Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal

Since Remembrance Sunday is tomorrow, now seems a good time to pull together a summary of the World War One records that are available online.

Medal Roll Index Cards

These were generated by the Army and list a man’s entitlement to campaign medals. There are over 5 million cards and they are the nearest approximation to a nominal roll of those who served in the army in WWI. Generally everyone who served overseas was entitled to a campaign medal. The rolls include RAF personnel who, before 1918, were members of the Royal Flying Corps. Royal Navy and Royal Naval Air Service personnel are not included.

Available online from http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/ (pay-per-view) and from http://www.ancestry.co.uk (subscription or pay-per-view).

Descriptions of the various formats & abbreviations used at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/medals.asp?WT.hp=Campaign%20Medals%20-%20%C2%A32

A small proportion of cards have additional information on the back. This can only be viewed at http://www.ancestry.co.uk

Service Records

ARMY

• About 60% of the service records of those soldiers (not officers) who served in the army during WWI were destroyed by bombing during WWII. The remaining records have been digitised and are available at http://www.ancestry.co.uk
• Pension records for soldiers who claimed a disability pension for service in WWI are also available at http://www.ancestry.co.uk They are unlikely to include records for soldiers who had no dependants or who re-enlisted for service in WWII.
• Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps
• Service records for more than 7,000 women who joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (1917-1918), later Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps (1918-1920) are available at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/

ROYAL NAVY

• Royal Marines Service Records
  Service records of those who joined the Royal Marines, 1842 -1936.
• Registers of Seamen’s Services
  Service registers of more than 600,000 seamen in the Royal Navy, 1853 -1923.
• Royal Naval Division service records
  Service records of more than 50,000 officers and men who joined the RND, 1914 -1919.
• Royal Naval Officers’ Service Records
  Service records of officers who joined the Royal Navy, 1756 -1917.
• Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Service Records from WW1
  Service records of those who served in the RNVR during the First World War.
• Women’s Royal Naval Service
  Service records of more than 7,000 women who joined the WRNS (1917-1919).

These are all available from http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/

ROYAL AIR FORCE

• Royal Air Force Officers’ Service Records
  Service records of officers who served in the RAF during the First World War.
• Women’s Royal Air Force
  Service records of women who joined the WRAF, 1914-1919.

These are all available from http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/

Casualties

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission
  Casualties of the armed forces of the British Commonwealth at http://www.cwgc.org/ (free), http://www.ancestry.co.uk (WWI registers only)
• Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-1918
  Covers officers and men from all units of the British Army giving name, rank, service number, how died and theatre of death. Available from http://www.findmypast.com (subscription/pay-per-view), http://www.familyrelatives.com (subscription), http://www.military-genealogy.com/ (pay-per-view), http://www.ancestry.co.uk
• De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour 1914-1918
  Marquis De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour features biographies of over 26,000 Army, Navy and Air Force men (both officers and other ranks) killed in the Great War. 7,000 of these include photographs. Available from http://www.military-genealogy.com/, http://www.ancestry.co.uk, http://www.findmypast.com, http://www.familyrelatives.com, http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk
• Royal Naval Division Casualties of The Great War
  Register of the deaths of servicemen of the Royal Navy who served in the Royal Naval Division (RND) in the Great War, compiled from original service records and all other sources listing RND casualties. Available from http://www.findmypast.com, http://www.ancestry.co.uk
• Ireland, Casualties of World War I, 1914-1918
  Compiled by The Committee of the Irish National War Memorial, this provides information on over 49,000 Irish men and women who died in the Great War. Available from http://www.ancestry.co.uk
• Irish War Memorials Project
  An inventory of war memorials in Ireland includes photographs of each memorial, the text of all inscriptions, and details of the site of the memorial. Available from http://www.irishwarmemorials.ie/
• The National Roll of the Great War 1914-1918
  A 14 volume series of short biographical sketches of English soldiers who served, including some who died, in World War I. The vast majority of entries refer to combatants who survived. Available from http://www.findmypast.com, http://www.military-genealogy.com/ , http://www.ancestry.co.uk (part), http://www.familyrelatives.com, http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk
• The Scottish National War Memorial
  Commemorates nearly 150,000 Scottish casualties in the First World War at http://www.snwm.org (free).
• Roll of honour
  Recording various war memorials within a variety of counties in the United Kingdom. Photographs have been taken of the majority of the memorials, details of the men included and their photographs where possible. The war memorials and rolls of honour cover a variety of regiments, airfields and air bases as well as the memorials and cemeteries in the countries overseas where the men fell. Available from http://www.roll-of-honour.com/ (free)
• GRO War Deaths (England & Wales)
  Indexes to General Register Office death certificates for Army, Navy and Royal Air Force casualties from WWI. Available from http://www.findmypast.com, http://www.familyrelatives.com, http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk
• Scottish Service and War Returns
  Registers of deaths of Scottish persons serving as Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned officers or Men in the Army (not officers) and Petty Officers or Men in the Royal Navy in World War I (1914-1918). Indexes and images of certificates available from http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ (pay-per-view)

Other records

• Selected First World War and Army of Occupation War Diaries
  Selected War Diaries of British and colonial units serving in theatres of operations between 1914- 22.
• Prisoner of War interviews and reports, First World War
  Interviews and reports of over 3000 individuals from the papers of the Committee on the Treatment of British Prisoners of War.
• The Victoria Cross Registers
  The Victoria Cross was instituted by Royal Warrant on 29 January 1856 for award to members of the Royal Navy and the Army who ‘shall have performed some signal act of valour…’
• Aliens Registration Cards
  Aliens registration cards of those living in the London area from 1914.

These are all available from http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/

Gallantry awards and officers’ promotions

The award of a gallantry award, an honour and the promotion of military officers was gazetted, or listed, in the London Gazette. It’s also possible to trace an officer’s career in the armed forces through promotions listings. Once you’ve found the relevant service number it’s easier to search using that rather than the name of the officer. Available from http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/ (free).

I’ve tried to cover all the major sources for the British armed forces which give details of large numbers of men rather than individuals, but I’m sure to have missed some. If you know of other sources, do add them in the comments.

Sheena