Military records provide some of your most emotional discoveries. Find the war heroes in your family in our millions of service records, medal records, casualty lists and other Army records and Navy records.
If you’re looking for fascinating details surrounding our country’s soldiers, then look no further. Our Army Register of Effects, 1901-1929, provides more than 900,000 new records, covering World War I and going right back to the Boer War.
These records tell you what the relatives of soldiers who were killed received from the UK Government. Discover invaluable context about their next of kin and death in service, helping you go back another generation.
As part of our Centenary commemorations, we’ve added these WWI Service Medal & Award Rolls. The rolls are particularly helpful because they include not only a soldier's last unit, but often previous units as well.
The records also show people who have lost their medals. You’ll see thousands of crossed-out entries, with comments like ‘medals forfeited’ or ‘no medal'. One of the more controversial entries is Private Percy Toplis, who found notoriety after murdering a taxi driver.
These service records are packed with fascinating and useful details about those who served in the Royal Navy. You can discover your ancestors' ranks, whether they applied for pensions or gratuities, and even whether they earned any medals.
The records also include applications to right wrongs, like removing inaccurate accusations of desertion, or gaining discharges for foreigners or apprentices forced into service.
Service records are the perfect place to start your search for World War I heroes. They reveal their ranks and regiments, where they served, what medals they received and many more personal details.
This collection, British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920, includes soldiers who either died during WWI or remained in service until the end of the War. Its sister collection, British Army WWI Pension Records, 1914-1920, covers soldiers who were discharged to pension — usually because they were injured.
Just about everybody who served in WWI was due a medal of some sort. As a result, British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 — put together to record what awards each soldier had earned — is the most complete list of Britain's heroes.
If you find a relative received the Distinguished Conduct Medal, you can learn more about the courageous deeds that earned it for them in our separate DCM collection.
Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949, provides details of more than 2 million soldiers over three centuries of warfare. It lists those who were eligible for a huge variety of campaign medals — which were usually awarded to everyone who fought in particular battles.
You can discover whether your relatives fought in the Napoleonic Wars, The Indian Mutiny, The Crimea or dozens of other conflicts. The two World Wars aren‘t included — you‘ll find the WWI rolls in our separate collection.
