How to look for records of... British Army nurses

How can I view the records covered in this guide?

How many are online?

  • Some

1. Why use this guide?

This guide helps you find records about nurses who worked in the British Army, including information about their service, medals, and how the nursing service was run.

Service records for nurses who served after the First World War are currently being transferred from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to The National Archives. See section 6 for more information.

If the person you’re researching served in a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) during the First or Second World War, you should contact the British Red Cross Museum and Archives. See section 3.2 for registers of Royal Red Cross recipients.

2. Before you start

Before the 1850s, medical care in the British Army was managed by individual regiments and carried out by male nurses. Detailed records from this time are rare.

In 1881, the Army Nursing Service (ANS) was created. It became the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS) in 1902, and later the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC) in 1949.

The Territorial Force Nursing Service (TFNS) was set up in 1908 to support the Territorial Army. It was renamed the Territorial Army Nursing Service (TANS) in 1922. Nurses in TFNS and TANS served both in the UK and overseas during the First World War.

Even after QAIMNS was formed, some records may still refer to the earlier ANS. The sections below explain what nursing records are available in our catalogue.

3. Online records

3.1 Nursing Service Records,1902–1939

You can search and download service records from our website (charges apply). They include service records for nurses in WO 399 which include:

  • Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS)
  • QAIMNS (Reserve)
  • Territorial Force Nursing Service (TFNS)

3.2 British Army Casualty Lists 1939-1945,

Search the daily British Army casualty lists (WO 417) on Findmypast.co.uk (charges apply). Records  include daily lists showing rank, service number, and casualty type (e.g. wounded, missing, prisoner of war).

3.3 Campaign Medals and Awards

  • First World War Medal Index Cards, 1914-1920

Search by name or regimental (service) number for the index cards to First World War campaign medal rolls (WO 372) on our website (charges apply). Use keywords like Nurse, Voluntary Aid Detachment, or Queen Alexandra’s with a surname.

  • Second World War Medal Cards

World War Two army medal cards are available to search and download through Forces War Records (charges apply).

  • Campaign Medal Rolls, 1793–1949

For records of medals awarded for service before 1914, search by name at Ancestry (charges apply) website. Lists names but includes limited personal details. Knowing the campaign and nursing service helps.

  • Royal Red Cross Recipients,1883–1994

Search and download entries from the registers of recipients of the Royal Red Cross (WO 145/1-3) at Findmypast.co.uk (charges apply). Covers around 9,000 awards for exceptional nursing service. Includes service number, role, and date published in the London Gazette.

4. Accessing original records

Our online catalogue and advanced search page display records using a title, reference number, and brief description. When you search using keywords, you’re searching these descriptions—not the full content of the records. For help using our catalogue, watch our short video guide.

Many records are not keyword searchable, so you may need to consult the original documents. You’re welcome to visit us in person to continue your research—access to our records is free of charge. Before visiting, please check our website for opening hours and ID requirements. If you can’t visit, or would like someone to carry out research on your behalf, you can pay for research.

When you click on a search result, you’ll see whether the record is available online or if you need to view it onsite. You can also request copies directly from the catalogue description page. If a record is held by another archive, you’ll need to contact them directly to find out how to access it.

5. Service, pension and administrative records, 1820-1926

Click on any of the reference codes below to open that series in our online catalogue. These records are not available online, so once you’ve found something relevant, you’ll need to visit us in person to view it. See section 4 for more information.

Service, pension, casualty, and administrative records for British Army nurses (including Crimean war service), 1820-1907

