Great Britain, War Office Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

Great Britain

What is in the Collection?
This collection contains a variety of records kept by the War Office over the period 1772-1935. Availability of records may vary by record type, year, and locality. The original records are held at The National Archives in London.

Military Records identify individuals who served or who were eligible to serve in the military. As such, they are are potentially of great genealogical value as they may provide information not found in any other source. Records in this collection come from across the United Kingdom of this period, and therefore may include records from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.

Collection Contents
This collection contains documents of various kinds, including regimental descriptions, succession books, commissions, appointments, descriptions, returns of services, casualties, half pays, pensions, and gratuities.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
The following list indicates potential information given in the records within this collection. It must be remembered that every record may not provide all of the listed information. Different types of document may list different information, and the information given in any type of record may vary by time and location,

War Office Registers may include:
 * Descriptions of the regiments/battalions
 * Physical descriptions of soldiers
 * Commissions/promotions for soldiers
 * Returns of services
 * Casualty Lists
 * Statements of settlements of soldiers, whether half pay or full pay
 * Successions of ranks of soldiers
 * Pensions for soldiers
 * Lists of married officers (sometimes including names of children)
 * Lists of wounded officers

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before beginning a search in these records, it is best to know the full name of the individual in question, as well as an approximate time range for the desired record. When entered into the search engine on the Collection Page, this information provides the quickest, most reliable path to finding the correct person. Of course, other information can be substituted as necessary.

Search by name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page to return a list of possible matches. Compare the individuals on the list with what is already known to find the correct family or person. This step may require examining multiple individuals before a match is located.

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images of digitized records available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on this website are granted by the record custodians. Due to their restrictions on this collection, the digital images of this collection are not available for viewing on this website. Some records may be viewed at the National Archives Image Library.

For additional information about image restrictions, please see the Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections page.

I Found the Person I Was Looking for, What Now?

 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the index entry record for future reference. See below for assistance in citing this collection.
 * Use the information which has been discovered to find more. For instance, use the estimated age to calculate an approximate year of birth, if that is yet undetermined.
 * Use the information which has been discovered to find the individual in civil records. Particularly useful for research in nineteenth-century England are the England Census and the England Civil Registration records.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * When looking for a person with a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which individual is correct. Use other information, such as place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to determine which candidate is the correct person. If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might be noted in other records.
 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Remember that it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name. See Abbreviations Found in Genealogy Records for some common examples of abbreviations.
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible candidates which can then be examined for matches.

Citing this Collection
Citing sources correctly makes it easier to refer back to information that has already been discovered; proper citations are therefore indispensable to keeping track of genealogical research. Following established formulae in formatting citations also allows others to verify completed research by helping them find and examine records for themselves.

To be of use, citations must include information such as the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records, if available. The following examples demonstrate how to present this information, and can serve as templates for creating proper citations for both this particular collection and individual records and images within the collection: Collection Citation: Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):