Other useful sources
The National Archives (Formerly the Public Record Office) (www.pro.gov.uk)
The National Archives holds the archives produced by central
government, this includes the papers of the War Office and thus army and
military records. Records are normally kept together according to their
creating department, thus all War Office records are under reference code
WO. Within this series each class of records is given a number, for
example War Diaries from the Great War are WO 95. The records held by the
National Archives include service records for both Officers and other
ranks, 1660-1920, along with some records of the militia, yeomanry,
volunteers and prisoners of war and records of awards and courts martial.
There are also official reports such as War Diaries and casualty returns.
The National Archives has a very comprehensive guide to their holdings in
the leaflet guides
on their website.
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The website of the Somerset Military
Museum, The Castle, Taunton. This site contains details and histories on
the Somerset Light Infantry, the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry, the
West Somerset Yeomanry, the North Somerset Yeomanry, Somerset Militia,
Rifle Volunteers and territorials and the Light Infantry. Also contains an
overview of their collections, a guide to research, an extensive reading
list on the counties regiment and an online shop.
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The website for the only
British museum to tell the story of the British Army from Agincourt to
peace-keeping during the 20th century. This site chronicles the campaigns
and battles of the last 500 years and is thus invaluable in tracing the
role of the British Army in any given conflict as it provides written
histories for many conflicts, including the Afghan wars, the Zulu War and
post war conflicts. Also included on this site is a guide to researching
members of the British Army, both past and present along with a guide to
the British Army of today.
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The Imperial War Museum charts the history of the British Army since 1914
and contains a vast collection of documents, photographs, objects, art,
film and sound recordings relating to conflict during the 20th century.
The Imperial War Museum is best used for research into campaigns although
the website does contain an online catalogue for their documents, film and
sound collections. [back to top]
The Army Museums Ogilby Trust supports the development and maintenance of
museums in the United Kingdom, which display the collections and archives
of regiment of the British Army. Their website contains an in-depth guide
to the tracing of army ancestors, along with useful addresses for further
research. The site also contains a searchable database of regimental
museums, listed by both regiment and region. A useful aspect of this site
is their searchable database of books, whereby you can search for a
particular regiment and a specific type of book, such as a history or
journal. [back to top]
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for maintaining the
records which relate to all Commonwealth soldiers on active service who
died during the two World Wars, along with the maintenance of their graves
and military cemeteries. The website contains a searchable database of
casualties, which allows you to search for an individual and provides
details on their death and grave site.
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The British Army (www.army.mod.uk)
The website of the British Army today, containing information on the structure of the army, it units and operations, heritage and ceremony. It also contains a list of regimental museums. [back to top]
Contains details on how to obtain army service records for next of kin,
they also hold information on the graves and deaths of soldiers who died
outside the dates covered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
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Regiments.org (www.regiments.org)
A useful website devoted to land forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth. It contains detailed information on both regiments and conflicts and is thus useful for background research. Also contains lists of useful reading and links to other related sites. [back to top]