Researching a person
Before you start, it is worth gathering together everything you know about the person you are researching. Make sure you know their full name. Do you know their year and place of birth and date of death?
Do you know anything about their service - e.g. rank, years of service, regiment or whether they received a gallantry medal? Places to look for information include family papers
or family bibles, birth, marriage & death certificates or parish baptismal, marriage or burial registers, memorial inscriptions (gravestones), Army lists (officers only), Soldiers’ papers
(other ranks only), Census returns and Regimental registers. The more information you have before you start, the easier your search will be.
Then where you should start depends on the period that you are researching. There are a number of excellent guides listed below which should help you to decide on the next steps.
The National Archives
Holds surviving records relating to soldiers whose service ended in or before 1920 (other ranks) and 1922 (officers). Also particularly useful as a starting point is their
World War One Campaign Medals Index. In addition, the National
Archives have a number of excellent guides available on their web site.
The Ministry of Defence
Holds records relating to soldiers who served after 1920 (other ranks) and 1922 (officers).
The National Register of Archives
Holds the private papers of senior British soldiers.
The Army Museums Ogilby Trust
Features detailed guidance on ancestor research and military genealogy.
National Army Museum
You can also download the following National Army Museum information sheets:
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Holds records relating to all those who died on active service in the two World Wars.
The British Library Oriental and India Office Collections
Holds official records relating to European soldiers who served in the East India Company and Indian Army.
There is also another useful information sheet available from the National Army Museum.
The International Committee of the Red Cross
Holds lists of all known prisoners of war and internees of all nationalities for the Second World War. Enquiries concerning these lists should be sent to archives.gva@icrc.org
The London Gazette
Holds official announcements and - sometimes - individual citations for awards, medals and honours. Promotions of officers are recorded
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