals and Regimental Museums, for an overview of the campaigns the regiment was involved in, but not usually for personal records.

The Findmypast website has indexes to Regimental births, marriages and deaths, although these are incomplete.

1914-1918 World War One

Service records for other ranks (non officers) are gradually being made available on the Ancestry website although a significant number were destroyed.

Medal cards are available on both the DocumentsOnline and Ancestry websites.

Medal Rolls, only available at the National Archives should provide a man’s battalion.

Service records for Officers are available at the National Archives and are name searchable on their online catalogue (Refs WO339 and WO374). Again, not all survive. The Army List will provide an outline of an Officer’s career.

War Diaries for this period are available at the National Archives, with some online at the DocumentsOnline website.

Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC)

Service records can be seen at Documents Online.

1921 to present

For service records see Veterans-UK for procedure and cost.

War Diaries for World War 2 are available at the National Archives.

Recommendations for Honours and Awards for 1935-1990 are available on the DocumentsOnline website.

The Ancestry website has the Army Roll of Honour 1939-1945.

Prisoner of War records for WW1 and 2 are available at the National Archives, with incomplete lists being held by the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva. Some P.O.W. records are held on the Ancestry website.

Deaths during both World Wars for all services can be found on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and, for the Army, in Soldiers Died in the Great War, available on CD ROM, at some libraries and on the Findmypast website and Ancestry websites.

Both the Ancestry and Findmypast websites have the National Roll of the Great War.

ROYAL NAVY RESEARCH

DocumentsOnline ~ Navy

Before 1928

Service records are held at the National Archives and are increasingly being made available online. Registers of seamen’s services for ratings joining between 1873 and 1923 are available on the DocumentsOnline website. Some Continuous Service Engagement books for those ratings enlisting between 1853 and 1872 are also available on this site, along with Royal Naval Officers’ Service records 1756-1917 and Wills of Royal Naval Seamen 1786-1882.

 The National Archives holds an immense amount of material on the Royal Navy, but it can be difficult to search. Useful records for all periods include Musters in various ADM series, Certificates of Service in ADM 29, Medal records in ADM 171, Ships Logs in ADM 53 and pension records in various series of the ADM reference. For officers, the Navy List can provide an outline of a man’s career and the London Gazette details of medals and promotions.

Other useful repositories for Royal Navy research are Lloyds of London records, held at the Guildhall Library, including Lloyds Register which gives detailed information on each ship, Lloyds List, recording ships’ arrivals and departures and ships’ losses and enquiries, and Lloyds Captains Registers, listing the holders of masters certificates, along with personal and service details.

The Royal Naval Museum holds a wide variety of relevant material, as does the National Maritime Museum.

1928-1971

For service records (with limited information), see Veterans-UK for procedure and cost.

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) and Royal Naval Division (RND)

Records are also at TNA. WW1 service records for the RND are available on Documents Online, and Ancestry and the Find my Past websites have 'Casualties of the Great War'. Some RND records are held at the Fleet Air Arm Museum

Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) records are held at the National Archives. Service records for officers are available from 1862-1920 and for ratings, for 1860-1913 and for the First World War. 

ROYAL AIR FORCE

DocumentsOnline ~ Air Force.

Service records for RFC and RNAS officers are at the National Archives and service records for officers who ended their service before 1920 are in AIR 76. The RAF List will provide an outline of an officer’s career.

Service records for airmen are gradually being made available online at the Ancestry website.

Medal records are online at both the Ancestry and DocumentsOnline websites, and Operational Records are held at National Archives.

For service records see Veterans-UK for procedure and cost.

Operational records Books are available at the National Archives.

World War 2 Combat Reports 1939-1945 are available on the DocumentsOnline website.

Royal Aero Club Aviators Certificates for 1910-1950 are available on the Ancestry website and Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF) service records can be found on the DocumentsOnline website.

Merchant Navy

Royal Marines

Indian Army