How To Check Someone's Military Service Record In The Uk
War machine records are potentially of great genealogical value and may provide information not plant in any other source. These records place individuals who served or were eligible to serve in the armed services. Armed forces service (other than the militia) was usually a lifetime career. Officers came from the upper classes; soldiers ordinarily came from the poor. On occasion, compulsory conscription was enforced and even "printing-gangs" were used.
You may notice evidence that an ancestor served in the armed services from family records, biographies, census, probates, ceremonious registration, or church records. In improver, militaria such equally headress badges, buttons, photographs of uniforms, soldier'south trunks, paybooks, letters, colours, and medals with clasps can provide proof of ancestral links. Medals can have the soldier'due south number on the rim of the medal itself.
The National Archives at Kew in the London area is the caretaker of most of the military records. It is important to understand the "fonds" or the mode records are grouped. There is a Department code (ADM for admiralty, WO for War Function, etc) and a series number.
Britain's armed services comprise, in gild of seniority, the Regal Navy (including the Royal Marines - ADM) , Ground forces (WO) and Royal Air Strength (AIR). Other units can include local militia, fencibles, yeomanry and territorial units of the army. These are briefly discussed at the end of this section.
1756–1763: Seven Years War. Called the French and Indian War in North America, this war involved 120,000 British soldiers and began a continuous series of army records.
1775–1783: American Revolutionary War. The British ground forces had 135,000 men in N America when fighting broke out. Some men remained in Canada subsequently the war, merely most returned to Britain. Records of Loyalists and others who remained in Canada are split from other military records.
Muster rolls for British Forces in the United states of america during the Revolutionary war are part of the British war machine records, "C" series, 1757-1899. They are microfilmed and held at the Family unit History Library 928940-948947 and 1631540-1631549.
1803–1815: Napoleonic Wars. Numerous battles across Europe involved 365,000 British soldiers and 300,000 seamen. These battles include the Peninsular Wars in Portugal and Spain and the famous Battle of Trafalgar. The names of some 1640 officers and men who served in the diverse ships of the Armada at the Battle of Trafalgar are listed in a series of files through Genuki.co.org.
The State of war of 1812 between U.k. and the United States confirmed the split existence of the U.s.a. and the future Canada.
For more general information almost the war, including online documentaries, run into the State of war of 1812 article.
1854–1856: Crimean War. 225,000 troops were involved in the Crimea (Russian Black Ocean).
1857–1860: Indian Mutiny. Many of the troops discharged after the Crimean war were recalled to quell the revolt in Bharat.
1880–1902: Boer Wars. The starting time Anglo-Boer War (1880–1881) led to South African independence in 1881. The 2d Anglo-Boer War (1898–1902) led to the unification of South Africa in 1910. Ship Ships has information virtually the ships and the Regiments.
- 1914–1918: Earth War I. Nearly six,000,000 British service personnel served in this war. Almost 1,000,000 died.
- British Armed forces, First World War Inability & Retirement Payments For Officers & Nurses at MyHeritage ($)
- Ray Westlake. British Battalions in France and Belgium, 1914. London: Leo Cooper, 1997.
- Ray Westlake. British Battalions in France and Kingdom of belgium, 1915.
- Ray Westlake. British Regiments at Gallipoli. (1996)
- Ray Westlake. Tracing British Battalions on the Somme. (1916)
- Ray Westlake. British Battalions on the Somme.
- Ray Westlake. Society of Battle of Divisions, Index. Naval & Military Press, Ltd, 2009
- Ray Westlake. British Battalions on the Western Forepart. January to June, 1915.
- Ray Westlake. British Territorial Units, 1914-1918.
- The Wooden City: A Periodical for British Prisoners of War(Newspaper)
- Simon Fowler. Regular army service records of the First World State of war. Kew, England : PRO Publications, 1996. FHL 942 M23fs
- Simon Fowler. Tracing Your Great War Ancestors: The Gallipoli Campaign: A guide for Family Historians. Barnsley, S Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Family History, 2015. FHL 942 D27fsg
- Simon Fowler. Tracing Your Great War Ancestors: Ypres: a guide for family historians. Barnsley, England: Pen & Sword Family History, 2015. FHL 942 D27fsy
- Simon Fowler. Tracing Your Great War Ancestors; the Somme: a guide for family historians.Barnsley, England : Pen & Sword Family History, 2015. FHL 942 M27fso
- Sarah Paterson. Tracing your prisoner of war ancestors : the Offset World State of war : a guide for family historians.Barnsley, England : Pen & Sword Family History, 2012. FHL 942 D27ps
- Keith Gregson. A Tommy in the Family: First Globe State of war Family History and Inquiry.
- Andrew Rawson. Antecedent's Footsteps. The Somme 1916. Pen & Sword Military, 2016.
