British World War I Army Service Records

World War I service records are files of soldiers who were discharged from the British army between 1914 and 1920. The collection is known as the “burnt documents” and the “unburned documents”. The original records are held by The National Archives in London. Learn more about the documents on their site.

The files are arranged alphabetically. They show 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. Additional information may also appear.

The Family History Library has microfilmed copies of these files. Film numbers are listed in their catalog by using the Place Search for Great Britain – Military records – Army – World War, 1914-1918.