Muster rolls and pay lists
Where service records do not survive, you can trace the outline career of a soldier through regimental or unit musters in the series WO 12
for cavalry and infantry from 1732 to 1878, WO 10 for artillery from 1708 to 1878, and WO 11 for engineers from 1816 to 1878. Later musters for all regiments and corps are in WO 16 from 1878 to 1898. WO 12 includes musters for some colonial regiments.
The main series of muster books and pay lists are arranged by regiment or unit and are bound in volumes covering periods of twelve months. The quarterly musters normally contain three monthly musters and record where the unit was located, the names of the officers and men on the strength, their rank and pay, date of enlistment, or discharge or death. The musters also note punishments, sickness in hospital, furloughs and other absences.
Entries in the muster may show a man´s age on enlistment, but not always, as well as the place he enlisted. At the end of each quarter´s muster there may be, under the heading "men becoming non-effective", details of birthplace, trade and date of enlistment of soldiers discharged or who had died during the quarter. Marriage rolls appear in the musters from about 1868 to around 1883, which list wives and children for whom married quarters had to be provided.
From 1888 musters in WO 16 are company rather than regimental musters and are arranged by regimental districts. Indexes to regiments with their regimental district numbers are included in the Army List.
Description Books
There are two main sub-series of description books in WO 25/266-688 covering various dates for each regiment from 1778 to 1878. Depot description books from 1768 to 1908 are in WO 67. Not all soldiers are included in these books. Description books for Royal Artillery battalions from 1749 to 1859 are in WO 54/260-309, and for depots from 1773 to 1874 in WO 69/74-80.
The books in WO 25 began to be compiled around 1825. Regiments had to write down the particulars of all men serving in the regiment at that time. Some are arranged alphabetically, others by date of enlistment. The books give a description of each soldier, his age, birthplace, trade and brief details of any former service.
Depot rolls or description books in WO 67 are usually more detailed.
Casualty rolls
Casualty returns can be found in series WO 25/1359-2410, 3251-3260 and are indexed in WO 25/2411-2755 covering the period 1809 to c.1875. They include lists of deserters as well as casualties.
There are several series of monthly and quarterly casualty returns arranged by regiment. They give name, rank, place of birth, trade, the date, place and nature of the casualty, debts and credits, and the next of kin or legatee. Returns between 1842 and 1872 include men who were discharged or who had deserted.
There are also nominal rolls of casualties for specific military campaigns in WO 25, WO 32 and WO 108. Several casualty lists have also been published. Go to bibliography.
Deserters
Registers of deserters are in WO 25/2906-2934 covering 1811 to 1852. They give descriptions, dates and places of enlistments and desertions and sometimes indicate what happened to a man if he was caught. Registers of captured deserters from 1813 to 1848, with indexes to 1833, are in WO 25/2935-2954.
Returns from 1799 to 1823 (unindexed) of captured deserters held in the Savoy Hulks in the Thames estuary are in WO 25/2956-2961. Deserters who gave themselves up under proclamation between 1803 and 1815 are in WO 25/2955. Other returns can be found among the Casualty returns in WO 25.
Effects
WO 25 also contains registers of the personal effects of deceased soldiers covering a number of different periods. The registers for the period 1810 to 1822 are in WO 25/2966-2971, for 1830-1844 in WO 25/2975 and for 1862 to 1881 in WO 25/3476-3490. Papers relating to artillery and engineers deaths and effects from 1824 to 1859 are in WO 25/2972-2973, and 2976-2978.
Annual death and disability returns for 1817 to 1892, giving the names of individuals, are in the series WO 334.