- Chinese Labor Corps - Wikipedia
- Noyelles-Sur-Mer-Chinese Cemetery, Nolette, French republic
- Chinese Labour Corps on the Western Front - Blog The National Arhives
- Report - History of the Chinese Labour Corps used behind the lines in France, 1917-1919. British Library
World War II [edit | edit source]
1939–1945: World War II. Only over 400,000 service personnel and civilians died in the war. Historic Photos of the Globe War Ii.
1939-1945 - 2nd World State of war. About twenty,000 Welsh servicemen died.
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The first permanent naval fleet was formed during the reign of Male monarch Henry Viii (1509–1547). For many years U.k. had the strongest navy in the world. The primeval surviving navy records are from 1617, but the majority of the extensive collection date from the mid-1600s. Many records are available simply at The National Archives.
Several sources list navy ships with descriptions and the dates on which they were placed in service
The Navy Official List books, available from 1673, give ports of call for ships during each year. Some of these lists are available in the Family History Library.
Seamen often moved between the navy and the merchant marines. Until 1853 enlistment was breezy and lasted for the ship'southward commission, usually three years. Individual "ratings" (seamen) were not mentioned in navy records other than musters or pay lists unless they deserted, misbehaved, or earned a medal. Later 1853 seamen often made the navy their career. They were assigned continuous service numbers and records were maintained for the elapsing of their careers.
Navy Officers.
You can ordinarily find navy officers in the Navy Lists (1782 to the nowadays) or in the Index to Commission and Warrant Books (1695 to 1742). Run into the sub-heading of "Lists of Officers" in this section for details.
Purple Navy records online at the National Archives:
- Royal Naval Rating's Service Records, 1853-1923
- French Muster Rolls from the Boxing of Trafalgar, 1805
- Women'due south Royal Naval Service Records, 1917-1919
- Imperial Naval Division Service Records, 1914-1919
- Regal Naval Officers' Service Records, 1756-1931
- Royal Naval Reserve Service Records, 1860-1955
- Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Service Records, 1903-1922
- Logs and Journals of Ships of Exploration, 1757-1904
Royal Marines [edit | edit source]
- Main article: Imperial Marines
(Corps of Her Majesty'southward Royal Marines)
The Royal marines originally maintained military discipline on navy vessels. It has been a carve up corps of the military since 1755, although under the control of the Admiralty and forming role of the Naval Service. Alphabetically arranged records of marines exist from 1790, some by enlistment appointment and others by belch date. Royal Marine Service records, 1842 -1926 tin exist accessed online via The National Archives.
The Family History Library has Royal Marine Attestation papers on microfilm for the following divisions:
Chatham Sectionalization, 1790-1883
Plymouth Division, 1804-1881
Portsmouth Division, 1804-1881
These Attestation papers requite the historic period, birthplace, merchandise and concrete characteristics of each human on recruitment and details of his enlistment and attestation. There is a summary of his service and details of his discharge. The forms are arranged alphabetically under the year of attestation or discharge.
For more information meet "Looking for records of a Royal Marine" on The National Archives website.
Army [edit | edit source]
The ground forces began as a permanent organisation in 1660. Earlier armies were raised equally needed, usually as county militia units. The oldest regiment is the Honourable Artillery Company, formed in 1537. For data on pre-1660 armed forces records, encounter the handbooks listed at the stop of this section. The Soldier in Afterward Medieval England database has names of about 250,000 soldiers.
The bones unit of the Ground forces is the regiment under a colonel or lieutenant colonel. Regiments are usually divided into ii or more Battalions. The main types of regiments which should be searched are:
- Cavalry
- Infantry
- Corps (e,1000, Ground forces Service Corps; Imperial Signals; Royal Engineers etc.)
Prior to 1847, English army service was usually for life. Some soldiers were discharged early for inability (liberally defined) or age (often past age 40).
Pre-1872 regular army records are organized by regiment. Nearly regiments have published histories that tell the places where they served and the battles they fought. For a bibliography of these histories, see:
Pre-1751 infantry and cavalry units were known by the names of their colonels, i.east. Sir Thomas Adams Regiment of Foot.
Mail-1751 a numerical organisation was adopted to name the regiments, with rank in order of precedence, i.e. Queens 9th Regiment of Human foot.
Originally the responsibility for directing the British Regular army fell under the control of the staff of the National State of war Office. Thus, the category for records in The National Archives of England is labeled WO for locating all Army collections. At present the army is run past comissioned officers.
Available Records [edit | edit source]
Pre-1914
Service records for "Other ranks" i.east. not officers, who served in the British army are held at The National Archives (TNA), Kew, although various online subscription-based inquiry providers offering admission to digitised copies. At the time of writing, these services were not complete although new records up to and including 1913 are constantly existence added. The leading provider of this service is $ Observe My Past, merely $ TheGenealogist.co.uk has army lists from 1806-1940. Gratis examples:
- English Army Lists and Committee Registers, Vol. 1, 1661-1685 at Google Books
- English Army Lists and Committee Registers, Vol. ii, 1685-1689 at Google Books
- English Army Lists and Committee Registers, Vol. iii, 1689-1694 at Google Books
- English Regular army Lists and Commission Registers, Vol. iv, 1694-1702 at Google Books
- English Regular army Lists and Committee Registers, Vol. 5, 1702-1707 at Google Books
- English Ground forces Lists and Commission Registers, Vol. 6, 1707-1714 at Google Books
If a soldier was entitled to receive any sort of pension due to his army service, a separate record was created although some information was duplicated from his service papers. These pension papers provide a good insight into a soldiers career although they focus more on his medical history rather than his service career.
