03 May 2024
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Discover how to trace the military service of your family in the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force. We have clear simple steps to get started: learn about how to find the main records for military family history research.
The information and links below will help you trace your family members who served in the British armed forces, guiding you where to find records for military family history research, and covering useful family history websites, archives and museums.
How to find WW2 service records
How to order (some) other ranks service records from The National Archives TNA Kew
How to order service records from MoD
Which MoD records are being transferred to The National Archives TNA Kew?
Where will MoD records become available online?
Where to look for military family history records?
Find useful family history military records at The National Archives
How can the Commonwealth War Graves Commission help?
What items are held at the Imperial War Museum?
Where can I find military records on Ancestry?
How can I learn about Findmypast's military collections?
How can I trace my ancestor's military medals WW1 & WW2?
How to find WW2 service records
As we speak, 10 million personnel records from the three armed services are being transferred from the Ministry of Defence to The National Archives, Kew. It’s a massive task and won’t be completed for another five years.
It is the biggest and most complex transfer of records in TNA’s history,’ states military family historian Simon Fowler.
How to order (some) other ranks service records from TNA
At present The National Archives Kew (TNA) has records for Army other ranks. ‘Where the individual is presumed to be deceased or was born more than 115 years ago, then request their service record by completing a Freedom of Information Request Form. This sounds daunting, but is actually quite simple,’ explains Simon Fowler. Find details of how to request your other ranks service records
How to order service records from MoD
The Ministry of Defence still has records for
• Royal Navy (including Royal Marines)
• British Army (officers only)
• Royal Air Force
You’ll need to provide the person’s: full name, date of birth, and service number, if you know it. You do not have to provide a death certificate. However, without one, information may be withheld unless the person either died while in the services or was born more than 116 years ago.
Which MoD records are being transferred to Kew?
- The vast majority are for individuals who served in the Second World War.
- Some records are for personnel born before 1939 who took part in Korea, were National Servicemen, or even had experienced the First World War.
- Individual files will eventually be released 115 years after an individual’s birth. So, if you are researching a man who was born in 1909, his file will be made available in 2025.
- In addition all medical records have been extracted and will only be released in 2044.
Where will the MoD records become available online?
All the records will eventually be available on Ancestry.
Look out for updates on this massive military history records project in Family Tree. We’ll be sure to let you know via our enewsletter.
Where to look for military family history records
The vast majority of archives you will need are to be found at The National Archives or on Findmypast and Ancestry.
There is also a network of national and regimental military museums, which have archives and collections of photographs. You will probably only need to contact them if you are doing in-depth research into the war your forebears experienced.
The key one is the Imperial War Museum (www.iwm.org.uk) where there is much of interest online. Also useful are the National Army Museum (www.nam.ac.uk), the RAF Museum (www.rafm.org.uk) and the National Museums of the Royal Navy (www.nmr.org.uk). In addition there are regimental and corps museums for the Army, which are listed at www.armymuseums.org.uk
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Find useful family history military records at The National Archives
Explore the military and maritime research guide to learn about the holdings at The National Archives, Kew. Alternatively browse the A-Z list of research guides, to search for 'Army' under 'A', and so forth.
Search the catalogue - some of the collections have been indexed by name, so you may find your ancestor listed in the search results.
Some of the military records may only be seen at The National Archives, some have been digitised and may be downloaded from TNA's website, and others are accessible via third party sites. To see which collections are available online via third party sites, such as Ancestry and Findmypast, choose to view the research guide on online collections.
Note that service records for those serving post-WW1 (but who were born before 1939) are currently in the process of being transferred from the MoD to The National Archives, Kew. This is a project that is anticipated to be completed in 2029.
How can the Commonwealth War Graves Commission help?
Find grave and memorial records (free) of 1.7 million British and Commonwealth men and women who died in service in World War 1 and World War 2, and civilian deaths for WW2 too.
What items are held at the Imperial War Museum?
Search in the online collections of more than 1 million items that have been donated to the Imperial War Museum since establishment in 1917.
Gain background knowledge from the IWM histories.
Where can I find military records on Ancestry?
Explore the collections of military records on Ancestry. Of particular note are the First World War Soldiers Service & Pension records (£), and the First World War British Army Medal Index Cards (free). Search for records relevant to your search interests, from, e.g. RAF Operations Record Books, to rolls of honour.
How can I learn about Findmypast's military collections?
Investigate the armed forces and conflict records on Findmypast in their military collections. Of particular note are the Soldiers' Service & Pension records, pre-First World War, back to 1760 (£). Explore records relevant to a particular war, e.g. Boer War, or a particular regiment too, e.g. regimental histories.
How can the Gazette help me trace my ancestor in the Forces?
The Gazette can help you learn about your military ancestors in the Armed Forces - Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. It includes the details of military promotions for officers (but not for other ranks). It does include the gallantry awards and honours for soldiers of all ranks - find details about your family heroes from those Mentioned in Despatches to those awarded the Victoria Cross. Search the Gazette free.