Date Range Description Catalogue Reference
c.1820–c.1890 Royal Hospital Chelsea pension registers; nurses are listed with officers. Information includes name, age on retirement, place of work, length of service, date of death (if applicable), and pension details. WO 23/93–95
c.1820–c.1890 Medical Staff Corps casualty returns. Mainly records of soldiers and orderlies, but includes some entries for nurses. Details include date and cause of death. WO 25/3462
c.1851–c.1856 Letters of recommendation for nurses applying to go to the Crimea (arranged alphabetically in bundles). WO 25/264
1853–1857 Correspondence and memoranda to, from, and about nurses in the Crimea. WO 43/963
1855–1858 Lists of ladies, nurses, and orderlies embarked for England from the Crimea. WO 43/991
1869–1891 National Aid Society and Army Nursing Service records. Includes name and seniority rolls and service records. The original documents contain a name and place index. Information includes date and sometimes place of birth, dates and places of service, awards and decorations, pension awards, resignation dates, and sometimes date of death. WO 25/3955
c.1857–1907 Royal Hospital Chelsea registers; no index, but arranged in rough date order. Includes name, date of appointment and resignation/retirement, age on appointment; later entries include date of birth. WO 23/181

Pension and casualty records, along with recommendations for British Army nurse appointments, 1903–1926

Date Range Branch or Unit Type of Record Content of Record Catalogue Reference
1914–1918 QAIMNS Disability pensions Name, sometimes address, sometimes age, dates of pension commencement and ceasing, pension rate PMG 42/1–12
1909–1928 QAIMNS Pensions Name, address, rank (nurse, sister, or matron), pension details, date of death (if applicable) PMG 34/1–5
1914–1918 Women’s services, including nurses and VADs Selection of medical sheets Name, age, rank, and treatment MH 106/2207–2211
1914–1919 No 34 Casualty Clearing Station, 2nd and 19th General Hospitals, 4th Stationary Hospital, Queen Alexandra’s Military Hospital at Millbank, and Catterick Military Hospital Hospital admission and discharge registers Name, age, rank, years of service, disease contracted/injury sustained, dates of admission and discharge MH 106
1903–1926 Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Recommendations for appointment of staff nurses Name, date of birth, occupation of father, whether single or widow, where educated, in which hospital trained (with dates), places and dates of nursing experience, matron’s reference, appointment given WO 25/3956

6. Service records, 1939-1963

Service records for British Army nurses who served after the First World War are currently being transferred from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to The National Archives. To request access, just follow the steps in our guide.

Records for nurses who served in the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC) between 1939 and 1945 are now held at The National Archives.

6.1 Women’s Services in East Africa

Search selected service records of nurses and other ranks who served in East Africa during and after the Second World War (in WO 427).
Includes personnel from:

  • Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS)
  • East African Military Nursing Service (EAMNS)
  • First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY)

Search by surname, service number, or date of birth.

7. Policy and administrative history

To explore the policy and administrative history of British Army nursing, click on any of the reference codes below to open that series in our online catalogue. These records are not available online, so once you’ve found something relevant, you’ll need to visit us in person to view it. See section 3 for information about accessing original records.

The principal record series codes for these documents are WO 32 and WO 33, though you will also find nursing policy and administration records in WO 30, WO 222 and WO 243.

  • WO 30 – War Office: Miscellaneous Papers, 1684–1951
  • WO 32 – War Office and successors: Registered Files (General Series), 1845–1999
  • WO 33 – War Office: Reports and Memoranda, 1853–1969
  • WO 222 – War Office: Medical Historians’ Papers, 1914–1949
  • WO 243 – War Office: Advisory Board for Army Medical Services, 1898-1914

There are several ways to perform a search:

  • Use the search box in WO 32 and enter either ‘Code 2’ (nursing services), ‘Code 182’ (medical) or ‘Code 68’ (women’s services) as your search term
  • Use advanced search in Discovery, our catalogue, and enter ‘nursing’ as your search term, restricting your enquiry to search within any or all of record series references WO 30, WO 32, WO 33, WO 222 or WO 243
  • Use the table below to locate specific document references (these are references that cannot be found using either of the methods above)

8. Websites

Explore the official website for historical information on British Army nurses before the First World War.

Browse a curated selection of transcriptions of British military nurses’ records and related insights.

9. Further reading

Yvonne McEwen, In the company of nurses: The history of the British Army Nursing Service in the Great War. Edinburgh University Press, 2014.

Piggott, Juliet, Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps. London. Leo Cooper, 1990.

Hallett, Christine E, First World War nursing: new perspectives. Abingdon: Routledge, 2013.