Nature of Source
Registers of approximately 750,000 British soldiers killed in WWI. Similar indexes are available for the Boer War and WWII. The location and cause of death may appear vague. Death certificates for soldiers who died in hospital in France or Belgium are in series RG 35/45-69, arranged alphabetically. WO 35/69 lists men wounded or killed during the Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916. For the place of burial or memorial see the Debt of Honour. Also consult The War Graves Photographic Project which aims to provide images of the graves or memorial listings of every service casualty since the outbreak of the First World War.
If an officer was killed on service, look for his ‘Field Service Report’ which contains details of the officer’s regiment and the circumstances of his death. Wilfred Owen’s Field Service Report can be seen on the First World War Poetry Digital Archive. For details of a soldier’s death consult the ‘Soldiers Died in the Great War‘ publication. First published in 1921, the 81 volumes lists approximately 635,000 Soldiers and 37,000 Officers who died in WWI. The records also deal with Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force casualties. The publication may contain additional information to that on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Debt of Honour Register. The entire collection is published by The Naval & Military Press on CD-Rom and also available online. The paper and CD versions are available at The National Archives, Imperial War Museum, Society of Genealogists and specialist and local reference libraries. Also consult the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Debt of Honour Register for details of a death and also consider looking through local newspapers which often carried obituaries for those killed in action.
War Office Lists were compiled on a daily basis and printed weekly. The lists carry details of wounded and missing officers and other ranks as well details of those that died or were captured as prisoners of war. The lists are available from the British Library Newspaper Collections. The lists were also published by the Times newspaper which can be searched online at The Times Digital Archive, available at many libraries and by The Scotsman which can be searched at The Scotsman Digital Archive.
Service records for all ranks who served after 1920 remain with the Ministry of Defence with each military service maintaining its own record office. See the MOD detailed guide ‘Requests for personal data and service records: How to apply for access to personal data held by the Ministry of Defence’.
Also see
Army – Casualty Lists, Other Ranks before and after WWI
Army – Chaplain’s Returns, Regimental Registers and Service Departments Returns, Other Ranks & Officers
Debt of Honour Register – Commonwealth War Graves Commission
War Memorials, Graves & Rolls of Honour (Including Scotland)
Where Found
General Register Office for England and Wales (GRO holds certificates of births, marriages or deaths registered by the armed forces. The registers include deaths of serving personnel during The Boer War, 1899-1902; World War 1, 1914-1921; World War 2, 1939-1948. Also included are British Army Regimental records of births/baptisms, marriages, 1761-1924 and Chaplain returns consisting of Army chaplains’ records of baptisms, marriages and deaths, 1796-1880)
County Record Offices (Regional coverage. Find the details of a local UK archive from a searchable list of over 2,500 archives hosted by The National Archives)
Period Covered
1914 – 1921
Genealogical Value
- Name and country of birth.
- Age at death, date and place of death and cause of death.
- Rank and regiment of serviceman/woman.
Further References
General
- Annal, David & Collins, Audrey. Birth, Marriage and Death Records: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword Books, 2012
- Beckett, James Deuchar (ed). The Beckett Soldiers Index, A-C: Jade Publishing, 2003
- Beckett, James Deuchar (ed). The Beckett Soldiers Index, D-G Jade Publishing, 2009
- Beckett, James Deuchar (ed). The Beckett Soldiers Index, H-K: Jade Publishing, 2009 (Listing of soldiers from 1793 to about 1854 extracted from TNA series WO 120 and WO 116 and other sources such as marriage registers and medal awards. Arranged alphabetically by surname, forename and regiment including whether discharged at either Chelsea or Kilmainham Hospital. These published editions cover more ground than the Beckett Soldiers’ Index available at The National Archives)
- Bevan, Amanda. Tracing Your Ancestors in the National Archives: The National Archives, 2006
- Brereton, J.M. A Guide to the Regiments and Corps of the British Army: Bodley Head, 1985
- Blank, Dr. Stuart. Researching British Military History on the Internet: Alwyn Enterprises, 2007
- Cox. Reginald H. W. Military Badges of the British Empire 1914-18: Ernest Benn, 1982
- Farmer, John, The Regimental Records of the British Army: Grant Richards, 1901 (Free download available at the Internet Archive)
- Fowler, Simon. A Guide to Military History on the Internet: Pen & Sword, 2007
- Fowler, Simon. Tracing your Army Ancestors: Pen & Sword, 2006
- Fowler, Simon. Tracing Your Army Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword Books, 2013
- Gaylor, John. Military Badge Collecting: Pen & Sword Books, 2002
