This section is not definitive but is designed to aid those of you researching family history. There are several sources of information and pamphlets from the Government Departments which should help. The Imperial War Museum also has some useful leaflets (www.iwm.org.uk).

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Resources used on this site have included:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) - www.cwgc.org
• The Soldiers Died in the Great War CDROM - available from Naval and Military Press
• de Ruvigny's Roll of Honour - available from Naval and Military Press
• The National Roll of the Great War - available from Naval and Military Press
• Army Roll of Honour - World War II - Soldiers Died in the Seocnd World War 1939-45 CDROM - available from Naval and Military Press

There are many other resources available on CD which can be found on ebay. Naval and Military Press have thousands of books on offer covering Regimental Histories, Wars, Maps, etc. The CGWC is freely available and the CDROM's are quite often available for use in large public libraries. The databases are available on a pay-per-view basis from Naval and Military Press sister site Military-Genealogy.com

de Ruvigny's Roll of Honour is selective and contains details mainly of those who died in 1914-1916.

The National Roll of the Great War was produced in 14 volumes plus an index and covrs those who died and those who served. It is widely thought to be an unreliable publication. It was compiled on a subscription basis, which means that it is far from comprehensive. Listings were often written by family members, who may not have given correct details at the time of compilation. The publishers began to compile the volumes in 1920, but had gone into liquidation by 1922, having produced only 14 volumes. The National Roll is therefore considered to be a helpful source, but not one that should be relied upon above other sources. The volumes available are:

The purpose of this information sheet is to provide guidance on tracing Army personnel.  More detailed information can be found in our publication Tracing your Family History: Army – this can be purchased from the Imperial War Museum for £5.50.  The Museum does not hold any personal service records or official documentation, but can help the enquirer as long as some basic facts are known.  The Department of Printed Books welcomes visitors by appointment and is able to provide useful reading material and advice for finding out more about those who served.  Other reference departments in the Museum  - Art, Documents, Exhibits and Firearms, Film and Photograph Archives, and the Sound Archive - may also be able to assist.

Department of Printed Books, Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ
Tel: (+44) 020 7416 5342
Fax: (+44) 020 7416 5246
Website: www.iwm.org.uk
Email: books@iwm.org.uk

The most important piece of information is the unit that an individual served with (it is a sad fact that those who died during the World Wars will be easier to trace than those who survived, and this information is readily obtainable from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission).  The personal service record should be the starting point, but not all of these records for the First World War survived Second World War bombing. Records are located according to an individual’s date of discharge. 

The Imperial War Museum only covers the period from the First World War onwards.  Military history from 1485 to date is covered by the National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HT (Tel: 020 7730 0717; Website: www.national-army-museum.ac.uk).  Pre-1914 service records are held at The National Archives, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU (Tel: 020 8392 5200; Website: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk).  The National Archives (TNA), formerly Public Record Office, also holds all surviving First World War service records for officers who left the Army before 1922.  Surviving First World War service records for other ranks who ceased service before 1920 are now held at the TNA where they can be consulted on microfilm (unfortunately large numbers of these were destroyed by bombing in the Second World War).  The publication Army Service Records of the First World War by William Spencer, 3rd edition, (Richmond, Surrey: PRO, 2001) is essential reading for those interested in First World War records, and Army Records for Family Historians by Simon Fowler and William Spencer, 2nd edition, (Richmond, Surrey: PRO, 1998) will also prove helpful.

The records of any First World War soldier who saw service after these cut-off dates or who rejoined the Army are held by the Ministry of Defence.  These can be applied for by post from Army Personnel Centre, Historical Disclosures, Mailpoint 400, Kentigern House, 65 Brown Street, Glasgow G2 8EX.  Initial contact with the Army Personnel Centre (APC) can be made by telephone (0141 224 3030) or e-mail – please include your postal address (apc_historical_disclosures@dial.pipex.com).  Records will be released to proven next of kin for a £25 fee, but there may be a lengthy wait for this service.

The Brigade of Guards form an exception to this as records for other ranks (officers’ records are held by TNA/APC) are held by the Regimental Headquarters Grenadier/Coldstream/Scots/Irish/Welsh Guards, Wellington Barracks, Birdcage Walk, London SW1E 6HQ.  Household Cavalry records are held at TNA but are also accessible on microfiche at the Household Cavalry Museum, Combermere Barracks, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 3DN (Website: www.householdcavalry.co.uk).

The careers of Army officers can be traced using the regular official publication the Army List, and the Department of Printed Books holds an almost complete set of these from 1914 to date. 

