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ENGLISH & WELSH ROOTS - British Military Records Part 1: The Army
Article posted: 06 Dec. 1999; Global links updated 09 Nov 2005
By: Fawne Stratford-Devai
This issue of English and Welsh Roots is the first article in a series designed to help you find information for ancestors who served in the British Military. The series will not be an exhaustive study of British military records. It is intended to be a beginning point for those who wish to research their ancestors who served in the British military. A complete study of military records would require its own regular column. Military records, military events and military history in general are covered in hundreds of published books and almost as many internet websites. Part one of the series examines Army records and resources.
Researchers looking for extensive information about family members who have passed into the shadows of time will be delighted with the information available for those who served in the British Army. Army records can be quite extensive. The tens of thousands of feet of military records preserved by the Public Record Office (PRO) in England will attest to the incredible volume and complexity of the information.
Before undertaking research in British Military records it is important to know:
When the British Army began in the 1660s, regiments were most often known by the name of their colonels. Iain Swinnerton authored a very informative article titled Finding his regiment, in the January 1999 issue of Practical Family History [available at major reference libraries or can be purchased from Global Genealogy 613-257-7878] which explains the evolution of British regiments with their many amalgamations and name changes. In terms of nicknames, Iain notes the 14th (King's) Hussars are also known as the "Emperor's Chambermaids" and explains the nickname dates back to the Battle of Vittoria. The problem of amalgamation and nicknames can be very confusing to a beginning researcher. Regimental naming, numbering and nicknames sometimes remain with the regiment long after their formal name or number has changed. For this reason it is important to record all information regarding an ancestor's service in the event that a rather bizarre sounding name is actually the nickname of the regiment.
What If You Don't Know the Regiment?
An example of other articles written by Iain Swinnerton's for Practical Family History [available at major reference libraries or can be purchased from Global Genealogy 613-257-7878] includes:
The following list is not meant to provide an exhaustive list of all primary records. More detailed information about Army records is available from the PRO (see PRO leaflets and fact sheets listed below).
The records giving details of regular soldiers' careers during the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are held at the Public Record Office (PRO) in England. Records are often more extensive and readily available for officers. For example, the main records used for Officers are the published Army Lists (beginning in 1754). Information about Officers granted commissions before 1727 are available by using Dalton's English Army Lists and Commission Registers, 1661-1714, George I's Army, 1714-1727 and Irish Army Lists, 1661-1685. These published works are available in the PRO itself, on microfilm through the LDS. Some large libraries and national repositories in other countries also have copies of the lists. The National Library of Canada and the National Archives both have copies of the Army Lists and the pre-1727 lists.
The book Tracing Your Ancestors in the Public Record Office (5th edition, by Amanda Bevan, 1999), includes excellent and extensive information about Army records. The book also explains the types of commissioned officers:
Regimental Officers: colonel (in command of a regiment), lieutenant