This is a brief guide to help you research British army records for a soldier who was discharged before the start of the First World War. These records are varied and plentiful, though sometimes complicated. The vast majority are available at The National Archives.
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.
-
What do I need to know before I start?
-
Try to find out:
- the name of the person
- the regimenta unit of infantry or cavalry forces in the British army, rank, and date of discharge
-
-
What records can I see online?
-
There are no records of other ranksOther rank - a person ranking below an officer in the British army up to 1913 available online.
-
-
What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?
-
Royal Hospital Chelsea pension records (1760-1854)
Search the Cataloguea search tool with descriptions of 11 million documents from the UK central government, law courts, and other national bodies for records of soldiers dischargeddischarge - release from service from the army between 1760 and 1854 in WO 97.
-
Royal Hospital Chelsea pension records (1855-1913)
Browse the Cataloguea search tool with descriptions of 11 million documents from the UK central government, law courts, and other national bodies for records for a soldier who was dischargeddischarge - release from service between 1855 and 1913 in WO 97. These records are in the process of being digitised so please check the digitisation schedule to make sure that the records you require are available.
-
Regimental muster rolls and pay lists (1732-1898)
Refer to section two of the Muster Rolls and Pay Lists research guide to find out which seriesa grouping of records held by The National Archives, based on common function or subject to consult for the period 1732 to 1878. For 1878 to 1898, browse WO 16 to find the relevant regiment or regimental district.
-
Campaign medals (1793-1949)
Look in the campaign medala medal awarded to a person who took part in a particular military campaign and award rolls in WO 100 if you know a person was awarded a specific medal. You will need to know the campaigna military campaign and the relevant regimenta unit of infantry or cavalry forces in the British army to use these records which are on microfilm. They do not usually contain biographical information.
-
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).
-
-
What records can I find in other archives and organisations?
-
Records held locally
Search the Access to Archives (A2A) and National Register of Archives (NRA) databases to find records held in local archivesregional archives, libraries, and museums.
-
-
What other resources will help me find information?
-
Books
Read Army Records by William Spencer (The National Archives, 2008)
-
-
In-depth research guides
Births, marriages and deaths in the armed forces
British Army soldiers after 1913
British Army officers up to 1913