This is a brief guide to researching Royal Naval records for a commissioned officerA person who holds their position by royal commission. Separate and senior to both warrant officers and 'ratings'.. These records are comprehensive and varied, though sometimes complicated. While many records are available at The National Archives, some service records are currently held by the Ministry of Defence.
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 rank of the person
- a date range to help focus the search
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What records can I see online?
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Service records (1756-1917)
Search Royal Naval Officers' service records on our website (ADM 196) by name for a commissioned officerA person who holds their position by royal commission. Separate and senior to both warrant officers and 'ratings'. who entered the Royal Navy between 1756 and 1917. The records for the 18th and early 19th centuries are sparse but for the later period almost all of the available service records are accessible in this online collection.
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Naval officers' service record cards and files (c.1880-1950s)
Search Naval officers' service record cards and files online (ADM 340/1-150) by name for commissioned officersCommissioned officer - A person who holds their position by royal commission. These are separate and senior to the 'other ranks'. serving in the Royal Navy between c.1880 and the 1950s. To view ADM 340/151-456 visit The National Archives at Kew.
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Medal rolls (1793-1972)
Search by name for information about the award of campaign, long service and good conduct medals in the Royal Navy medal rolls (ADM 171) using Ancestry.co.uk (£There may be a charge for accessing this information. Searching indexes may be free.). These rolls do not usually contain biographical information. Digital microfilm copies of these records are also available to download from our website and browse free of charge.
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What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?
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Battle of Trafalgar (1805)
Search the Trafalgar ancestors database by name for a British officera senior member of staff in the armed forces who served in the Battle of Trafalgar.
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To access these records you will either need to visit us, pay for 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 (1917-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 for a Royal Navy officera senior member of staff in the armed forces who joined the service after May 1917 from the Ministry of Defence. These are not available to members of the general public, though next of kin may request access to them.
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What other resources will help me find information?
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Books
Read Tracing Your Naval Ancestors by Bruno Pappalardo (The National Archives, 2003).
Consult Royal Navy Lieutenants' Passing Certificates, 1691-1902 by Bruno Pappalardo (List and Index Society, volumes 289-290).
Consult the published Navy Lists to follow an officer's career.
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Websites
Search The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy on Ancestry (£There may be a charge for accessing this information. Searching indexes may be free.).
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Births, marriages and deaths in the armed forces
Royal Navy warrant officers
Royal Navy ratings 1853-1923