Officers papers were compiled and held separately although they too are located at TNA. They are not currently available to view online and can only be accessed at TNA.
1914-1922
Primarily covering WW1 service, these service records are frequently referred to every bit the "Burnt Series" due to the fact that the storage facility housing these records was striking by a High german bombing raid during WW2 and consequently over lx% of the records were destroyed. The records that survived have been preserved and indexed, even those partially damaged past h2o and fire.
You lot can search the FamilySearch Catalog to obtain the microfilm number of the TNA Catalogue Number WO 364 records. Alternatively, $ ancestry.co.uk also has the records available to search free of charge although viewing is via subscription.
- 1917-1920 United Kingdom, World War I Women's Army Auxiliary Corps Records, 1917-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Utilise this Collection; index & images
British Regular army war Diaries 1914 - 1922
Some diaries record petty more daily losses and map references whilst others are much more descriptive, with daily reports on operations, intelligence summaries and other material. The digitised diaries comprehend activity in France and Belgium.
The diaries sometimes contain data about particular people simply they are unit diaries, non personal diaries. A few incorporate details about awards of the Armed forces Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal.
Many maps and plans were included in the original diaries simply some confidential material was removed before the files were made bachelor. This accounts for the absence of some appendices referred to on the covers of many diaries. Find the diaries at this link British Army War Diaries
World State of war I Service Files.
These records are the service files of soldiers who were discharged from the British regular army between 1914 and 1920. They are a collection known every bit the "unburned documents." They correspond virtually 8 percentage of the soldiers who served during those years.
The files normally contain the soldier'southward unit proper name and number, birthplace, historic period at fourth dimension of enlistment, name and address of adjacent of kin, and date and reason for discharge. They may too include the names of his parents, spouse, and children. Some mention his occupation earlier he enlisted in the service and evidence the assignments he had in the service. Some files comprise death certificates.
The files are bundled alphabetically, only many documents are missing. Therefore, y'all will non find every soldier in these files.
The original files are at the Public Record Office in England. The Family unit History Library has microfilmed copies, which are listed in the Identify Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:
GREAT United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland - Armed forces RECORDS - Regular army - Globe State of war, 1914-1918
Search the FamilySearch Itemize by championship for: Military machine records of the British Ground forces, 1914-1920 you will see two items with that verbal championship and several that have letters of the alphabet added to the end of the championship. Look at the catalog entries for the two without any additional letters.
In the notes department of the catalog entry you should see the National Archives catalogue number, either WO 361 or WO 364. Be sure to use the right one.
On the page of the FamilySearch Catalog that has the Notes you will demand to click on the View Film Notes push near the top right portion of the screen to get the film numbers that apply to surnames in the dissimilar parts of the alphabet. There are 804 rolls of microfilm for the WO 364 records
If you lot cannot locate the service papers of the soldier you are searching for, it is likewise worthwhile looking within the pension papers index equally many men were entitled to pensions for prior service or due to injuries sustained during WW1.
Officers papers are stored at TNA every bit above and an index of WW1 officers is available to download free of accuse from TNA'due south website here: $ Officeholder'due south Papers
Individual regimental archives may also agree limited records and it is well worth writing to the relevant regimental museums. The Guards depot (Grenadier, Coldstream, Irish, Welsh & Scots) also go along separate archives and tin can, on request supply information. Bear in heed though that some archives, quite reasonably, request payment for such services.
Army Museums Ogilby Trust Website has links to Search Military machine Records and Free War Record Search and others.
For information on twentieth century regular army records, run into:
- Belongings, Norman H. Earth State of war I Ground forces Ancestry. 2nd ed. Solihull, England: Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd., 1991. (Family History Library book 942 M2hol.)
- Holding, Norman H. More than Sources of World State of war I Regular army Ancestry. 2d ed. Solihull, England: Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd., 1991. (FHL book 942 M24hnr.)
Civilians [edit | edit source]
Civilians were also captured and put in prison camps. One such camp is called The Ruhleben Civilian Internment Campsite. Chis Paton has built a website dedicated to this camp and is identifying those who were at that place during Earth State of war 1. Encounter Ruhleben Civilian Internment Army camp Ancestors
Mail service-1920
Due to data protection laws, the records of servicemen or women who served after 1920 are not readily attainable. Under the Liberty of Data (FOI) Deed, y'all may request record details just if y'all can supply proof of one of the following criteria:
ane. You lot are the direct next of kin.
2. The person was born more than 112 years ago
three. The person died more than than 25 years agone.
