The First World War was the first conflict to involve just about every able-bodied adult in Britain in one way or another - whether that was directly fighting at the front, making bombs, munitions or equipment at home or enabling supplies and rations to get to the trenches - everyone 'did their bit' in what ever way they could. The reality of war effected every single family in the country in one way or another.
If you are trying to piece together your family story from the First World War and had ancestors that fought in the British Army between 1914 and 1919, here is a handy quick start guide to get you on your way.
Medal Index Cards
Any WW1 army ancestor search should start with the Medal Index Card. Every serviceman and woman who saw service overseas was entitled to at least two campaign medals and the awards for these medals were recorded on Medal Index Cards. The information held on these cards varies by individual, but at a minimum they should all hold details such as:
rank
regiment number
unit served
campaign medals awarded
Many also give details regarding the theatre of war the soldier served in, if the won any gallantry medals, the date they were discharged, and sometimes there are next of kin details.
Medal Index Cards can be found on Ancestry here or via the National Archives Website here. Ancestry is a paid for subscription but the quality of the scans are way better (and in colour). The scans from TNA are in groups (so you will get 6 medal cards) and are quite low res, however, at the time of writing they are free if you register your details.
Medal Rolls
If the detail on your ancestor's Medal Index Card is scarce, it might be worth having a look at the actual Medal Roll for the individual medals they won. The roll will give rank and regiment number details but may give more detail on the unit served or if there was any early discharge due to wounds, sickness or anything else. The roll is well worth a look especially if your ancestor served in one of the larger Corps, such as the Royal Artillery, the Army Service Corps or Royal Engineers as it could tell you the individual battery or company they served in.
Medal Rolls can be found on Ancestry here (paid subscription needed). The are not currently on The National Archives website, but can be seen in person (the catalogue reference is WO329) if you visit TNA in Kew.
Service Records - Rank and File.
Now we are getting into the meaty part of the research. If you are researching someone who served in the rank and file and held one of the ranks below then there is good news and there is bad news.
Private
Lance Corporal
Corporal
Sergeant
Sergeant Major
Warrant Officer
The good news is that all available WW1 service records are digitised so you don't have to travel down to London to see them. The bad news is that during an air raid on London in September 1940, the War Office Record Store at Arnside Street was bombed by the Luftwaffe and the resulting fire destroyed over 60% of the records. Those files that were rescued are known as 'The Burnt Documents' and can be searched on Ancestry here and FindMyPast here - both are subscription services. Many pages show signs of fire and water damage.
If your ancestor served with the Life Guards, Royal Horse Guards or the Household Battalion, you need to be looking in series WO400 from The National Archives. You can search this series and download files direct from the TNA website here
Pension Records - Rank and File
If your ancestor was eligable for an army pension after their service then there is a good chance they will have a pension record. It is always worth checking both service and pension records for your ancestor incase their paperwork was mis-filed or you just don't know if they had a pension or not. The pension records were not held at Arnside Street during the Blitz so the collection is much more complete, although it is not 100%. Pension records can be searched online via Ancestry here and FindMyPast here
Something important to realise with both service and pension records is that if your ancestor served in the Army past 1922, their records will not be in these files. They will still be with the MoD and are not currently in the public domain. Family members can however request details directly from the MoD here.
If you don't know if your ancestor served after 1920 the easiest way to find out is to use Ancestry's Military Discharge Index 1920-1971
Service Records - Officers
If your ancestor was an officer in the British Army and completed their service before 1922, their files will be at The National Archives in Kew. At the time of writing this collection has not yet been digitised so you will need to travel down and view the files personally or get someone to search on your behalf. If your officer continued to serve after 1922 then their files will be still with the MoD.
To look for officers files at The National Archives you need to search in two different areas:
WO339 - Service records of officers who were discharged before 31st March 1922
WO374 - Service records of officers given a Territorial Forces Commission
Use this online search on the TNA website to see if you can find the individual file number for your ancestor.
This covers some of the research basics when looking into your First World War army ancestors. I will be posting similar guides for Air Force and Naval ancestors very soon... Good luck with your research!
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