British Military Records: Difference between revisions

'''For information on twentieth century army records''', see:  

*Holding, Norman H. More Sources of World War I Army Ancestry. 2nd ed. Solihull, England: Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd., 1991. (FS Library book 942 M24hnr.)

Lists of British army personnel who died during '''World War I''' have been compiled from official casualty lists and published in:  

Ancestry.co.uk also offers a searchable database of those listed in ''Soldiers Died in the Great War'' as part of its subscription service.  

The returns of officers services for 1828 and 1829 have been transcribed and are found at the Family History Library. The 1828 return was for active duty officers only, while the 1829 return was for both active and half-pay (retired) officers. These records have the National Archives designation of WO 25. Two sets of books serve as a rough "index" to the original returns of service for 1828 and 1829. They only list officers who had children and they are in the same order as the names appear in the original returns (grouped by first three letters of the surname). The two sets of several volumes are:  

Similar returns of naval officers begin in 1817. The naval returns are indexed at The National Archives (ADM 10). See [[England Archives and Libraries]] for the address.  

Published annually, these records give an officer’s name, rank, regiment or ship, and date of commission. See:  

*''Index to Commission and Warrant Books''. N.p., n.d. (Family History Library films {{FSC|824516|film|disp=824516}}–7.) This index lists naval officers from 1695–1742 and gives dates of commission and a reference to further details available at The National Archives.  

[[Image:British Military3.jpg|thumb|right|357x417px|British Military3.jpg]]  

Militia lists (beginning as early as 1297) contain the names of men eligible for military service. Militia musters are lists of men in the militia. Early militia lists and most militia musters contain only the men’s names. A brief explanation of musters and the location of available pre-1757 lists are given in:  

Militia units were generally raised on a county basis and kept their own records. From 1757 to 1876, lists of men ages 18 to 55 were compiled by individual parishes and turned in to the shire (county) lieutenant. These lists usually contain each man’s name, parish of residence, age, fitness for service, and sometimes cause for exemption (such as a man with more than two young children, a disability, or an exempt occupation).  

For further information on militia lists and musters, see:  

=== Other Records  ===

'''MILITARY RECORDS - CIVIL REGISTRATION'''  

Library records are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under either ENGLAND or GREAT BRITAIN and the following subject headings:  

If you know a campaign or battle in which the ancestor fought, a place he was stationed, or a place where a child was born while he was in the service, use:  

'''Army Officers'''. You can usually find army officers in the Army List (1740 to the present - see "Lists of Officers" in this article). If your ancestor does not appear in the Army List for the right time period, consult the card index to officers, available only at the Public Record Office.  

Many officers are included in published biographies, such as:  

== Bibliography for Military Records  ==

The resorces listed below may assist you in your research:  

Kew Lists. (See [[England Archives and Libraries]] for details.)  

== References  ==