United Kingdom, World War I Women's Army Auxiliary Corps Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

England

What is in the Collection?
This collection will include records from 1917-1920 This collection contains records of 7,000 women who joined the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) / Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps (QMAAC) between 1917 and 1920. These records are held in series WO 398 at The National Archives and contain enrolment forms, statements of service, and other documents pertaining to their service.

Collection Contents
Women's Army Auxiliary Corps Records may contain the following information:


 * Name of soldier
 * Date of birth
 * Place of birth
 * Residence
 * Marital Status
 * Number of children (If married)
 * Occupation
 * Age
 * Date of enlistment

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The United Kingdom, World War I Women's Army Auxiliary Corps collection is available to the Family History Library, FamilySearch Centers, and to members of the supporting organization(s). The images can be viewed at the Family History Library and a Family History Center near you.

How Do I Search the Collection?
As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, place of birth and occupation. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Search the collection
To search the collection by name: Fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain transcript errors such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors. It's always a good idea to confirm information with an image of the record, if available.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Name Range - First Letter" ⇒Select the appropriate "Name Range - First Two Letters" ⇒Select the appropriate"Name Range - Surname" which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

What Do I Do Next?

 * Use the birth date to search for a baptism date in the England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 collection.
 * Use the marital status to search for the marriage in England, Marriages, 1538–1973
 * Use the soldier's age and location of the military unit to find his family in census, church, and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have served in the same unit or a nearby unit.
 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the records of nearby military units.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection citation: Record citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: