Wales Military Records

Wales Military Records

Military records can be of great genealogical value and may provide information not found in any other source. These records identify individuals who served or were eligible to serve in the military. Military service (other than the militia) was usually a lifetime career. Officers came from the upper classes; soldiers usually came from the poor. A compulsory draft was seldom used, except by the militia.

You can discover that an ancestor served in the military from family records, biographies, censuses, probates, civil registration, or church records.

The "regular army" and the navy were the major branches of the military. Militia, fencibles, yeomanry, territorial armies, royal marines, and merchant marines were also branches of the armed forces that kept their own records.

History and Background
Men from Wales were almost always involved in some military action. Some of these were:

1455-1485 - Wars of the Roses. These ongoing wars involved mostly knights pledged to lords or vassals. Few commoners were involved, and few records were kept.

1642-1649 - English Civil War and Cromwellian period. Disputes over the form of government and religion led to civil war. Only very brief military records of officers still exist.

1755-1762 - Seven Years War. Called the French and Indian Wars in North America, this war involved 120,000 British soldiers; from this time on a continuous series of army records were kept.

1775-1783 - U.S. Revolutionary War. There were 135,000 men in the British army when fighting broke out in North America. After the war, some men remained in Canada, but most returned to England. Records of "Loyalists" and others who remained in Canada are separate from other military records.

1805-1815 - Napoleonic Wars. Numerous battles across Europe involved 365,000 British soldiers and 300,000 seamen. These battles include the "Peninsular Wars" in Portugal and Spain.

1854-1856 - Crimean War. 225,000 troops were involved in the Crimea (Russian Black Sea).

1857-1860 Indian Mutiny. Many of the troops discharged after the Crimean War were recalled to quell the revolt in India.

1877-1901 - South African (Boer) Wars. The first Anglo-Boer War led to South African independence in 1881. The second Anglo-Boer War (1898–1901) led to the unification of South Africa in 1910.

1914-1918 - First World War. About 35,000 Welsh servicemen died.

1939-1945 - Second World War. About 20,000 Welsh servicemen died.

Army Records
The army began as a permanent organization in 1660. Earlier armies were raised as needed, usually as county militia units. For information on pre-1660 military records, see the handbooks listed at the end of this section.

Pre-1847 - English army service was usually for life. Some soldiers were discharged early for disability, which was liberally defined. A soldier was often discharged by the age of forty.

Pre-1872 - Army records are organized by regiment. Most regiments have published histories that tell the places where they served and the battles they fought. For a bibliography of these histories, see:


 * White, Arthur S., comp.A Bibliography of Regimental Histories of the British Army. Dallington, East Sussex, England: Naval and Military Press Ltd., 1992. (Family History Library book 942 M23was.)

Military histories or regimental histories are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:


 * WALES - MILITARY HISTORY


 * GREAT BRITAIN - MILITARY HISTORY

Navy Records
The first permanent naval fleet was formed during the reign of King Henry VIII (1509–47). For many years Britain had the strongest navy in the world. The earliest surviving navy records are from 1617, but the majority of the extensive collection date from the mid-1600s. Many records are available only at the Public Record Office. Several sources list navy ships with descriptions and the dates on which they were placed in service. One such work is:


 * Colledge, James J. Ships of the Royal Navy. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1987. (Family History Library book 942 M3c.)

Naval Official List books, available from 1673, give ports of call for ships during each year. Some of these lists are available in the Family History Library.

Seamen often moved between the navy and the merchant marines. Until 1853, enlistment was informal and lasted for the ship’s commission, usually three years. After 1853, seamen (ratings) were assigned continuous service numbers, and records were maintained for the duration of their careers.

Royal Marines. This branch originally maintained military discipline on navy vessels. It has been a separate branch of the military since 1755. Alphabetically arranged records of marines exist from 1790, some by enlistment date and others by discharge date.