There is currently a £30 fee for copies of these records and the record copies are commonly heavily censored.
The application forms and guidlines can be found here: United kingdom Veteran's Agency
Royal Air Strength [edit | edit source]
Formed on 1st April 1918 past merging the aviation branches of the existing services, namely the Royal Flight Corps (Army) and the Royal Naval Air Service (Royal Navy). This merger created the totally independent Royal Air Forcefulness (RAF), and is the oldest air forcefulness in the globe.
The RAF maintains its own records archive although officers papers are downloadable (£) from TNA hither: $ RAF Officers records. Other ranks service records are not online simply if service ended prior to 1920, tin be accessed at TNA. Post-1920 records are dealt with in the same way as regular army & Navy records nether FOI requests(see in a higher place).
RAF Officers tin can also be found listed in the Air Strength lists, which accept been published annually since August 1918, Nigh public libraries take copies available to scan.
The Net Archives has some Air Force lists available online:
- The Monthly Air Force listing (Book Aug 1919)
- The Monthly Air Force listing (Volume Sep 1919)
- The Monthly Air Force list (Volume Oct 1919)
- The Monthly Air Force listing (Book Nov 1919)
- The Monthly Air Forcefulness list (Volume Dec 1919)
The Internet Athenaeum has some Army lists available online:
- Army List (Volume October-Dec 1914)
- Regular army List (Volume July-September 1915)
- Army Listing (Volume Jan-March 1916)
- Army List (Book January-March 1918)
- Army List (Volume July-December 1939)
At that place are a large number of records held at TNA that tin be researched such as Station and Squadron tape books; photo albums and so forth.
Imperial Air Force records accessible online at the National Athenaeum in England:
- Air 78: An index to airmen and airwomen's service records held in AIR 79.
- Combat Reports, 1939-1945
- Operations Record Volume, 1939-1945
- Officer'south Service Records, 1918-1919
- Women'due south Royal Air Force Service Records, 1918-1920
Casualties [edit | edit source]
- 1914-1921, 1939-1947 Democracy War Graves, 1914-1921, 1939-1947 at MyHeritage ($), index and images
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Established by Regal Charter in 1917, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission pays tribute to the 1,700,000 men and women of the Democracy forces who died in the 2 world wars from all services including civillian war expressionless. It is a not-profit-making system that was founded by Sir Fabian Ware. The Commonwealth includes such countries as Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand & South Africa.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has a searchable internet website:
Lists of British army personnel who died during World War I accept been compiled from official casualty lists and published in:
Soldiers Died in the Keen War, 1914–1919. Reprint. 80 parts. Colchester, England: J.B. Hayward, 1988–9. (Family History Library volume 942 M23s; compact disc number 128.) This gives birthplace, place of enlistment, rank, date of death and cause of expiry.
Ancestry.co.uk also offers a searchable database of those listed in Soldiers Died in the Bang-up War as role of its subscription service.
The War Dead of the British Commonwealth and Empire. London, England: Purple War Graves Commission, 1957. (Family History Library 942 M2wdf; film 1441037.) This work gives the proper noun, rank, regiment, and grave location of casualites buried in France during World War Two.
Postal service-WW2 casualties can be institute listed at the Armed services Memorial website.
[edit | edit source]
- Casualty lists of the Purple and Rule Navies 1889-2009, complied past Don Kindell (Naval-History.Net)
British Markings [edit | edit source]
- Formation signs were showtime used by the British Regular army in WW1 in order to provide an easy method of visual identification of the diverse units.
- Vehicle Markings in 21st Army Group 1944-1945
Medals [edit | edit source]
- Entrada Medals:
Tokens or medals take been awarded to British service personnel since the medieval times although the get-go officially named campaign medal is the Waterloo Medal (1815). The War machine General Service Medal instituted in 1847, covered a retrospective menstruation and was awarded to all army personnel that had served on agile campaigns betwixt 1793-1815. Each medal was named to the recipient along with his unit details. A clasp (sometimes incorrectly referred to as a bar) bearing the proper name of the relevant entrada or battle was attached to the ribbon intermission, with subsequent clasps being added in the sequence in which they were earned. In some cases 10 or more campaign clasps were earned. 29 clasps were authorised in total. Altogether, over 25,000 medals were issued.
The Royal Navy instituted its own equivalent, the Naval General Service Medal, also in 1847 but roofing the slightly longer period of 1793-1840. Whilst a staggering 231 different entrada or battle clasps were authorised, non all were issued. The near clasps issued to any single recipient was 7. As the medal was authorised some considerable fourth dimension after most of the campaigns and battles had taken place, and also due to widespread illiteracy, a large number of men did not claim their medals. In total just over 20,000 medals were actually issued.
These two medals started a precedent of issuing campaign medals that still continues to this day, with the RAF joining the process in 1918 by following the lead set by the Army. It is a widely collected field and at that place are many resources on the subject. From a family history perspective, knowing what medals a relative was entitled to can atomic number 82 to fascinating journies of discovery besides equally the medal themselves providing useful information.
