United Kingdom, Chelsea Pensioners' Service Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection includes Chelsea Pensioners British Army Service Records 1760-1913. These records contain information on soldiers (but not officers) pensioned out of the British Army. The original documents are available to view at the TNA (series reference WO 97). The original images are available from findmypast.co.uk. Digital images of selected files from this series are available in TNA DocumentsOnline.

Citation for This Collection
The suggested format for citing FamilySearch Historical Collections is found in the following article: Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections

Timeline and Historical context
Here are some of the major conflicts that are covered by the same period as the Chelsea Pensioners' British Army Service Records

1760-1913
 * 1775 – American War of Independence
 * 1793-1802 – British involvement in French Revolution
 * 1795 – British capture of Ceylon
 * 1798 – Irish Rebellion
 * 1803-1815 – Napoleonic Wars, including the Battle of Waterloo in 1815
 * 1854-1856 – The Crimean War
 * 1857-1859 – Indian Mutiny
 * 1880-1881 – The First Anglo-Boer War (also known as the "Transvaal War")
 * 1899-1902 – The Second Anglo-Boer War

Record Content
The images include:


 * Full name
 * Calculated or actual year of birth
 * County of birth

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * Name
 * Estimated date of birth
 * Approximate birth place

Search the Collection
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor. If you are unable to find your ancestor check for variant spellings of the namesor for nicknames.

When you have located your ancestor’s index record, select one of the links in the image box which will take you to the original record at findmypast.co.uk.

The images are available free of charge at Family Search Centers and by members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They are also available by subscription from findmypast.co.uk.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Related Websites

 * Chelsea Pensioners' Service Records 1760-1913 on Findmypast.co.uk
 * British Military Genealogy

Related Wiki Articles

 * British Military Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"United Kingdom, British Army Service Records, 1760-1915," database FamilySearch (https://ds.familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5HP-1WL: accessed 24 April 2012), entry for Robert Elliott, birthplace Monghan, 1798. United Kingdom, British Army Service Records, 1760-1915." Images courtesy of Find My Past, London, England.