Twentieth Century Records
Lists of British soldiers who died in World War I and World War II have been compiled from official casualty lists and published in:


 * Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914–1919. Reprint. 80 parts. Colchester, England: J. B. Hayward, 1988–89. (Family History Library book 942 M23s.) This work gives birth place, place of enlistment, rank, date of death, and cause of death.
 * The War Dead of the British Commonwealth and Empire. London, England: Imperial War Graves Commission, 1957. (Family History Library942 M2wdf; film 1441037.) This work gives the name, rank, regiment, and grave location for the casualties buried in France during World War II.
 * Commonwealth War Grave Commission

For information on twentieth century army records, see:


 * Holding, Norman H. World War I Army Ancestry. 2nd ed. Solihull, England: Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd., 1991. (Family History Library book 942 M2hol.)
 * Holding, Norman H. More Sources of World War I Army Ancestry. 2nd ed. Solihull, England: Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd., 1991. (FHL book 942 M24hnr.)

Understanding Military Records
Before you can use British military records, you must determine the specific army regiment or navy ship on which your ancestor served. For suggestions on finding this information, see "Search Strategies" at the end of this section.

Once you know the regiment or ship, the following records may help you trace your ancestor’s career, age, and birthplace.

Muster Rolls. A commanding officer made every effort to list everyone on his muster rolls since the number of men determined his funding. The records usually list each person assigned to a ship or regiment at the muster date, his age on joining, the date on which he joined, the place where he joined, and sometimes information such as a dependent list (in later army musters) and birthplace (on sea musters from 1770). Army musters exist for 1760 to 1878. Navy musters cover 1667 to 1878. Naval musters contain alphabets (indexes organized by the first letter of the surname) from 1765.

Description Books. The army description book for each regiment includes each recruit’s full name on attestation (enlistment), age when he joined, place where he joined, birthplace, previous trade, and physical description. Most books start about 1805 and continue to 1850. Many no longer exist. Similar records were kept for each navy ship from 1790, but many were never turned in or no longer exist.

Returns of Service. In 1806, the War Office compiled the first return of service, listing all men in the army. The scope, content, and frequency of returns of service vary greatly. Returns of officers’ service tend to be more complete, including the names of the officer and his wife and children; birth and marriage dates and places; and a complete summary of stations, regiments, and promotions.

The returns of officers’ services for 1828 and 1829 have been transcribed and are found at the Family History Library. The following books serve as an index to the original returns of service for 1828 and 1829:


 * Children of Officers on Full or Half-pay, 1828. Bound manuscript. N.p., n.d. (Family History Library book 942 M23ber.)
 * Children of Officers on Full-pay, 1829. Bound manuscript. N.p., n.d. (Family History Library book 942 M23be.)

Similar returns of naval officers begin in 1817. The naval returns are indexed at the Public Record Office (ADM 10). See Wales Archives and Libraries for the address.

Pension Records. These records often contain details of an individual’s reason for pension, his fitness on discharge, and sometimes the address where pension payments were sent.

Army pension records start in 1690. Pensions were awarded for length of service, disability, or wounds to most individuals who legally left army service. Sometimes the widows or children of military men received the payments. Payments to retired officers, called half-pay, were not considered pensions. Many different types of pension records covering different time periods still exist.

Naval pension records begin as early as 1617 and give the name of pensioner, reason for discharge, and sometimes next of kin, birthplace, age, and physical description.

Widow’s or children’s pension records often include marriage or baptismal certificates in support of the claim for assistance.

There are many other pension-related records among those of the Paymaster General (Class PMG) at the Public Record Office. The Family History Library also has some pension records.

Pay Records. Pay records include the following:


 * Pay lists give the name and rate of pay and sometimes "to whom paid" (which may be a spouse or other relative). Navy pay lists were kept by ship and are not indexed. Active duty army personnel were paid from the muster rolls, and separate pay lists do not always exist.
 * Pay warrants are records of actual payment filed with the Exchequer records at the Public Record Office. Final pay warrants often mention a will or administration and the death date.
 * Pay ledgers contain the assignments of pay, addresses to which pay was sent (from 1837), and sometimes birth dates.
 * Half-pay registers contain officers’ names, ranks, regiments, dates of first half-pay, rates of pay, and sometimes death dates.

