British Military - What Do I Want to Know?

What regiment did my ancestor serve in?
Records that would help identify a Regiment:

Was my ancestor an officer?
If my ancestor was an Officer, these are the types of records to explore.

RECORDS FOR FINDING OFFICERS' REGIMENT NAME OR NUMBER

 * 1) Census records 1841-1911
 * 2) Civil Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths (for England &amp; Wales from 1837; for Scotland from 1855; for Ireland from 1864 with Protestant marriages from 1845)
 * 3) Homes Sources: especially medals &amp; awards, discharge papers, pension papers, journals, obituaries, old letters
 * 4) Army Lists: monthly, annual and the more recent quarterly or half-yearly lists - contain the name, rank, regiment, year of commission to any particular rank of officer. See W.O. 64, 65 &amp; 66.
 * 5) Army Lists and Commission Registers: Charles Dalton compiled the commissions of officers from 1661 to 1714.
 * 6) Gentleman's Magazine &amp; Index, 1731-1850: Lists many officers' commissions; indexes are at the back of each volume (FHL Book 942 B2gm index).
 * 7) Applications for Pensions for Widows and Children 1755-1908: (Foreign Regiments included); W.O. 42, pieces 1-51.
 * 8) Militia Attestation Returns: whole military (attachments), 1806-1915; W.O. 96, pieces #1-1522.
 * 9) Regimental Registers of births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials of soldiers and their families, 1761-1924: Family Records Centre (FRC), London (FHL has birth indexes ohnly)
 * 10) Chaplain Returns of births, marriages, deaths and burials of soldiers and their families, 1796-1880: FRC, London (FHL has indexes and records)
 * 11) Services of Officers on Full Pay: 1828 W.O. 25, pieces #749-779; alphabetical (FHL Book 942 M2sp)
 * 12) Services of Officers on Full &amp; Half Pay: 1829, W.O. 25, pieces #780-807; alphabetical
 * 13) Returns of Retired Officers' Services on Half Pay: 1847, W.O. 25, pieces #808-823; indexed (FHL Book 942 M23be)
 * 14) Registers, Various: Service Returns -- #1 Service Noncommissioned Officers: 1806 (June), W.O. 25, piece #871-1120; indexed.
 * 15) Registers, Various: Service Returns -- #3 Discharges (of Noncommissioned Officers): 1783-1810, W.O. 25, pieces #1121-1131; indexed.
 * 16) Muster Master Generals' Index of Casualties (officers'): 1797-1817; W.O. 25, pieces 1196-1358
 * 17) Regimental Registers of Pensioners: Royal Chelsea Hospital 1717-1857, W.O. 120.

Was my ancestor a soldier?
If ancestor was a Soldier, these are the types of records to explore.Check the index to Army Lists

Can I find life events or family relationships in military records?
Information found depends on the record. The following records may identifty a:

Birth date and/or place:


 * Muster Rolls
 * Pension records
 * Description books

Death date and/or place:


 * Casualty Returns

Name of a spouse:


 * Regimental Registers
 * Chaplain Returns

Names of a parent(s):


 * Regimental Registers
 * Chaplain Returns

Names of child(ren):



Did my ancestor receive a pension?
Search the WO 97 records to determine if ancestor received a pension. Search the following:


 * British Army Service Records, 1760-1915