Looking for records of a British Army officer after 1913

• What do I need to know before I start?

  • Try to find out:

    • the name and regimenta unit of infantry or cavalry forces in the British army of the person
    • the medals received (if applicable)
    • the date range to help focus search

• What records can I see online?

  • Campaign medal records (1914-1920)

    Search and download (£There may be a charge for accessing this information. Searching indexes may be free.) the index cards to First World War campaign medalscampaign medal - a medal awarded to a person who took part in a particular military campaign awarded to army officersofficer - a senior member of staff in the armed forces (WO 372).

  • Index to service records (1914-1922)

    Download the index to the officers' service records (WO 338) to find out the officer's unique long numbera unique number given to some military personnel to help identify them. This may help you search the service records (see below) more easily for common surnames. Choose the appropriate file in the piecea record in a series list and then click the "Request This" button.

    
    

    Please be aware that these are very large files and only suitable for download on a fast and unlimited broadband connection.

• What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?

  • Officers' service records (1914-1922)

    Search officers' service records in WO 339 and WO 374 by surname on the Cataloguea search tool with descriptions of 11 million documents from the UK central government, law courts, and other national bodies. 
    This is only suitable for unusual surnames. Common surnames are likely to provide too many results in which case it is necessary to check the indexes in WO 338 (see above) for the officer's long number. Then look up the long number in WO 339 using the Advanced search in the Cataloguea search tool with descriptions of 11 million documents from the UK central government, law courts, and other national bodies. 

    Search below by surname only (WO 339, WO 374).

    Search:

  • Campaign medal rolls (for 1914-1918 service)

    Locate the campaign medala medal awarded to a person who took part in a particular military campaign roll in WO 329 for an officer who served in the First World War.

    
    If you find the officer's medal index card in WO 372 (see above), make a note of the reference in the 'Roll' column for a particular campaign medal. Search the Catalogue using this reference.
    
    Reference examples: OFF/25, OFF/100
    Search:

  • 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?

  • Sandhurst registers (1783-1964)

    Visit the Sandhurst Collection website to search by name and download (£There may be a charge for accessing this information. Searching indexes may be free.) the registers of cadets who attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst 1783-1964. These contain the cadets' dates of attendance and may also include other personal information such as date of birth, school attended, religion and their father's profession. 

  • Service records (1922-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.

• What other resources will help me find information?

  • Websites

    Search the London Gazette for information about British Army officers' commissions and gallantry awards.

  • Books

    Consult published Army Lists to trace an officer's career in the British Army.

    
    

    Read First World War Army Service Records by William Spencer (The National Archives, 2008).
    

• The National Archives is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Related guides

• British Army officers up to 1913
• British Army soldiers after 1913
• British Army officers after 1913: further research
• British Army Lists
• First World War diaries of the British Army

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