- Grehan, John & Mace, Martin. British Battles of the Crimean Wars 1854-1856: Pen & Sword Books, 2014
- Kitzmiller, John. In Search of the Forlorn Hope: A Comprehensive Guide to Locating British Regiments and Their Records, 1640-WWI: Manuscript Publishing Foundation, 1988
- Murphy, Gerry. Where Did That Regiment Go? The Lineage of British Infantry and Cavalry Regiments at a Glance: The History Press, 2009
- Paterson, Sarah. Tracing Your Family History, Army: Imperial War Museum, 2006
- Pols, Robert. Dating Old Army Photographs: Family History Partnership, 2011
- Saks, David. Boerejode: Jews in the Boer Armed Forces 1899-1902: 2010
- Spencer, William. Family History in the Wars: The National Archives, 2007
- Spencer, William. Army Records: A Guide For Family Historians: The National Archives, 2008
- Storey, Neil. Military Photographs and How to Date Them: Countryside Books, 2009
- Swinnerton, Iain, An Introduction to the British Army: Its History, Traditions and Records: FFHS, 1996
- Swinson, Arthur. A Register of the Regiments and Corps of the British Army: The Archive Press, 1972
- The Great War: A Photographic Narrative: Imperial War Museum: Jonathan Cape, 2013
- Usher, George. Dictionary of British Military History: A&C Black Publishers, 2006
- Watts, Michael and Watts, Christopher. My Ancestor was in the British Army: Society of Genealogists, 2009
- Westlake, Ray. The Territorials 1908-1914: A Guide for Military and Family Historians: Pen & Sword Books, 2011
WWI
- Banks, Arthur. A Military Atlas of The First World War: Pen & Sword Books, 2013
- Bridger, Geoff. The Great War Handbook: A Guide For Family Historians & Students Of The Conflict: Pen & Sword Books, 2013
- Christopher, John & McCutcheon, Campbell. 1914 the First World War in Old Photographs: Over by Christmas: Amberley Publishing, 2014
- Doyle, Peter & Foster Chris. British Army Cap Badges of the First World War: Shire Publications, 2010
- Doyle, Peter. Great War British Tommy Manual: The British Soldier 1914-18 [All Models]-Haynes Owners’ Workshop Manuals: Haynes, 2013
- Doyle, Peter & Foster Chris. Remembering Tommy: The British Soldier in the First World War: The History Press, 2013
- Doyle, Peter & Foster Chris. What Tommy Took to War, 1914-1918: Shire Publications, 2014
- Doyle, Peter. The First World War in 100 Objects: The History Press, 2014
- Forty, Simon. Mapping the First World War: Battlefields of the Great Conflict from Above: Anova Books, 2013
- Gregson, Keith. A Tommy in the Family: First World War Family History Tales and Research Tips: The History Press, 2014
- Holding, Norman, More Sources of WWI Army Ancestry: FFHS, 1998
- Holding, Norman & Swinnerton, Iain. WWI Army Ancestry: FFHS, 2004
- Holmes, Richard. Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front 1914-1918: Harper Perennial, 2005
- Holmes, Richard. Shots from the Front: The British Soldier 1914-18: HarperPress, 2010
- Holmes, Richard. The First World War in Photographs: Andre Deutsch, July 2014
- James, Brig. E. A. British Regiments 1914-18: Naval and Military Press, 2009
- Paterson, Sarah. Tracing Your Prisoner of War Ancestors: The First World War: Pen & Sword, 2012
- Rawson, Andrew. The British Army 1914-1918: The History Press, 2014
- Spencer, William. First World War Army Service Records: The National Archives, 2008
- Swinnerton, Iain. Identifying Your World War One Soldier from Badges and Photographs: Federation of Family History Societies, 2001
Websites
General
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/birth-marriage-death-armed-forces (The National Archives Research Guide: How to look for records of Births, marriages and deaths in the armed forces. This is a brief guide to help you with your research into a birth, marriage or death in the British Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Marines or Royal Navy)
www.gov.uk/research-family-history (Gov.uk: Research your family history using the General Register Office)
www.gov.uk/government/publications/events-recorded-in-england-wales-and-overseas (Gov.uk: Events recorded in England and Wales and overseas. This is a list of the types of events that are recorded in England, Wales and overseas for which the General Register Office holds records. It also gives the dates for which the records are held)
www.familyrelatives.com/articles/details.php?aid=46 (Family Relatives Article: British Overseas Records. Guide to overseas birth, marriage and death records including military and consular)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/?research-category=military-and-maritime (The National Archives Research Guides: Military and maritime)
www.ukmfh.org.uk (UK Military Family History Online: Links to web sites with online data and information to aid in military family history research)
www.armylists.org.uk (Guide to Army Lists and published lists available on CD)
www.parishchest.com (Online store selling military records from a variety of suppliers)
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterans-uk (Veterans UK. The organisation provides free support for veterans and their families, including a helpline, Veterans Welfare Service and injury/bereavement compensation scheme payments)