Awards and Honours [edit | edit source]
Brave behave, meritorious service and so forth take long been awarded publicly. Since the 19th century, such awards to the military have more often than not taken medallic class although it has historically been shown that a reward may likewise involve a promotion or a share of the spoils, particularly if at sea and an enemy vessel was captured,
Every bit such, honours and awards tend to exist publicly announced in the London Gazette newspaper. The online search archive can require a certain amount of skill to notice what or rather who you are searching for just it tin yield fantastic results: London Gazette Archive
Online Resources (Medals): [edit | edit source]
WW1 Ground forces medal index cards are bachelor through $ ancestry.co.u.k. - if you have a subscription they are costless. Otherwise you volition have to pay £2 fee to download information technology if you get it through The National Athenaeum website: $ Medal Alphabetize Cards . These cards comprise details of name, rank, service number(s), unit(s) likewise every bit confirmation of medal entitlement. Some of the cards have additional information on the contrary such as theatre of operations, domicile addresses, next of kin and then forth. But Ancestry take copied both sides of these cards. Data on how to decipher the Medal Index Cards bachelor at Ancestry and TNA There is non an equivalent system for detailing medals awarded to members of the Majestic Navy and RAF - medal details were recorded on the service papers and likewise, non-WW1 medals are only annotated on service records for all services.
Various medal rolls for different campaigns also exist in various forms due east.g. printed books; CD'south; TNA records etc. Some are likewise bachelor on the subscription based sites such as Beginnings and Find My Past.
The British Medals Forum is probably about as definitive a website equally one can discover when it comes to the subject field of British medals of any blazon. A huge fount of knowledge resides on the forum and membership is gratis.
The Victoria Cross is Britian'southward highest honour for valour to members of the armed forces of Republic countries. The Victoria Cross website lists the burial location for Victoria Cross holders world-wide.
Medals indexes and records online at the National Archives
- British Regular army medal alphabetize cards, 1914-1920
- Recommendations for armed forces honours and awards, 1935-1990
- Merchant seamen'south campaign medal records, 1914-1918
- Merchant seamen'due south medal records, 1939-1945
- Victoria Cross registers, 1856-1944
Understanding Military Records [edit | edit source]
Before you tin use British military records, yous must determine the specific proper name or number of the army regiment or navy ship proper noun[southward] on which your ancestor served. For suggestions on finding this information, encounter "Search Strategies" at the finish of this section.
Once you know the transport name[s] or the regiment name or number, the post-obit records may help you trace your ancestor'due south career, age, and birthplace.
Muster Rolls [edit | edit source]
- Photo courtesy of National Archives at Kew, London, England
WO 12 Serial: General Muster Books and Pay Lists [edit | edit source]
These records begin in 1732 and cease in 1878. They cover guards, infantry, cavalry, and household troops. According to the National Archives these records also include special groups, such equally colonial troops, various strange legions, special regiments, and other depots.
These records prove an individual's enlistment dates, his movements and belch dates as show below, observe the sections under "Showtime Muster, 2nd Muster, and Third Muster", these are the locations of the soldiers at the fourth dimension of their pay.
- Photo courtesy of the National Athenaeum at Kew, London, England
If the information y'all seek is afterward 1868. there is a "Scroll of Married Establishment" which lists husbands and wives equally shown below:
Image:Wedlock-whorl-2a.png
- Photograph courtesy of the National Athenaeum at Kew, London, England
Recording all this information must accept been a daunting task as these books are very large as shown in the earlier picture. There are 13, 307 volumes of these records located at the National Athenaeum. To view them, y'all take to be there and view them in a special document room.
Because photopying these very large volumes would be extremely hard, you can use a photographic camera (without flash) to capture the images.
If you are unable to visit the National Archives, they provide a certificate service at £0.xl per page.
Visit $ WO12 Serial Full general Muster Books and Pay Lists to learn more about these valuable records.
Pension Records. [edit | edit source]
These records often contain details of an individual's reason for pension, his fitness on belch, and sometimes the address where pension payments were sent.
Regular army pension records start in 1690. Pensions were awarded for length of service, disability, or wounds to most individuals who legally left ground forces service. Sometimes the widows or children of military men received the payments. Payments to retired officers, called one-half-pay, were not considered pensions. Many different types of pension records roofing different time periods nonetheless exist.
Naval pension records brainstorm as early as 1617 and requite the name of pensioner, reason for discharge, and sometimes next of kin, birthplace, age, and physical description.
Widow'south or children's pension records frequently include union or baptismal certificates in support of the claim for help.
There are many other pension-related records among those of the Paymaster General (Grade PMG) at the Public Tape Office. The Family History Library also has some pension records.
Description Books [edit | edit source]
The regular army description book for each regiment includes each recruit's total name on "attestation" (enlistment), age when he joined, place where he joined, birthplace, previous trade, and concrete description. Nearly books start about 1805 and proceed to 1850. Many no longer exist. Similar records were kept for each navy ship from 1790, but many were never turned in or no longer exist.
