Introduction

Admiral Howe's fleet, 1794 (Cat Ref MPI 1/536)

Digital Microfilm is a project piloting a new way to deliver records online. The National Archives has a large collection of microfilmed records, and we hope that making these available online will increase their accessibility. This will ultimately allow the microfilm readers used at The National Archives, Kew to be retired.

We have digitised four series of military and naval records. If the project is successful we intend to add a wide variety of record series covering many different areas of interest. Many of the records are indexes and we hope that these will be helpful in locating other relevant records.

The new way of delivery is by using very large pdfs, each of which contains a whole piece, which could be up to 800 pages long. This means that Digital Microfilm is only available to online users with a broadband connection, and to users in the Reading Rooms at The National Archives.

These records have not been indexed and so you will need to scroll through the pdfs, much as you would when using a microfilm. However, we would be more than happy for users to transcribe any of the Digital Microfilm content and post it on Your Archives, The National Archives' online community of records users.

These documents are free of charge to download. If you try out the Digital Microfilm pilot, we would be grateful for your comments.

Browsing the documents

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The Digital Microfilm pilot means that we have made entire pieces available free of charge. We have not indexed the detail within the records and so you would not be able to search them in the same way as you could search for a medal card, for example. Instead you will need to scroll through the pdfs, much as you would when using a microfilm.

You may wish to begin by browsing the 191 files that are available.

You can search for the full catalogue reference using our Quick and Advanced search forms, for example WO 144/1. Additionally there is a specific search form for these documents.

If you are unsure which catalogue reference interests you, we would recommend searching the Catalogue. In each of our guides to the records below, we have included a link to the catalogue entry for each collection to help you with your search. When you are viewing the catalogue entry for a piece which interests you, click on the 'Request this' button and follow the instructions to download the item.

Technical requirements

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These are large pdf files, and you will need to have a broadband internet connection in order to download them. It may take your computer some time to download each file. Once you have downloaded the pdf file, we recommend that you save the document to your computer for future reference.

These large files are on average 400MB in size and you may wish to contact your broadband provider to check whether large downloads will incur a cost to you.

To view the pdfs you will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer. Read more about Adobe Reader

When printing from these files, be careful that you do not opt to print the whole document, because some of them are over 800 pages long. Instead, specify which page numbers you would like to print.

What's available?

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ADM 142 Navy Board, Navy Pay Office and Admiralty, Accountant General's Department: Registers of Seamen's Wills 1786-1909

View the full list of pieces within ADM 142

The volumes in ADM 142 are name indexes to the Wills of Royal Naval Seamen 1786 - 1882 (ADM 48). It is worth noting that the ADM 142 registers continue beyond the last recorded will in ADM 48.

ADM 175 Records of service of the Coastguard 1816-1947

View the full list of pieces within ADM 175

ADM 175 consists of a variety of records relating to the Coastguard formed in 1822, by the amalgamation of the Revenue Cruisers and the Riding officers (both dating from the seventeenth century), and the Preventative Water Guard, which was set up in 1809. The records in ADM 175 range in date from 1816-1947.

The main sources of information in ADM 175 about Coastguard personnel are the establishment books and ships' record books which are arranged by country, district, or ship's name, which record the names of officers and ratings serving at the various coastguard stations.

Other sources of information about coastguards within ADM 175 are the registers of nominations of coastguard officers and ratings for the period 1816-1866. These records are arranged by country and nomination number.

Registers for England, 1819-1866, are in ADM 175/74-80. These are indexed by name in ADM 175/97-98 (1819-1862 only).

Registers for Ireland, 1820-1849, are in ADM 175/74 and 81, and are indexed by name in ADM 175/99-100.

Registers for Scotland, 1820-1824, are in ADM 175/74.

A register of the appointment of boatmen during 1851-1856 is within ADM 175/101.

The service records of men who joined the coastguard between 1900-1923, having previously served in the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines, can be found in ADM 175/82A-90. ADM 175/82A-84B are arranged by the initial letter of surname, whereas ADM 175/85-89 (Royal Navy only) are name indexed by ADM 175/108.

An index to discharges for 1858-1868 can be found in ADM 175/102, along with registers relating to the reduction of the coastguard in 1919 (arranged by rank/rating) in ADM 175/91-96.

Records relating to the appointment and service of chief officers from 1886 - 1947 can be found in ADM 175/103-107, 109-110.

Records of individuals who served in the Naval Shore Signal Service during 1921-1929 are in ADM 175/111.

WO 144 War Office: Inter-Allied Armistice Commission: War Diary, and Despatches of Chief of British Delegation 1918-1920

View the full list of pieces within WO 144

The Inter-Allied Armistice Commission was formed on 12 November 1918 by Marshal Foch and consisted of delegations from the American, Belgian, British and French armies, and representatives of the German Staff. Sir Douglas Haig nominated Lieutenant General Sir Richard Haking to be chief of the British delegation.

The commission was to investigate and resolve any details in connection with the classes of the Armistice that were not settled when the instrument was signed. The subjects to be dealt with were the repatriation of military and civil prisoners; handing over of war material; taking over of depots and stores and the handing over of locomotives, wagons and lorries.

The administrative functions of the commission were extended beyond the original instructions, not only on the Western Front, but also on the Eastern Front and Alsace-Lorraine.

On 10 July 1919, the various duties of the commission were officially recognised and defined by the Allied political leaders in Paris as follows:

(1) The Inter-Allied Commission will remain the machinery of communication between the allied governments and the Germans until the coming into force of the Treaty of Peace

(2) As soon as the treaty has been ratified, communication between the allied governments and the German will pass through the channel of diplomatic representatives appointed to the respective capitals.

The commission was dissolved on 13 January 1920, three days after the ratification of the Treaty of Peace. You can download the reports made by the commission between 1918 and 1920.

WO 338 War Office: Officers' Services, Index to Long Number Papers, 1870-1922

View the full list of pieces within WO 338

This series contains the indexes used to identify the Long Number by which the First World War army officer's service records are organised in WO 339 and also some files in WO 374.

Bombing in 1940 destroyed the main series of officers' service records and what remains is a supplementary series. In some cases, clerks had destroyed the supplementary file before 1940, and so no service record exists any longer. Further advice on these records can be found in this leaflet: British Army Officers' Records: First World War 1914-1918.

A single index volume from the earlier pre-1857 Long Number system survives (Long Numbers up to around 99,000) and covers papers registered after 1870. Long Numbers allocated to Royal Army Medical Corps officers were not included in the reorganised system, possibly due to the survival of a practice when the Army Medical Department operated a separate registry system.

Entries for some temporary commissioned officers can also be found in the indexes, although their files were transferred to a 'vowel' system in or around 1915 and cross-references to this system are included in the registers.

The indexes also provide cross-references to the subsequent P (Personal) Numbers if the officer continued in service after April 1922 when the Long Number series was replaced.

For registers of officers' services (including civilian dependants and civilian and military staff appointments) see  WO 340.
For related personal files see WO 374.
For the service records to which these indexes refer see WO 339.