www.iwm.org.uk/research/tracing-your-family-history/tracing-your-army-history (Imperial War Museum Research Guide: Tracing Your Family History. Guides to help you start your research into your army family history explaining what records you will need and where to find them. Subject areas include: Service records; Casualty information; Medal records; Unit and operational histories)
www.militaryarchiveresearch.com (Military Archive Research, by Dr Stuart C Blank)
www.genuki.org.uk/big/MilitaryRecords (GENUKI Guide: UK and Ireland: Military Records)
www.genuki.org.uk/big/BritMilRecs (GENUKI: British Military Records by Jay Hall)
www.armymuseums.org.uk/museum-directory (The Army Museums Ogilby Trust: Museum Directory: Guide and links to military museums in the UK)
www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/research-guides (National Records of Scotland Research Guide: Military Records. This guide deals with the records held at National Records of Scotland relating to the military. The first part deals with army personnel records while the second part covers more general sources for military history)
WWI
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war (The National Archives: Online Exhibitions: First World War 100. Explore key aspects of the war through themes such as technology and the Middle East, special projects and partnerships)
www.longlongtrail.co.uk (The Long, Long Trail. The site is dedicated to helping you discover the British army and its soldiers of the First World War with sections packed with useful advice on Researching Soldiers, Researching the Army and Researching Battles)
www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918 (Long, Long Trail. The British infantry regiments of 1914-1918. This section of the Long, Long Trail will be helpful for anyone wishing to find out about the history of the battalions of the British infantry. The history and affiliations of every battalion of every British infantry regiment can be found on these pages)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war (The First World War – The National Archives: Web portal dedicated to WWI with collections featuring letters, diaries, podcasts and videos, maps and photographs. Also discover online collections, research guides and educational resources to learn about the history behind the war)
www.operationwardiary.org (Operation War Diary: Crowdsourcing partnership project between The National Archives, Imperial War Museums and Zooniverse which aims to unlock the details from within the WWI unit war diaries such as individual named individuals and place names)
https://blogs.bl.uk/european/world-war-one (British Library: Exploring Europe at the British Library: World War One)
https://blogs.bl.uk/untoldlives/world-war-one (British Library: Untold Lives Blog: World War One)
www.westernfrontassociation.com (The Western Front Association: The Association was formed with the aim of furthering interest in The Great War of 1914-1918 and to perpetuate the memory of all those on all sides who served during The Great War. The site includes a section on Pension Records with articles providing help and guidance for your research into The Great War)
https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk (Imperial War Museum: Lives of the First World War. Discover, Explore and Remember Millions of Personal Stories From The First World War. The project tells the stories of individuals from across Britain and the Commonwealth who served in uniform and worked on the home front. Each person remembered has Life Story page using a variety of sources. The digital project ran from 12 May 2014 to 19 March 2019)
https://maps.nls.uk/ww1/trenches (British First World War Trench Maps, 1915-1918 – National Library of Scotland. Maps of the Western Front in the Great War depicting British and German trenches. Users can browse individual sheets using a zoomable map or view zoomable overlays of each map on a modern Google or Bing map)
www.redcross.org.uk/About-us/Who-we-are/History-and-origin/First-World-War (British Red Cross: First World War Volunteers: Search over 90,000 people who volunteered for the British Red Cross at home and overseas during the war. Groups of volunteers were organised into Voluntary Aid Detachments)
www.everyoneremembered.org (Every One Remembered The Royal British Legion initiative allows members of the public to commemorate with a personal dedication every individual man and woman from across the Commonwealth who fell in the First World War)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Welsh Guards 1914-1918. These records contain 4,060 names of officers who served with the Welsh Guards, and nominal rolls of Warrant Officers and NCOs)
https://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk (TNA podcast: Tracing battalions or regiments of the British Army during the Great War)
https://war.web.ox.ac.uk/great-war-archive (Oxford University: The Great War Archive: WWI digital photographs, audio, film, documents, and stories submitted by the general public. The initiative was run by Oxford University between the 3rd March and the 30th June 2008. Users can share First World War objects on the The Great War Archive Flickr Group)
www.europeana.eu/portal/en/collections/world-war-I (Europeana 1914-1918. Explore the untold stories and official histories of World War I in items from across Europe including postcards, letters, diaries, images and other memorabilia)
www.pals.org.uk/research.htm (Guide to researching service records)