Returns of Service (WO 25) [edit | edit source]
In 1806 the War Office compiled the kickoff return of service, listing all men in the army. The scope, content, and frequency of returns of service vary profoundly. Returns of officers' service tend to exist more complete, including the names of the officer and his married woman and children; nascence and wedlock dates and places; and a consummate summary of stations, regiments, and promotions.
The returns of officers services for 1828 and 1829 have been transcribed and are found at the Family unit History Library. The 1828 return was for active duty officers only, while the 1829 return was for both active and half-pay (retired) officers. These records have the National Athenaeum designation of WO 25. Ii sets of books serve equally a crude "index" to the original returns of service for 1828 and 1829. They but listing officers who had children and they are in the same order as the names appear in the original returns (grouped by commencement three letters of the surname). The ii sets of several volumes are:
Children of Officers on Total or Half-pay, 1828. Jump manuscript. North.p., north.d. (Family unit History Library book 942 M23ber.)
Children of Officers on Full-pay, 1829. Bound manuscript. N.p., north.d. (Family History Library book 942 M23be.)
Similar returns of naval officers begin in 1817. The naval returns are indexed at The National Archives (ADM 10). See England Archives and Libraries for the accost.
Pay Records [edit | edit source]
Pay records include the following:
- Pay lists give the name and rate of pay and sometimes 'to whom paid' (which may be a spouse or other relative). Navy pay lists were kept by ship and are not indexed. Active duty army personnel were paid from the muster rolls, and separate pay lists practice not e'er be.
- Pay warrants are records of actual payment filed with the Exchequer records at The National Athenaeum. Final pay warrants often mention a will or administration and the expiry date.
- Pay ledgers contain the assignments of pay, addresses to which pay was sent (from 1837), and sometimes nativity dates.
- One-half-pay registers incorporate officers' names, ranks, regiments, dates of kickoff half-pay, rates of pay, and sometimes expiry dates.
Send Logs [edit | edit source]
Ship logs exist from 1673. While they commonly requite data only on position, weather, and sightings of other ships, records of shipboard events may include names of individual seamen.
Continuous Service Engagement Books [edit | edit source]
From 1853 navy ratings (seamen) were assigned continuous service numbers. The records gave name, nativity date and place, description, and send. Brief career details were subsequently added. From 1872 until 1892 merchant seamen were included.
Registers of Service [edit | edit source]
These records tell which ship a human served on. For officers these start in 1846. Those for warrant officers and seamen encompass 1802 to 1871.
Soldiers' Documents (WO 97) [edit | edit source]
These records of army service are available only for those soldiers who were discharged to pension. Corresponding records for those who left the Army for reasons other than discharge were destroyed. These records vary over fourth dimension and even between soldiers. They usually include testament and belch documents. They often incorporate the reason for belch and details on age, birthplace, and merchandise or occupation on enlistment. They are arranged by regiment, and so alphabetically by surname for the years 1760 through 1872. The records for 1873 to 1882 are alphabetically bundled by corps (cavalry, foot soldiers, artillery, guards, and so forth). From 1883 to 1914, these records are bundled in one alphabetical series.
An index to these records is available as part of the online catalogue of the National Archives of the UK. You may enter the name of a soldier in the 'Give-and-take or phrase' field and the 'Section or series code' of WO (for War Office) 97. See National Archives for further information.
At the Family History Library the records are on microfilm and bundled by regiment. These records accept been digitised and are bachelor online via findmypast.co.united kingdom. There are likewise searchable on FamilySearch.org
It was possible to accept a qualified pension commuted to allow a soldier to immigrate to British colonies. A list of those who did, between the years 1830-1839, is institute online at TheShipsList.com.
The Public Record Office has a computerized index to the soldiers' documents from 1760 to 1854. The index shows the name, age, birthplace, year of enlistment and discharge, the regiment, and the reference to the original document.
Chaplains' Returns [edit | edit source]
Army chaplains throughout the British Empire kept records that listing the baptisms, marriages, and burials of officers, soldiers, and their families. These returns (from 1760 to 1971) are indexed and are available by correspondence from the Office of National Statistics (formerly Registrar General). Indexes for births 1796–1880, for marriages 1796–1955, and for deaths 1786–1880, are available on microfiche at the Family unit History Library.
Regimental Registers [edit | edit source]
Regiments kept nativity, marriage, and death records for officers and men. Births and baptisms are indexed. These records (1790–1924) are bachelor by correspondence from the Office of National Statistics (formerly Registrar Full general). The indexes are available on microfiche at the Family unit History Library.
Records of Service. [edit | edit source]
These records, similar to soldiers' documents, were kept for army officers from 1771 until 1911. Yet, they are incomplete before 1828. They comprise the officeholder's birth appointment and place; promotions; transfers; union date and place; his spouse's name; and his children's names, nativity dates, and birthplaces.
