This is a brief guide to researching British army and government records for a person who served in the Home Guard, also known as the Local Defence Volunteers. The vast majority are available from the Army Personnel Centre.
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 of the person
- the unit and rank
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What records can I see online?
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There are no significant collections of Home Guard records online.
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What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?
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Home Forces papers and regimental histories (1914-1956)
Browse the records of the Home Forces for documents on regimental histories, nominal roles of Home Guard auxiliary units and other papers in WO 199.
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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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Home Guard personnel records and enrolment forms (1940-1945)
Contact the Army Personnel Centre for Home Guard personnel records and enrolment forms. Details can be found on the Veterans UK website.
These records are not available to members of the general public, but those who served and 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
Consult published Home Guard Lists from 1940 to 1945 to trace an officer in the Home Guard. These are arranged by area and include name indexes.
Read Army Records by William Spencer (The National Archives, 2008).
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Births, marriages and deaths in the armed forces
Militia
British Army soldiers after 1913