https://ww1-lost-photos.livejournal.com (Blog covering the WWI photographs of the unknown soldiers)
www.ww1photos.com (World War One Photos: Thousands of identified photos & obituaries of First World War officers, soldiers, sailors, nurses, airmen and civilian workers)
www.flickr.com/photos/imperialwarmuseum/sets/72157627910530369/with/6279131985 (IWM Collections: Faces of the First World War)
https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20190327132724/https://www.1914.org (Imperial War Museum First World War Centenary 1914-1918)
https://cymru1914.org/en/home (Cymru 1914. The Welsh Experience of the First World War. Online access to digitised primary sources relating to the First World War from the Libraries, Special Collections and Archives of Wales)
www.inflandersfields.be/en (In Flanders Fields Museum. The museum presents the story of the First World War in the West Flanders front region and is located in the famous Cloth Hall in the centre of Ypres)
www.stepshort.co.uk (Step Short: Folkestone Harbour Canteen Visitors’ Books: Online collection of 42,000 names of soldiers, nurses and other individuals who passed through the town of Folkestone on their way to the Western Front between 1914 and 1919)
www.ljmu.ac.uk/merseyside-at-war (Merseyside at War 1914-1918: Memories and memorabilia of people from Merseyside who lived, worked or fought during the World War 1 period. Items include letters, photographs, birth certificates and records, posters and medals)
www.findmypast.ie (Ireland’s Memorial Record: World War 1: 1914-1918: Online access to transcribed volumes of Ireland’s Memorial Records, created to preserve and commemorate the memory of the thousands of Irishmen who died during the war)
www.inflandersfields.be/en/kenniscentrum-e/namenlijst-e (Flanders Fields Museum: The Names List: Search an inclusive database of fatalities of the Great War of those who died or were mortally wounded in Belgium. The commemorative Names List includes civilian and military victims from all nations and from all sides of the war. The Names List includes the digitised Ireland’s Memorial Records which commemorates the memory of the thousands of Irishmen who died during the war)
http://imr.inflandersfields.be (Ireland’s Memorial Records: Online access to some 49,000 names extracted from Ireland’s Memorial Records published in 1923. The memorial book detailed those who died or were mortally wounded during WWI, both civilian and military. Correct details about their place of burial or commemoration have been added. You can search by name or military unit and by place of birth whether Ireland or UK)
Online Databases
Debt of Honour Register – Commonwealth War Graves Commission (The Debt of Honour Register records and commemorates the names of some 1.7 million men and women from all three services killed in the two world wars and others who died up to 31 December 1947)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Commonwealth War Graves Commission Debt Of Honour. Search the records to discover the final resting place of your military ancestors who died in the First and Second World Wars and covers cemeteries and memorials at 23,000 locations in more than 150 countries)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Wiltshire WW1 Hospital Records. Search admissions to the Old Sarum Isolation Hospital, the Harnham Red Cross Hospital at East Harnham and the Salisbury Infirmary on Fisherton Street. The records cover the army and royal air force as well as Australian and New Zealand Army Corps)
www.ancestry.co.uk (UK, Commonwealth War Graves, 1914-1921 and 1939-1947. This collection comprises cemetery and memorial registers from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission)
Ancestry
UK, WWI Hospital Registers, 1915-1919. This collection is an index of British hospital records which pertain to the First World War. Records are available from several types of medical facilities, including casualty clearing stations, field ambulances, ambulance trains, and hospital ships.
www.findmypast.co.uk (Royal Artillery Officer Deaths 1850-2011. Search through over a century of Royal Artillery records. The records include campaigns in Bosnia, Iraq and the First and Second World Wars. Discover your ancestor’s birth year, death date and obituary. The records include 27 Victoria Cross recipients)
Findmypast
British Armed Forces, First World War Soldiers’ Medical Records. This collection comprises The National Archives’ series, MH106, War Office: First World War Representative Medical Records of Servicemen. Only a sample of the medical records was retained.
www.findmypast.co.uk (Royal Artillery War Commemoration Book, 1914-1918. Explore more than 3,000 names of officers of the Royal Artillery who died during World War One. The images will show you the officer’s name, rank and death date)
The Genealogist
Search over 1.3 million records from daily and weekly First World War casualty lists from British and Commonwealth forces covering soldiers, sailors and airmen from all ranks. The collection covers both those who died of their wounds and those who recovered and returned to the front
The Genealogist
Casualty Lists, 1914-1919. The collection is a list of soldiers of all ranks who were reported as injured, missing or prisoners of war derived from the official War Office weekly casualty lists.
