This is a brief guide to researching British government and military records of the Second World War. Second 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 Second 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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Allied Expeditionary Force papers (1943-1945)
Browse copies of documents from the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force and 21 Army Group, relating to a variety of headquarters responsibilities (WO 229). These are available on the digital microfilm pages of DocumentsOnline.
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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 Second 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 (1939-1945)
Consult section 5 of the research guide Second World War: British Army Operations 1939-1945 for information on how to search British Army unit war diaries for the Second World War.
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Government and military records
Search and browse the following departmentsdepartment - The highest level in our records hierarchy, usually corresponding to the government department of origin to gain an overview of government and military records for the Second World War:
- 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 (1939-1945)
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 Second World War.
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What other resources will help me find information?
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Websites
Explore the Education exhibition on World War II for an interactive history of the conflict.
Search The Times Online 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 Second World War.
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In-depth research guides
First World War
Other wars
British Army soldiers after 1913