Nature of Source
Records relating to the retaining fee paid to officers, who up to 1871 were not entitled to a pension. Although the records do not provide much on the officer’s career, they do at least show the date he retired from the army and also state the officer’s location at the time the payments were made.
A potential source of regular army officer information can be found in the Graduation Lists which run from 1901 to 1914 which are available in the open reading room at The National Archives. These lists are similar in scope to the Army Lists.
A possible starting point for officer research pre-WWI is to consult the alphabetical card index of officers compiled by staff at The National Archives in the 1970s. The information was extracted from series WO 25 and WO 26 but unfortunately is not complete. WO 25 is also available as part of the Digital Microfilm Records. Officer commissions, promotions and discharges have also been published in the London Gazette since the early 18th century.
The key starting point for most army research is to determine which regiment the officer served with.
An officer’s name can also be found amongst the surviving documents found in series WO 27 covering the years from 1750 to 1914. The series contains regimental inspection returns and amongst other things shows the names of officers present providing his name, age and nationality. Another possibility for finding details of an officer (cavalry and infantry officers only) is to search the Service Returns found in series WO 25. These records consists of surveys of retired officers on full or half pay and were taken for various years from 1809 to 1873. Service returns for Engineers officers can be found in series WO 25 and WO 54 and for Artillery officers in series WO 54 and WO 76 (Records within WO 76 are available to download free of charge as part of the Digital Microfilm Records or online at Findmypast). The Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers published their own lists of officers and these are available at The National Archives and other local and reference libraries.
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’.
Where Found
The National Archives (WO 23-25, Royal Hospital Chelsea: Admission Books, Registers and Papers, 1702-1933; PMG 3-14, Army Establishment: Retired Full Pay and General Officers’ Pay and Allowances)
Regimental Museums (Some regimental museums may hold officer service records such as appointments, commissions and promotions. These records may deal with officer service before the War Office assumed responsibility for keeping and maintaining officer records towards the end of the 19th century)
National Army Museum/Templer Study Centre (The museum houses a wealth of information on the history and traditions of the Army including officer Army Lists, regimental and campaign histories, soldier’s effects records, military memoirs and diaries, regimental and other military periodicals and books and other archives relating to the pre-1914 Army. The museum also holds the enlistment and discharge books for the Buffs, the Middlesex Regiment, and the five Irish regiments disbanded in 1922. See the web site for details of their collections and a series of information sheets for researching army family history)
Period Covered
1713 – 1871
Genealogical Value
- Name, date and place of payments (address).
- Date of officer’s death.
Further References
General
- 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
https://web.archive.org/web/20160520024659/https://www.colonialwargaming.co.uk/Miscellany/Army/Commissions.htm (The Purchase of Officers’ Commissions in the British Army, by John Armatys & Robert George Cordery)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/british-army-officers-1913 (The National Archives: How to look for records of British Army officers up to 1913. This guide provides advice on searching for records of British Army officers who served up to 1913. It covers both commissioned officers and officers who were promoted through the ranks)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/?research-category=military-and-maritime (The National Archives Research Guides: Military and Maritime. Learn how to trace the voyages made by a merchant seaman, find a Royal Marine’s medal record or track the wartime history of an Army regiment)
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 (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)
Online Databases
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.findmypast.co.uk (British Army, List Of Half-Pay Officers 1714. Details of over 3,000 Officers from over 116 different regiments within the British Army. The index was created by Wienand Drenth)
www.findmypast.co.uk (British Army Service Records, 1760-1939. Search more than eight million British Army documents from eleven different series of records from The National Archives and the Scots Guards. Expect to find officers and other ranks in various Army forms including attestation papers, medical forms, discharge documents, pension claims, and proceedings of regimental boards. The records can tell you when your ancestor joined and left the army, as well as details about where he came from and his military service. The dataset includes records from series WO 23 which has records on pensions payable by the commissioners of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea. Also from service records in series WO 363 and pension records in WO 364. See website for all the available record series)
https://sandhurstcollection.co.uk (Records of the Royal Military Academy, 1741-1892. Search registers detailing the joining, leaving and commissioning of cadets from the Royal Military Academy Woolwich, the Royal Military College Sandhurst and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. The remainder of the registers list instructional and administrative staff, as well as civilian employees and servants)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Register of the Second Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902. The records contain over 258,800 names, including a completely revised casualty list of 59,000 casualty records)
www.ancestry.co.uk (Casualties of the Boer War, 1899-1902: The database lists the names, regiments, dates, locations and nature of casualty of all officers and men of the South African Field Force from the outbreak of war)
www.nmarchive.com (Naval & Military Archive: Military Genealogy: Boer War Casualties 1899-1902. This database lists the names, regiments, dates, locations and nature of casualty of all Officers and men of the South African Field Force and the Natal Field Force)
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)
www.casus-belli.co.uk (The Register of the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902: Database that lists men and women who served in the British Imperial Forces during the Anglo-Boer War. The register includes soldiers, sailors, nurses and civilians as well as a casualty roll. The data is compiled for sources such as Official Casualty Rolls, A Gazetteer of the Second Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902, Medal Rolls, Anglo-Boer War Memorials Project and Winifred Scott’s Anglo-Boer War Index. The Register will state whether the person listed has an entry in series WO 97 held at The National Archives. For a full list of sources see the website)
CD Roms
N/A
