Scotland Military Records: Difference between revisions

== Navy ==

Numerous navy records were kept after the union of England and Scotland in 1707. However, unless you know the name of a ship, they may be difficult to use. Many are available only at the Public Record Office.  

Records for officers and seaman were generally kept separately. The ranks of officers were as follows:  

Commissioned officers include:  

*Flag officers—admiral of the fleet, admiral, vice admiral, and rear admiral.  

*Ship officers—captain, commander, lieutenant.  

*Posts for men aspiring to be commissioned officers—first class volunteers, midshipmen, executive mates.

Warrant officers include:  

*Wardroom rank—master, surgeon, purser, chaplain, schoolmaster, cook.  

*Not of the wardroom rank—gunner, boatswain, carpenter.

Many sources list navy ships with descriptions, dates, and places of service. A good example is:  

Colledge, James J. ''Ships of the Royal Navy''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1987. (Family History Library book [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlehitlist&columns=*%2C0%2C0&callno=942+M3c 942 M3c].)  

Official list books, available from 1673, give ports of call for ships during each year.  

'''Types of Records'''  

Navy records include:  

'''Officers Service Records.''' These date from about 1795 and list officers’ service information.  

'''Navy Lists.''' Starting in 1782, these lists contain seniority lists of officers from lieutenant upwards.  

'''Succession Books.''' Arranged by ship, these books give the successive appointments to each position on the ship.  

'''Musters and Pay Books.''' These are lists of the ship’s company and give information such as appearance, whether or not pressed into service, age, birthplace, and discharge.  

'''Certificates of Service.''' Starting in about 1790, certificates were needed to support a claim to receive a pension.  

'''Continuous Service Engagement Books.''' From 1853, navy ratings (seamen) were assigned continuous service numbers. The records give name, birth date, birthplace, description, and ship. From 1872 to 1892, merchant seamen were included.  

'''Registers of Service.''' There are several different types of service registers with the earliest dating only from the 1840s and pertaining to officers. Before that time, officers were issued certificates of service only when they needed to prove qualifying service. The earliest service registers for ratings (seamen) are for those entering the service from 1873.  

'''Bounty Papers.''' These give the name and address of the relation to whom bounty is to be paid in case the seamen is killed in action or dies. They include baptismal and sometimes marriage certificates of next of kin.  

'''Lieutenant’s Passing Certificates.''' Registers of those young officers or gentlemen examined for promotion to Lieutenant in the Navy from 1691 to 1848. From 1789 onwards baptismal certificates were attached to them. They are indexed to 1832.  

=== Location of Original Records ===

Pre-1914 navy records are at the Public Record Office, Kew.  

Post-1914 navy records are at:  

'''Ministry of Defense'''<br>Main Building, Whitehall SW1A 2HB <br>England <br>Internet: http://www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/home  

The Family History Library has  

*Continuous service engagement books.  

*Indexes to commission and warrant books.  

*Bounty papers.  

*Some navy lists.

You can find records at the Family History Library records in the Locality Search of the catalog under either SCOTLAND or GREAT BRITAIN and the following topic headings:  

MILITARY  

MILITARY HISTORY