Lists of Officers [edit | edit source]
Published annually, these records requite an officer'south name, rank, regiment or ship, and date of commission. See:
- Army List. London, England: publishers and title vary, 1754–. (Family History Library book 942 M25; films 856427–452 and others.) Offset published in 1740, these lists have been published continuously since 1754 and are indexed kickoff in 1766. They list army officers and are bundled by regiment. One-half-pay (semi-retired) officers were not included in the early indexes. The listing for WO 65 is avaliable for free download Family unit History: Digital Microfilm Catalogue Clarification WO 65 National Athenaeum online
- Index to Commission and Warrant Books. North.p., n.d. (Family unit History Library films 824516–7.) This index lists naval officers from 1695–1742 and gives dates of commission and a reference to further details available at The National Archives.
- Navy Listing. London, England: several publishers, 1782–. (Family History Library book 942 M25gba; films 918928–940, 990323–326.) The Navy List names all commissioned officers, including masters, pursers, surgeons, chaplains, 1000 officers, coast guardsmen, and reservists.
Militia Lists and Musters [edit | edit source]
Militia lists (first every bit early equally 1297) contain the names of men eligible for military service. Militia musters are lists of men in the militia. Early on militia lists and most militia musters contain merely the men'south names. A brief explanation of musters and the location of bachelor pre-1757 lists are given in:
- Gibson, Jeremy, and Alan Dell. Tudor and Stuart Muster Rolls. Solihull, England: Federation of Family History Societies Publications, Ltd., 1989. (Family unit History Library book 942 M2gj)
Militia units were by and large raised on a county basis and kept their own records. From 1757 to 1876, lists of men ages eighteen to 55 were compiled by individual parishes and turned in to the shire (county) lieutenant. These lists usually contain each man'southward proper name, parish of residence, historic period, fitness for service, and sometimes cause for exemption (such as a man with more than two young children, a inability, or an exempt occupation).
Origins.cyberspace has a dataset that contains over 110,000 names of militia recruits in England and Scotland. The Irish Origins index contains another 12,500 names of militia recruits. A project is too underway to digitize Militia Attestation (enlistment) papers for 1806-1915 (WO 96), and make them available online through findmypast.com, by the cease of 2011.
For further information on militia lists and musters, see:
- Medlycott, Mervyn, and Jeremy Gibson. Militia Lists and Musters, 1757–1876. third Editor. Solihull, England: Federation of Family unit History Societies Publications, Ltd., 1994. (Family History Library volume 942 M2gmm.BYU Harold B Lee Library book CS 414 .X1 G533 2001.)
Other Records [edit | edit source]
Many other records are bachelor, such every bit records on medals, casualties, promotions, desertion, and court martials. The post-obit military branches take separate records:
- Fencibles were army units raised for home service merely. Fencibles were normally classed with the militia, and records are kept with militia records.
- The Aboriginal British Fencible Cavalry 1794-1800. A brief history of the British Fencible Cavalry with a list of Officers who served with the Regiment, covering years 1794-1800. Article in Hel Achau, #3, Spring 1981, pages 21-24, Family History Library Ref. 942.23 D25h
- Yeomanry were volunteer regiments, records of which often do non survive or are less complete than other military records.
- Colonial armies were forces raised in other countries. Records of these forces are usually in the state where the forces were raised. A notable exception is the Indian Ground forces, for which many records are held at the British Library Oriental and India Office Collections, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB England. British Regular army in Bharat information, click here.
- The Coast Guard (1816–1923) kept their own records, including pension, description, and other records.
These records are at The National archives. For farther information on armed services records for branches of the service other than navy or ground forces, see the military record handbooks at the stop of this section.
POWs
The International Committee of the Scarlet Cantankerous has an incomplete list of all known POWs and internees of all nationalities for both Globe Wars. Searches can be made but by a written asking and an hourly charge per unit is charged. To learn more about how to obtain a copy of a listing employ the contact information located on their website.
Resources [edit | edit source]
The National Archives (TNA), located at Kew, West London, houses a wealth of data on armed services personnel, much of it now available to download. See the "Online Resources" section below for further information.
Military histories or regimental histories are listed in the Identify Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:
United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland - MILITARY HISTORY
Pre-1914 records for both the army and the navy are at The National Archives - The National Archives of the United kingdom
The National Athenaeum, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU England
Post-1914 regular army records are at:
Ground forces Records Eye
Bourne Avenue
Hayes, Middlesex UB3 1RF
England
Post-1914 navy records are at:
Ministry of Defense
Main Building, Whitehall SW1A 2HB
England
Internet
Imperial War Museum
Imperial State of war Museum, London (WWI & WWII Collections)
Records at the Family unit History Library
- 1772 - 1935 - Great United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, War Part Registers, 1772-1935 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
The Family History Library's collection of army records includes: [edit | edit source]
- Army soldiers' documents (earlier 1882)
- Clarification books
- World War I service files
- Officers' records of service
- Army Lists 1740 to the present
- Indexes to the Regimental Registers and the Chaplains' Returns
- Regimental histories
- Other miscellaneous army records
For theNavy, the library has:
- Continuous service date books
- Indexes to commission and warrant books
- Bounty papers
- Various published sources
Some Regal Marine attestation (enlistment) records are also available at the library.