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 2 Marlow Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 7DX (Tel: 01628 507200) has details of all service personnel who died between the dates 4 August 1914-31 August 1921 and 3 September 1939-31 December 1947.  The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) may charge a fee for postal enquiries, but the website containing their computerised database, Debt of Honour can be consulted at www.cwgc.org

Details about the burial places of soldiers who died outside the dates covered by the CWGC are held by the Ministry of Defence, PS4 (A) (Cas/Comp), Building 43, Trenchard Lines, Upavon, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 6BE.  They also have some details relating to soldiers’ wives or children who may have died outside the UK.

Sources held by the Department of Printed Books (DPB) include a complete set of the CWGC’s memorial and cemetery registers and the 80 volume Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-19.  This was originally published in 1921 by HMSO but was republished by J.B. Hayward in 1989.  It is also now available on a CD-ROM produced by Naval and Military Press.  Officers Died in the Great War, 1914-19 is less detailed and has probably been superseded by Officers Who Died in the Service of British, Indian and East African Regiments and Corps, 1914-1919 by S.D. and D.B. Jarvis (Reading: Roberts Medals, 1993).

A CD-ROM for Army personnel who died in the Second World War has also been produced by Naval and Military Press, and can be consulted in our Reading Room.  Rolls of honour for other later conflicts are also held, and in addition the DPB has a large collection of published rolls of honour for localities, schools, institutions, etc.  Regimental histories and journals often contain rolls of honour. 

The soldiers’ own home area should not be forgotten when researching an individual’s service - there may be local war memorial records, a local account of war service may have been published, and contemporary local newspapers can prove very helpful.  It is also possible that school, church or workplace records may still exist.

Campaign medals are those given to soldiers who are eligible for them because they were in a particular theatre of war within given dates.  The First World War Medal Roll which provides a listing of all those who qualified for the 1914 Star, 1914/15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, Territorial Force War Medal and/or the Silver War Badge is held at TNA.  If a First World War record was destroyed some basic information about a soldier’s service may be found in this.

Gallantry medals are those medals awarded for an especially heroic deed or action.  Records for these are held at TNA, but may not be very detailed.  Notifications and citations (if published, which was not the case for awards such as the Military Medal and Mentions in Despatches) appeared in the official journal London Gazette.  A complete set of this, and the all important indexes, is held at TNA.  The London Gazette Online Archive at www.gazettes-online.co.uk provides access to First and Second World War entries.  The DPB has some published listings of medal awards for decorations such as the Victoria Cross and Distinguished Conduct Medal.  Usually you will need to go either to the official unit war diary (held at TNA) or to a published unit history to see whether you can find out more about the action for which the decoration was awarded.

The DPB has an excellent collection of regimental histories.  For those unable to visit our Reading Room (open 10am-5pm, Monday to Saturday), A Bibliography of Regimental Histories of the British Army compiled by Arthur S. White (London: London Stamp Exchange, 1988) provides details of published histories that may be available through your local library’s inter-library loan scheme.  Regimental journals and forces newspapers should not be overlooked.

A useful title for locating regimental museums (although these are unlikely to hold information about individuals) is A Guide to Military Museums: and Other Places of Military Interest by Terence and Shirley Wise (Knighton, Powys: Terence Wise, 2001).

We can also advise on the addresses of Old Comrades Associations.  The internet has made it easier to establish contact with people who may have served in the Forces, or who may be conducting research similar to your own.  The British Legion website at www.britishlegion.org.uk is a good place to start.  An excellent site for First World War Orders of Battle and Army information is www.1914-1918.net.  Other websites of interest include The Western Front Association at www.westernfront.co.uk and Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth at www.regiments.org

Books

Tracing your Army Ancestors by Simon Fowler - ISBN 1844154106 Whether you are interested in the career of an individual officer, researching medals awarded to a soldier or just want to know more about a particular battle or campaign, this book will point you in the right direction. Assuming that the reader has no prior knowledge of the British army, its history or organization, family historian Simon Fowler explains which records survive, where they can be found and how they can help you in your research.

Research Guides

The National Archives The National Archives holds a lot of material which may help you find out more about your ancestors serving in the military. Soldiers records, medal rolls, officers' commissions etc. You will find a list of The National Archives research guides on their website. The research guides include detailed information on how the records are organised and how to access them. Many First World War service records were destroyed in a fire caused by enemy action in the Second World War, the surviving service records are known as the "burnt documents".

Last updated 26 June, 2007