Ship Logs. While ship logs usually give limited information such as position, weather and sightings of other ships, they sometimes give shipboard events, including the names of individuals. Ship logs exist from 1673.

Continuous Service Engagement Books. From 1853, navy ratings (seamen) were assigned continuous service numbers. Continuous service engagement books give the name, birth date and place, description, and ship. Brief career details were later added. From 1872 until 1892, merchant seamen were included.

Registers of Service. These records tell which ship a man served on. For officers, these start in 1846. Those for warrant officers and seamen cover 1802 to 1871. Once you know the ship, use muster rolls for further details.

Soldiers’ Documents. These records of army service relate only to those soldiers who were discharged to pension. The records contain the reason for discharge and details on age, birthplace, and trade or occupation on enlistment. They are arranged by regiment, then alphabetically by surname for the years 1760 through 1872. The records for 1873 to 1882 are alphabetically arranged by corps (cavalry, foot soldiers, guards, and so forth). From 1883 to 1914, these records are arranged in one alphabetical series.

The Public Record Office has a computerized index to the soldiers’ documents from 1760 to 1854. The index shows the name, age, birthplace, year of enlistment and discharge, the regiment, and the reference to the original document.

Chaplains’ Returns. Army chaplains throughout the British Empire kept records that list the baptisms, marriages, and burials of officers, soldiers, and their families. These returns (from 1760 to 1971) are indexed and are available by correspondence from the Office of National Statistics (formerly the Registrar General). See Wales Archives and Libraries for the address. The indexes are available on microfiche in the Family History Library as listed below:


 * Births 1796–1880 Family History Library fiche 6137330
 * Marriages 1796–1955 Family History Library fiche 6137413
 * Deaths 1786–1880 Family History Library fiche 6137109

Regimental Registers.Regiments kept birth, marriage, and death records for officers and men. Births and baptisms are indexed. These records (1761–1924) are available by correspondence from the Office of National Statistics (formerly the Registrar General). See Wales Archives and Libraries for the address. The indexes are available on microfiche in the Family History Library (Family History Library fiche 6137402–3).

Records of Service. These records, similar to soldiers’ documents, were kept for army officers from 1771 until 1911. However, they are incomplete before 1828. They contain the officer’s birth date and place; promotions; transfers; marriage date and place; his spouse’s name; and his children’s names, birth dates, and birthplaces.

Lists of Officers. Published annually, these records give an officer’s name, rank, regiment or ship, and date of commission. See:

Army List. London, England: several publishers, 1754–. (Family History Library book 942 M25g; films 856427–452 and others.) First published in 1740, they have been published continuously since 1754 and are indexed beginning in 1766. They list army officers and are arranged by regiment. Half-pay (semi-retired) officers were not included in the early indexes.

Navy List. London, England: several publishers, 1782–. (Family History Library book 942 M25gba; films 918928–940, 990323–326.) The Navy List names all commissioned officers, including masters, pursers, surgeons, chaplains, yard officers, coast guardsmen, and reservists.

World War I Service Files. These records are the service files of soldiers who were discharged from the British army between 1914 and 1920. They are a collection known as the "unburned documents." They represent about 8 percent of the soldiers who served during those years.

The files usually contain the soldier’s unit name and number, birthplace, age at time of enlistment, name and address of next of kin, and date and reason for discharge. They may also include the names of his parents, spouse, and children. Some mention his occupation before he enlisted in the service and show the assignments he had in the service. Some files contain death certificates.

The files are arranged alphabetically, but many documents are missing. Therefore, you will not find every soldier in these files.

The original files are at the Public Record Office in England. The Family History Library has microfilmed copies, which are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:


 * GREAT BRITAIN - MILITARY RECORDS - ARMY - WORLD WAR, 1914-1918

Militia Lists and Musters. Militia lists contain the names of men eligible for military service. Militia musters are lists of men in the militia. Early militia lists and most militia musters contain only the men’s names. A brief explanation of musters and the location of available pre-1757 lists are given in:


 * Gibson, Jeremy and Alan Dell. Tudor and Stuart Muster Rolls. Solihull, England: Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd., 1989. (Family History Library book 942 M2gj.)