A number of name indexes to some military records containing nativity, marriages, or deaths are in the Family unit History Library. These indexes can be found in the Identify search of the FamilySearch Catalog nether:
Military machine RECORDS - Civil REGISTRATION
The library staff has compiled a typescript listing of army records in its drove (Family unit History Library book 942 M2; picture 990313 item 5).
Library records are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under either ENGLAND or GREAT Great britain and the following subject headings:
MILITARY RECORDS
Military machine HISTORY
MILITARY RECORDS - Army
MILITARY RECORDS - NAVY
Search Strategies [edit | edit source]
It is difficult to locate an private's record without knowing his transport or regiment. If you lot do not know this, you may find information technology in other types of records. Once you lot know the regiment or ship, consult the muster rolls, records of service, or other records available for that send or regiment. Strategies for finding the ship or regiment follow.
If you lot know a campaign or boxing in which the ancestor fought, a place he was stationed, or a place where a child was born while he was in the service, use:
Kitzmiller, John. In Search of the "Forlorn Hope," ii vols. plus supp. Ogden, Utah: Manuscript Publishing Foundation, 1988. (Family History Library book 942 M2j.) This work will help you find where regiments were stationed during a range of years.
Army Officers. You lot can usually notice army officers in the Army List (1740 to the present - meet "Lists of Officers" in this article). If your antecedent does non appear in the Army List for the right time period, consult the card index to officers, available only at the Public Record Office.
If an officer was living during 1828 or 1829, you can use the indexed returns of service. "Nativity certificates" submitted with widow'south pension applications may reveal an officer's proper name. If you nonetheless cannot find a record, use the search strategies for soldiers.
Commonly in that location are separate records for Commissariat officers, staff officers, medical officers (surgeons), chaplains, and others. Board of Ordnance officers (artillery, engineers, sappers, miners, artificers, and others) are non always included in the Army List and have their own records until 1855.
Purple Navy personnel. If your antecedent was in the navy after 1852, search the index to Continuous Service Engagement Books, or the Surname Index to the 1861 Census Returns of Ships. (Run into the "Merchant Marine" commodity.) Before 1853 the source to use depends on what you know virtually your ancestor. If you know:
- The name of a transport on which he served, search the ship musters, pay lists, and ship logs for the time period he should have been aboard.
- A port where your ancestor landed on a specific date, search the Listing Books, a geographically bundled list of ship locations at the Public Record Office (grade ADM 8).
- A boxing or campaign in which his ship was involved, search the medal rolls.
- The name of an officer serving with your ancestor, search the Navy List for that officer's ship.
Since many seamen besides served in the Merchant Marines during their careers, search the records described in British Merchant Seamen
Many officers are included in published biographies, such equally:
Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy, 1660–1815. Three Volumes. Northward.p., n.d. (Family unit History Library volume 942 M23cs, films 909026–027. BYU FHL book Five eleven .G7 A52 vol.1.)
Bibliography for Military machine Records [edit | edit source]
The resorces listed below may assist you in your enquiry:
Bevan, Amanda, and Andrea Duncan. Tracing Your Ancestors in the Public Record Office. Fourth Edition. London, England: Her Majesty's Jotter Office, 1995. (Family History Library book 942 A5 no. nineteen 1995.)
Colledge, James J. Ships of the Royal Navy. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Establish Press, 1987. (Family History Library book 942 M3c.)
Hamilton-Edwards, Gerald. In Search of Army Ancestry. London, England: Phillimore & Company, Limited, 1977. (Family History Library book 942 M2. BYU FHL volume CS 415 .H36 1977.)
Higham, Robin. A Guide to the Sources of British Military History. London, England: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1972. (Family unit History Library book 942 M2h.)
Kew Lists. (Encounter England Archives and Libraries for details.)
Records of Officers and Soldiers Who Have Served in the British Army. London, England: Public Tape Function, 1984. (Family History Library book 942 M23 number 1.)
Rodgers, N.A.K. Naval Records for Genealogists. 2d Edition. London, England: Her Majesty's Jotter Office, 1988. (Family History Library volume 942 A5 number 22.)
Swinson, Arthur Due south., Editor. A Annals of the Regiments and Corps of the British Regular army. London, England: Archive Printing, 1972. (Family History Library book 942 M2.)
White, Arthur South. comp. A Bibliography of Regimental Histories of the British Ground forces. Dallington, E Sussex, England: Naval and Armed services Press Ltd., 1992. (Family unit History Library book 942 M23was.)
References [edit | edit source]
- ↑ Hamilton-Edwards, Gerald (1977). In Search of Army Ancestry. Phillimore, p. 73.
How To Check Someone's Military Service Record In The Uk,
Source: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/British_Military_Records
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