This is a brief guide to researching British army records for a soldier who was discharged after the beginning of the First World War. These records are informative and varied, though not all for this period survive. Whilst many records are available at The National Archives, some service recordsservice record - a document recording the career of an individual in the armed forces are currently held by the Ministry of Defence. The majority of the personnel records for the First World War have been destroyed or heavily damaged.
This guide will help you to find out if the information you are looking for exists and, if it does, where to find it or more information about it.
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What do I need to know before I start?
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Try to find out:
- the name and regimenta unit of infantry or cavalry forces in the British army of the person
- medals received (if applicable)
- a date range and geographical location to help focus the search
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What records can I see online?
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Soldiers' records (1914-1920)
Search military records of non-commissioned officersNon-commissioned officer - a senior member of the 'other ranks'. These are junior to commissioned officers. and other ranksOther rank - a person ranking below an officer on Ancestry (£There may be a charge for accessing this information. Searching indexes may be free.) including service records (WO 363), pension records (WO 364) and campaign medala medal awarded to a person who took part in a particular military campaign cards.
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Medal cards (1914-1920)
Search the First World War army medal cards on DocumentsOnlinea collection of documents from The National Archives which are available entirely online (£There may be a charge for accessing this information. Searching indexes may be free.) for a soldier who received a campaign medala medal awarded to a person who took part in a particular military campaign or gallantry awardmedals awarded for heroic or exceptional service.
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What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?
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Service records (1914-1918)
Browse through the alphabetically arranged First World War service recordsservice record - a document recording the career of an individual in the armed forces in WO 363 on microfilm at The National Archives.
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Pension case files (1914-1920)
Search the Catalogue for pension case files in PIN 26. Only a 2% sample of these records survive.
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Household Cavalry records (1799-1920)
Browse the Catalogue in WO 400 for service records of non-commissioned officersNon-commissioned officer - a senior member of the 'other ranks'. These are junior to commissioned officers. and other ranksOther rank - a person ranking below an officer who served in one of the Household Cavalry regiments during the First World War.
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To access these records you will either need to visit us, commission research (£there will be a charge) or, where you can identify a specific record referencea unique set of letters and numbers identifying a document in The National Archives, order a copy (£there will be a charge).
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What records can I find in other archives and organisations?
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Service records (1920-present)
Visit the Veterans UK website for information about how to request a summary of a service recorda document recording the career of an individual in the armed forces from the Ministry of Defence. These are not available to members of the general public, but next of kin may request access to them.
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What other resources will help me find information?
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Websites
Search the London Gazette for information about British Army soldiers' gallantry awards.
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Books
Read First World War Army Service Records by William Spencer (The National Archives, 2008)
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In-depth research guides
Births, marriages and deaths in the armed forces
British Army soldiers up to 1913
British Army officers after 1913