From 1757 to 1876, lists of men ages 18 to 55 were compiled by individual parishes and turned in to the shire (county) lieutenant. These lists usually contain each man’s name, parish of residence, age, fitness for service, and sometimes cause for exemption (such as a man with more than two young children, a disability, or an exempt occupation).

For further information on militia lists and musters, see:


 * Medlycott, Mervyn, and Jeremy Gibson. Militia Lists and Musters, 1757–1876. 3rd ed. Solihull, England: Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd., 1994. (Family History Library book 942 M2gmm.)

Other Records
Many other records are available, such as records on medals, casualties, promotions, desertion, and courts-martial. The following military branches have separate records:


 * Fencibles were army units raised for home service only. Fencibles were usually classed with the militia, and records are kept with militia records.
 * Yeomanry were volunteer regiments, records of which often do not survive or are less complete than other military records.
 * Colonial armies are forces raised in other countries. Records of these forces are usually in the country where the forces were raised. A notable exception is the British army in India, for which many records are held at:
 * Coast Guard (1816–1923) and Royal Marines (1790–1914) kept their own records, including pension, description, and other records.

These records are at the Public Record Office. For further information on military records for branches of the service other than navy or regular army, see the military record handbooks at the end of this section.

Locating Military and Naval Records
Pre-1914 records for both army and navy are at the Public Record Office. Post-1914 army records are at:

Army Records Centre Bourne Avenue Hayes, Middlesex UB3 1RF England

Post-1914 navy records are at:

Ministry of Defense Main Building Whitehall LONDON SW1A 2HB England

Records at the Family History Library
The Family History Library’s collection of British army records includes:


 * Army soldiers’ documents (before 1882)
 * Description books
 * World War I Service Files
 * Officers’ records of service
 * Army List 1740 to the present
 * Indexes to the Regimental Registers and the Chaplains’ Returns
 * Regimental histories
 * Miscellaneous army records
 * For the navy, the library has:
 * Continuous service engagement books
 * Indexes to commission and warrant books
 * Bounty papers
 * Various published sources

Some Royal marine attestation (enlistment) records are also at the library.

A number of name indexes to some military records containing birth, marriage, or deaths are in the Family History Library. These indexes can be found in the Place Search under:


 * GREAT BRITAIN - CIVIL REGISTRATION

The library staff has compiled a typescript listing of army records. (Family History Library book 942 M2a; film 990313 item 5.)

Library records are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:


 * GREAT BRITAIN - MILITARY RECORDS


 * GREAT BRITAIN - MILITARY HISTORY


 * GREAT BRITAIN - MILITARY RECORDS - ARMY


 * GREAT BRITAIN - MILITARY RECORDS - NAVY

You may also find military records listed under the same topics for the following localities:


 * WALES


 * ENGLAND

Search Strategies
It is difficult to locate an individual’s record without knowing his ship or regiment. If you do not know this, you may find it in other types of records. Once you know the regiment or ship, consult the muster rolls, records of service, or other records available for that ship or regiment. Other strategies for finding the ship or regiment follow.

Soldiers. The Welsh who joined the army were assigned to regular English army regiments. However, many Welsh were assigned to either the 24th Regiment of Foot (called the South Wales Borders), the 41st Regiment of Foot (known as the Welsh Regiment), or the 23rd Regiment of Foot (the Welsh Fusiliers). A history of these regiments is in:


 * Brereton, J. M.History of the Royal Regiment of Wales (24/41 Foot) and its Predecessors, 1689–1989. Cardiff, Wales: Published by the Regiment, 1989. (Family History Library book 942.9 M2b.)

