This is a brief guide to researching for records of a person who served in a militia. These records are varied though sometimes complicated. Many are available at The National Archives, but local archives also have significant holdings.
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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
- the name of the regiment the person served in (where applicable)
- a date range and a geographic location to help focus the search
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What records can I see online?
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Other ranks: militia attestation papers (1806-1915)
Search by name and download digitised Militia service records for other ranksOther rank - a person ranking below an officer between 1806 and 1915 (WO 96) on findmypast.co.uk (£There may be a charge for accessing this information. Searching indexes may be free.).
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What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?
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Officers: records of service (1759-1925)
Browse WO 68 for an officer's service record in the militia. You will need to know the relevant regiment to search these records.
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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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Records held locally
Search the Access to Archives (A2A) and National Register of Archives (NRA) databases to find records held in local archives.
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What other resources will help me find information?
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Books
Consult published Militia Lists from 1794 onwards to trace an officer's career in a militia.
Read Militia Lists and Musters, 1757-1876, Jeremy Gibson and Mervyn Medlycott (FFHS, 2004).
Read Records of the Militia and Volunteer Forces 1757-1945, William Spencer (PRO, 1997).
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Home Guard
British Army soldiers up to 1913
British Army officers up to 1913