Advanced Genealogy
The Army
Officers
The PRO houses many collections, the best and most comprehensive being the Army List, on microfilm. It lists officers by name, and offers details on promotions, units served with occasionally details of campaigns in which they were involved. A similar document, Hart’s Army List, is also available on microfilm. The PRO holds details of correspondence concerning officer’s commissions between 1793 and 1871, and there are also registers and correspondence about the payment of pensions to widows and their children.
Soldiers
Service records are the best place to start. Before 1883 these are indexed according to regiment (although there is a name index up until 1854 on microfilm). They indicate when and where a man served, where he enlisted and his age on enlistment, any disciplinary offences, promotions and reasons for discharge. Muster rolls, between 1732 and 1898, are the next-best resource, especially if you are seeking to track your ancestor’s army career. They were compiled monthly and have details of a man’s pay, offences committed during that month and the location of the regiment. Medal rolls are well worth consulting if you have been told your ancestor was honoured for his service. The PRO has medal rolls for officers and other ranks going back to the Battle of Waterloo.