If your ancestor married, died, or had children while in the army after 1760, he may be listed in the Chaplains’ Returns or Regimental Registers. If you cannot find your ancestor’s regiment from these records, the other sources you should search will depend on what you know:

If you know a campaign or battle in which the ancestor fought, a place he was stationed, or a place where a child was born while he was in the service, use:


 * Kitzmiller, John. In Search of the "Forlorn Hope," 2 vols. plus supp. Ogden, Utah: Manuscript Publishing Foundation, 1988. (Family History Library book 942 M2j.) This work will help you find where regiments were stationed during a range of years.

If you know the area where the individual was living during his late teens, use the handbooks at the end of this section or regimental histories to find which regiments were recruited in that area.

If you know where he died after receiving an army pension, search district pension returns. For more information about district pension returns, see:


 * District Pension Records of the British Army in Irish at Home and Abroad. by Dwight A. Radford, vol. 4 no. 1 (1997), p. 11–17. (Family History Library 941.5 D25ih.)

If you know that he was in the army in 1806, you may wish to search the return of all men in army service on 24 June 1806 (not including commissioned officers). While the 1806 return is indexed only by regiment, it is more complete and easier to search than other sources, such as soldiers’ documents.

If you know approximately when he died, search probate records. Before 1858, search the Prerogative Court of Canterbury first. For information on probates, see Wales Probate Records.

Army Officers. You can usually find names of army officers in the Army List (1740 to the present). If your ancestor does not appear in the Army List for the right time period, consult the card index to officers, available only at the Public Record Office.

If an officer was alive in 1828 or 1829, you can use the indexed returns of service. "Birth certificates" submitted with widow’s pension applications may reveal an officer’s name. If you still cannot find a record, use the search strategies for soldiers.

There are separate records for commissariat officers, staff officers, medical officers (surgeons), chaplains, and others. Board of Ordnance officers (artillery, engineers, sappers, miners, artificers, and others) are not always included in an Army List and have their own records until 1855.

Seamen. If your ancestor was in the navy after 1852, search the index to Continuous Service Engagement Books or the Surname Index to the 1861 Census Returns of Ships (see Wales Merchant Marine for more information on the latter source). Before 1853, the source to use will depend on what you know about your ancestor. If you know:


 * The name of a ship on which he served, search the ship musters, pay lists, and ship logs for the time period he should have been aboard.
 * A port where your ancestor landed on a specific date, search the List Books, a geographically arranged list of ship locations at the Public Record Office (class ADM 8).
 * A battle or campaign in which his ship was involved, search the medal rolls.
 * The name of an officer serving with your ancestor, search the Navy List for that officer’s ship.

Since many seamen also served in the merchant marines during their careers, search the records described in Wales Merchant Marine.

Navy Officers. You can usually find navy officers in the Navy Lists (1782 to the present). A list of naval officers from 1695 to 1742 is in:

Index to Commission and Warrant Books. N.p., n.d. (Family History Library films 824516–7). It gives dates of commission and a reference to further details available at the Public Record Office.

Many officers are included in published biographies, such as:


 * Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy, 1660–1815. 3 vols. N.p., n.d. (Family History Library book 942 M23cs; films 908026–027.)

Handbooks for Military Records
If your ancestor is not listed in the above sources, consult the handbooks listed below for other records or clues to finding your ancestor:


 * Bevan, Amanda and Andrea Duncan. Tracing Your Ancestors in the Public Record Office. See Wales Archives and Libraries.
 * Hamilton-Edwards, Gerald. In Search of Army Ancestry. London, England: Phillimore &amp; Co., Ltd., 1977. (FHL book 942 M2ha.)
 * Higham, Robin. A Guide to the Sources of British Military History. London, England: Routledge &amp; Kegan Paul, 1972. (FHL book 942 M2h.)
 * Kew Lists. See Wales Archives and Libraries.
 * Records of Officers and Soldiers Who Have Served in the British Army. London, England: Public Record Office, 1984. (Family History Library book 942 M2am no. 1.)
 * Rodgers, N. A. M. Naval Records for Genealogists. 2nd ed. London, England: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1988. (Family History Library book 942 A5p no. 22.)
 * Swinson, Arthur S., ed. A Register of the Regiments and Corps of the British Army. London, England: Archive Press, 1972. (Family History Library book 942 M2am.)