Service records There are two pre-1914 series of records for men ONLY who survived to receive a pension. Before 1883 records are arranged by regiment, although a name index to records before 1854 is part of the . The records indicate:

More details can be found here at Soldiers' Discharge Papers, 1760-1913 in WO 97 and WO 121.

Some two-thirds of service records of men who served between 1914 and the end of 1920 were destroyed by fire in 1940. Surviving records know as the 'Burnt Records' in WO 363, may contain:

Because of their great fragility these records are available only on microfilm. The records are arranged in alphabetical order so it is relatively easy to use. However for common names you will need to know the regiment and service number to be able to identify the correct individual. More details can be found at British Army Soldiers' Papers: First World War 1914-18.

Muster rolls List every man in regiment (including officers) and were compiled monthly. They indicate a man's pay, offences committed during the previous month and location of regiment. They begin in 1732 and end in 1898. More details can be found here at Muster and Pay Lists,c.1730-1898. The relevant series are WO 10, WO 11, WO 23, WO 13 and WO 16.

Pensions Men who left the army after serving their time or as the result of wounds were entitled to a pension from Chelsea Hospital. Most men were out-pensioners, receiving a pension at home. There are a variety of records listing pensions paid. More information can be found at British Army: Soldiers' Pensions, (1702-1913). Most pension records for men who served in the First World War have been destroyed, but a few records survive, which are described in First World War: Disability and Dependants' Pensions.

Medals The Office has medal rolls for campaigns from the Battle of Waterloo onwards, listing both officers and other ranks entitled to medals. There are also numerous series of records for men awarded gallantry medals. During the First World War medal record cards record the award of campaign medals, including the award of 110,000 medals to Chinese, Maltese and other Native Labour Corps personnel. This is a useful place to look particularly if you can't find a service record or are not sure of the unit a person served with. They are on microfilm in the Microfilm Reading Room at the National Archives. More details can be found here for gallantry medals and campaign medals.

War diaries War diaries record a unit's activities day by day. Descriptions are usually quite brief and, particularly if written in the heat of battle, may be scrawled in pencil. Officers are often referred to by name, but it is rare for individual soldiers to be mentioned. There are separate series for the two world wars and smaller campaigns. More information about ones for the First World War can be found at British Army War Diaries: First World War, 1914-18.

< Previous | 1 | 2