1. Introduction
The broad outline of an army officer's career can be discovered fairly easily by using the Army List. The National Archives holds a near complete set of this from 1759 to date. Check the Library Catalogue for details of the volumes held. Manuscript lists of Army Officers were kept from 1702-1752 (WO 64). There is an Index to the Army lists 1702-1765. The first official Army List was published in 1740.
Although we talk about 'the' Army List, there are in fact six separate series with that name, plus Hart's Army List. For each year between 1798 and 1951, there are two (and sometimes three) series of Army List available. The different series vary in format and content, as described below.
2. The Regular Army
2.1 Annual Army Lists, 1754-1879
These are arranged by regiment, of the regular army only. They are indexed from 1766, but engineer and artillery officers are only included in the index from 1803. They were continued by the Quarterly series (see below).
2.2 Quarterly Army Lists (First Series), 1879-1922
These continued the Annual series, from 1879-1922. They contain the regimental list until 1907 only. However, all include a gradation list, which is a list of officers in order of seniority, with dates of birth and promotions. From April 1881, details of officers' war service are also included. From 1909 to 1922, these details of war service appear in the January issue only. This series was replaced by the Half-yearly Army Lists in 1923.
2.3 Half-Yearly Army Lists, 1923- Feb 1950
These included a gradation list of serving officers. The January issue (but not the July) also included retired officers. From 1947 they were in fact issued annually, in February.
2.4 Modern Army Lists, 1951-Ongoing
The Army List was revised in 1951, and now consists of three parts. Part 1 is a list of serving officers. Part 2 is a list of retired officers: this is now produced only every four years. Part 3 is the Gradation List, a brief biography of officers, which is a restricted publication and not available to the general public.
3. Regular Army, Militia, Territorial and Colonial Forces
3.1 Monthly Army Lists, 1798-June 1940
These are arranged by regiment, but also give some idea of where the regiment was. Officers of colonial, militia and territorial units are included, along with the regular army. Unfortunately, there is no index until 1867.
3.2 Quarterly Army Lists (Second Series), July 1940-Dec 1950
These took the place of the Monthly Army Lists from July 1940. During the Second World War, they were not published but were produced as confidential documents. Despite their name, they were actually produced monthly or bi-monthly until December 1943. They were then issued quarterly until April 1947, when they were produced three times a year, in April, August and December.
3.3 Home Guard List, 1939-1945
These are arranged by Command (area) and included name indexes. They are available at The National Archives.
3.4 Militia Lists
The Library has a collection of milita lists for various dates in the 18th and 19th centuries. Please check the Library Catalogue for details of the volumes held.
4. Hart's Army List
Hart's Army List was an unofficial list, produced between 1839 and 1915. It is useful because it contains details of war service from 1839, which the official lists did not do until 1881. An incomplete set is available at Kew covering 1840-1915. A full set, together with Hart's own papers can be found in record class WO 211 .
5. Further reading
The following recommended publications are available in The National Archives' Library. Our library also holds medal rolls for all major wars. Where indicated, a publication is also available to buy at The National Archives' Bookshop.
The Army List
The army lists of the Roundheads and Cavaliers: containing the names of the officers in the Royal and Parliamentary armies of 1642, Edward Peacock (ed) (1874)
English army lists and commission registers, 1661-1714, Charles Dalton (ed) (1892-1904)
Home Guard list
Index to the Army Lists 1702-1765: WO 64/1-13 and WO 65/1-15
A list of the general and field-officers as they rank in the Army, of the officers in the several regiments of horse, dragoons, and foot, on the British and Irish establishments (175?)
Amanda Bevan, Tracing Your Ancestors in the The National Archives (seventh edition, 2006) - Available to buy
Henry George Hart, Hart's army list : the new army list exhibiting the rank, standing, and various services of every officer in the Army on full pay (1839-)
William Spencer, Army service records of the First World War (seventh edition, 2006) - Available to buy
War Office, The official army list
