Giving you the firepower to research
your family's military history
Military Records provide unique perspectives on our history. They add a vivid layer of detail to our ancestors' lives that can be both traumatic and revelatory. Indeed, they are such a valuable resource that we invest a great deal of energy conserving and digitising them to make them easily searchable by our members.
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New collections for you to search
Waterloo Medal Roll, 1815
The Waterloo medal is effectively a roll-call of Wellington's army – the very first battle-specific medal to be issued to all ranks. It was awarded to 39,000 men who saw action at Waterloo and preceding battles at Ligny and Quatre Bras. Look out for the 6,000-strong contingent from the King's German Legion. Search now
Casualties of the Boer War, 1899-1902
So many men were away fighting the 2nd Boer War that back in England it distorted the results of the 1901 census. So if you can't find your ancestors there, perhaps they appear here – our new collection of 54,932 records covers men who were killed, wounded, captured or who died from a varied range of ailments and tragedies, from sunstroke to suicide. Only online here.
Gateshead Roll of Honour, 1914-1920
A wonderful new World Archives Project collection with particular interest for anyone with ancestors from the Gateshead area. This 'scrapbook' of newspaper clippings and photos includes portraits of individual soldiers with their unit, rank and condition – wounded, missing or killed – and brings to life another modest, yet rich layer of military history. Search now
Soldiers Died in the Great War
A full one in seven of the men who fought in the Great War perished. We've now reviewed place of death and place of enlistment, giving you all the details of the 703,000 individuals named in this collection. One volume, packed with minute typescript, gave the basic details of nearly 42,000 officer casualties. It required an additional eighty volumes to list all the 'other ranks.' Search now
Don't Miss Out!
Find out about our Essential WWI Records and also our Rare WWII Records.
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Essential Military Records
British Army WWI Service Records, 1914–1920
This extraordinary collection of 2.8 million records is itself a casualty of war.
Known as the 'Burnt Documents,' they survived a WWII bombing raid on the War Office repository in London, where around 4 million of the original 6.5 million records were destroyed by fire. Too delicate to be handled, their careful scanning and digitisation has been one of the most important Military records conservation projects of recent years.
Individual records range from a single sheet to dozens of pages. Common items in them include attestation papers, medical records, discharge papers and information about an individual's military career.
It is one of our most viewed collections of all time and an essential reference for everyone researching their family's military history. Search now
British Army WWI Pension Records, 1914-1920
Known as the 'Unburnt collection' - having survived the War Office repository fire that destroyed so many Service records - the British Army WWI Pension Records provide a rich account of the realities of war. In WWI, we found our professional army was not enough - and we sent millions of men under compulsory enlistment, untrained and often under-age, to war. These records document their fortunes.
The collection covers soldiers discharged on account of sickness or injury and include the medical records relating to the disability for which a pension was granted. You may also find character reports and details of appearance, as well as trade or occupation.
These records are fully indexed, include original images, and are only available online here. Search now
British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920
This pivotal collection is believed to be the most complete list of those who fought in WWI - their eligibility to receive a medal showing that they played an active role.
The collection comprises the complete set of Medal Index Cards used by the British Army to record the entitlement of each soldier.
The cards offer fascinating insights into the careers and fates of each soldier, such as their first theatre of war, clues to campaigns fought, and the date of death or discharge from the army. You can search them by First name or initial, Last name, Regiment number, Corps and Rank.
And this is another collection that has beaten the odds. Having survived enemy bombing in WWII, it was rescued from possible destruction in 2000. Both sides of each card have been scanned in full colour, indexed and made searchable exclusively online. Search now
England, The National Roll of the Great War, 1914-1918
This intriguing collection adds a new layer of detail to accounts of the Great War, 1914-18. The series contains biographical records of over 100,000 people – both soldiers and those who served in factories, hospitals and other institutions – and this is often their only detailed record of service.
The National Roll was produced in 14 volumes and compiled on a regional basis, covering London, Southampton, Luton, Birmingham, Leeds, Bradford, Portsmouth, Manchester, Bedford & Northampton, and Salford. Search now
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Rare WWII Records
British Army Prisoners of War, 1939-1945
Now, as a digital first, we've made accessible for public research over 100,000 British Army personnel Prisoner of War records.
If your ancestors were held as Prisoners of War in Germany before 30th March 1945, you can now discover where and when they were captured and the place where they were held. Search these previously undigitised records here.
Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945
We are always proud to release rare records – and preserving them for future generations in a digital format. The original Roll of Honour has been decoded from its original punch-card format, transcribed, digitised and made available online, only with us.
The Roll covers 349,000 people who died between 1st September 1939 and 31st December 1946, how and where they died, and if wounded, where they were sent.
Watch WWII Newsreels
The battle for hearts and minds
Galvanizing the population to aid the war effort required the development of a potent weapon: propaganda.
See the battle for hearts and minds on our WWII Newsreels, aimed at both the Allied and enemy public.
Sign In to watch this newsreel
Warning: Due to the nature of war, some of the newsreels contain graphic images. Viewer discretion is advised.
Featured Record Collections
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