Advanced Genealogy
Military Records
Ancestors in the War
Most of us have an ancestor who fought in a war whether he was a roundhead or cavalier in the English civil war, one of the Duke of Wellington’s scum of the earth in the Napoleonic wars, an infantryman up to his ears in Flanders’s mud during the Great War, or a Royal Marine in the second World War. Perhaps he even died while serving. Luckily, given the regimentation of the Armed Force, many records survive and there is every chance that you will be able to find details of your ancestor in the files. You can unearth information on much he was paid, the pension he received if he was wounded, any disciplinary offences he committed during his service, and any medals awarded to him in wartime.
Public Record Office (PRO)
The PRO has all military records, which I will mention here in its archived (unless said otherwise) and it has published several east-to-follow leaflets that are worth reading before you start your search. The FRC also possesses regimental registers recording the birth dates, marriages and deaths of all soldiers stationed in Britain between 1761 and 1924. The marriage records, it is worth noting, also included he details of the names, births and baptisms of children born to these marriages. If your ancestor served overseas, information about his birth, marriage and death can be located in the Army register Book between 1881 and 1959, or similar books for the Royal Navy between 1837 and 1959, and the Royal Air Force between 1918, when it was formed, and 1959. Since 1959 the records of all three forces have been combined. Should you wish to obtain copies if any entries, each one will cost you the same as a standard birth, marriage or death certificate.
Many other records are available, and a brief guide to what they are and how to find them follows. For more detailed information see the books and resources listed here. Remember at the PRO and FRC you should never shy away from asking the staff for help; they will be able to point you in the right direction should you have an idea of dates, regiments or the names of ships. For many people, the focus will be on discovering or confirming that happened to their ancestors during the world wars of the twentieth century. I have divided the military part into two sections. The first deals with finding details before 1914 and the second with searching for records pertaining to the First and Second World Wars.