This is a brief guide to researching British government and military records of the First World War. First World War records are wide-ranging and are kept in a variety of archives. This guide will help you gain a general overview of the main sources of the information that exists, and where to find it. This guide is for people interested in the subject of the First World War as opposed to those interested in finding a specific person involved in the conflict.
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What records can I see online?
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Cabinet papers (1915-1978)
Search records of the Cabinet Office for documents concerning decisions and discussions before, during, and after the First World War.
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What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?
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British army unit war diaries (1914-1922)
Search the Catalogue in WO 95 by battalion number and regiment for war diaries for the First World War. These were daily accounts of operations.
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General records
Search, browse and consult the following departmentsdepartment - The highest level in our records hierarchy, usually corresponding to the government department of origin to gain an overview of the First World War from various government and military records:
- War Office (WO), Admiralty (ADM) and Air Force (AIR) - this is where most armed forces and general war records will be found
- Foreign Office (FO) - correspondence, policy and negotiation with other states
- Prime Minister's Office (PREM) - mainly correspondence to and from the Prime Minister's office
- Home Office (HO) - this series focuses on domestic and internal affairs
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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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Wartime diaries and personal papers (1914-1918)
Visit the Imperial War Museum website for information on how to access records in their document archive and on the various collections held by the museum relevant to the First World War.
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What other resources will help me find information?
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Websites
Explore the Education exhibition on The Great War 1914 to 1918 for an interactive history of the conflict.
Find out about the British Army in the First World War on The Long, Long Trail website.
Search The Times Archive and the Guardian and Observer Digital Archive to view articles (£There may be a charge for accessing this information. Searching indexes may be free.) about the First World War.
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Books
Read The First World War: The Essential Guide to Sources in the UK National Archives by Ian Beckett (Public Record Office, 2002).
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In-depth research guides
Second World War
Boer War
British Army soldiers after 1913