The Genealogist
Soldiers Who Died in the First World War. This record set covers over 650,000 individuals who died in the First World War. These records are uniquely linked to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to show you where your ancestor is commemorated.
www.forces-war-records.co.uk (Forces War Records: Military Hospitals Admissions and Discharge Registers WW1. The records are transcribed directly from the Military Hospital records in The National Archives collection reference MH 106)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Armed forces & conflict records, including Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 and War deaths from the Boer War, WWI and WW2)
www.gov.uk/probate-search (Find a Soldier’s Will: Search for the will of a soldier who died while serving in the British armed forces between 1850 and 1986. Final handwritten wills and last letters home were kept by troops in their pocket service books and tucked into their uniforms. The wills, owned by Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service, include 280,000 soldiers who died in the Great War. See website for progress on the project)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Trade Union Members, Service & Casualties 1914-1918: Details of men and women from 18 different unions who served as soldiers or nurses in the First World War. The documents include details about individual members such as payments made, benefits received, name of spouse and can include members who did not serve in the war)
www.nmarchive.com (Naval & Military Archive: Military Genealogy: Datasets include Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-1919)
www.familyrelatives.com (The Bond of Sacrifice – A Biographical Record of British Officers Who Fell in the Great War from August 1914 to June 1915)
www.familyrelatives.com (Officers Died in the Great War 1914-1919: Published in 1919 by HMSO and compiled in the Officers Casualties branch of the War Office from reports to the notice of the Military Secretary)
www.genesreunited.co.uk (WW1 death Records including Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-1919)
www.ancestry.co.uk (UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919)
www.ancestry.co.uk (Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929. This database contains records detailing the money owed to soldiers of the British Army who died in service from 1901 to 1929 and includes name of the soldier, his next of kin and their relationship. Produced in association with the National Army Museum)
www.forces-war-records.co.uk (Military Genealogy Forces War Records: Military records of over two million British Armed Forces personnel cross matched with over 4000 Regiments including Rolls of Honour, Crimean and Boer War Databases, Medal Rolls and Casualties Lists. The site also has a facility to access information on specific units or bases including regiments, ships, airfields)
www.ancestry.co.uk (UK, Foreign and Overseas Registers of British Subjects, 1627-1965. Collection of birth, baptism, marriage, death and burial records from a variety of sources including British consulates and embassies and British and Scottish churches abroad. The collection also includes a number of registers from India and also a significant number of records of deaths of British and allied servicemen in France and Belgium during the First World War)
https://soldiersofglos.com (Transcribed summary service details of officers and men who served with the 28th North Gloucestershire Regiment during the 19th Century or the Gloucestershire Regiment in WWI. Database courtesy of Mr. J. Devereux)
https://database.namenlijst.be/publicsearch (Flanders Fields Museum: The Name List: Search fatalities of the Great War who died or were mortally wounded in Belgium, both civilian and military and whatever their nationality. The list includes the digitised Ireland’s Memorial Records which commemorates the memory of the thousands of Irishmen who died during the war)
www.ancestry.co.uk (UK, World War II Allied Prisoners of War, 1939-1945. This collection contains information about the soldiers captured, where they were held and often, what happened to them)
CD Roms
S & N Genealogy Supplies (WWI Army Officer & Navy War Deaths)
Naval & Military Press (CDs include Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-1919 and the Army Roll of Honour. These sets contain a complete listing of British soldiers that died in the two World Wars)
Naval & Military Press (Officers Died in the Great War 1914-1919: This publication is arranged in two parts: Part I The Old and New Armies, Part II The Territorial Force. RFC officers, both Regular and Territorial, are included in Part I, but not RAF, which came into existence on 1st April 1918)
Naval & Military Press (CDs include The Official Boer War Casualty Rolls of The British & Empire Army 1899-1902)
Surrey History Trust (Surrey Recruitment Register, 1908-1933. details of about 85,000 men who signed up for service in Surrey between 1908 and 1933, including volunteers and conscripts in World War I)
www.officialhistoryofthegreatwar.co.uk (Official History of The Great War: A complete record of the war on the Western Front, 1914-1918)
