Military records of the British Army, 1914-1920 (surnames A-E)

Notes

These records are referred to as the "Burnt Documents". About 70 per cent of these records were destroyed during the Blitz in World War II. Many of the remaining records were badly damaged, but most can be read. Many documents are filed out of order. Stray documents often appear in the middle of totally unrelated files. Do not expect to find documents filed in strict alphabetical order. A second collection of these records was acquired from the Ministry of Pensions. These records represent about 8 per cent of the enlisted men serving during this time. They are cataloged in a separate entry which lists 4946 rolls of microfilm. There is also a third collection of these records. These are files which had been removed from the main collection for one reason or another and either could not or were not returned to the main file. These records also appear in a separate entry. (W0 364). Records of women serving in the Army Auxiliary Corps are also available in a separate record (WO 398).

Contains service files of soldiers who were discharged from the British Army from 1914-1920. The files are organized alphabetically by surname and given name. Some soldiers may have enlisted as early as the 1890s. Includes unit name and number, birthplace, age at time of enlistment and name and address of next of kin. May also include names of parents, spouses, and children. May also note occupation prior to military service and assignments in the army. Includes date of discharge and reason for discharge. Extensive medical records may be included as well as records of court martials, medals awarded, etc. Files of men who wished to enlist but were not accepted were also retained.

Additional names that were filed out of sequence are filmed alphabetically at the end of the film notes as "mis-sorts.".

Microfilm of original records in possession of the Public Record Office, London, England.

Subjects

Locality Subjects

Film/Digital Notes