Nature of Source
Records relating to the time in service of a rating. The registers are arranged by division and then by service number.
For research purposes it is important to know the Division the man served in and it is highly probable that he belonged to the Division nearest his home. From 1884 all men, including those already serving, were issued with a unique number in his Division. Each division was split into numbered companies and if the company is known it is possible to establish the man’s division from the table in Garth Thomas’ Records of the Royal Marines. Otherwise see the TNA Research Guide How to Find a Royal Marine’s Division for guidance on establishing the rating’s division.
A marine’s service number can be found in the indexes in series ADM 313 at The National Archives. Some Marine records can be found in Royal Navy series ADM 29, indexed via the TNA Discovery catalogue. First click on ‘Advanced search’ and then type in the name being searched. Then under ‘Search within’ select ‘Enter a reference’ and type ‘ADM 29’. Those pensioned can be found in the Soldiers Documents in series WO 97.
The Royal Marines (officially known as The Corps of Royal Marines) was established in 1755 as part of the Royal Navy but continued to use army ranks and uniforms. Their origins date back to 1664 to the Second Anglo-Dutch War. They were composed of divisions with depots at Portsmouth, Plymouth, Chatham and from 1805 to 1869 at Woolwich. In 1923 the Royal Marine Artillery (formed 1859) and the Royal Marine Light Infantry or R.M.L.I. (formed 1855) merged to form the Royal Marine Corps with bulk of men serving with the R.M.L.I. until the merger.
Service records for all ranks who served after 1920 remain with the Ministry of Defence with each military service maintaining its own record office. The Veterans UK web site provides contact details of where to apply for service records for each of the services.
Where Found
The National Archives (ADM 159, Registers of Service; ADM 313, Indexes to Registers of Service and Attestation Forms. The records of ADM 159 are available at TNA Online Collections, for details see below)
Royal Marines Museum (Marine Officer Lists, Army Lists, Navy lists, diaries, letters, Marine journals such as ‘The Globe and the Laurel’ which contains officer and other rank obituaries and Marine histories. A card index to these obituaries is available)
Fleet Air Arm Museum (Royal Navy & Royal Marines Service Documents)
Period Covered
1842 – 1936
Genealogical Value
- Name, date and place of birth, religion, occupation, next of kin and date and place of enlistment.
- Career of rating including conduct, promotions, medals awarded and ships served on.
Further References
- Bevan, Amanda. Tracing Your Ancestors in the National Archives: The National Archives, 2006
- Blank, Dr. Stuart. Researching British Military History on the Internet: Alwyn Enterprises, 2007
- Brooks, Richard & Little, Matthew. Tracing Your Royal Marine Ancestors: Pen and Sword Books, 2008
- Buckland, Christopher. (ed). Waterloo Medal Roll: Naval & Military Press, 2001 (Complete list of recipients of the Waterloo Medal, issued to all who took part in the battle)
- Cock, Randolph & Rodger N.A.M. A Guide to the Naval Records in The National Archives of the UK: Institute of Historical Research, 2006
- Divall, Ken. My Ancestor was a Royal Marine: Society of Genealogists, 2008
- Fenton, Roy & Briody, Nuala & Macdonald, Mike. Maritime Information : A Guide to Libraries and Sources of Information in the United Kingdom: Maritime Information Association, 2004
- Fowler, Simon. A Guide to Military History on the Internet: Pen & Sword, 2007
- Fowler, Simon. Tracing Your First World War Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword, 2013
- Garth, Thomas. Records of the Royal Marines: Public Record Office, 1994
- Pappalardo, Bruno. Tracing Your Naval Ancestors: PRO, 2003
- Rodger, N.A.M. Naval Records for Genealogists: PRO, 1998
- Spencer, William. Family History in the Wars: TNA, 2007
- Storey, Neil. Military Photographs and How to Date Them: Countryside Books, 2009
- Tracing Your Family History. Royal Navy: Imperial War Museum, 2006
- Usher, George. Dictionary of British Military History: A&C Black Publishers, 2006
Websites
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)
RM Historical
History of the Royal Marines 1837-1914, by HE Blumberg. The guide details the development, operations and experiences of the Royal Marines from the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign through to the eve of the First World War.
www.glosgen.co.uk/records/romarine.htm (Gloucestershire Genealogy: Royal Marines in the 19th Century)
www.glosgen.co.uk/families/ajrecord.htm (Gloucestershire Genealogy: Royal Marine Service Record)
www.newroyalmarinesmuseum.co.uk (Royal Marines Museum: collections depicts the history of the Royal Marines from 1664 to the present day through a unique collection of artefacts, pictures and documents, personal accounts, letters and diaries, training manuals, maps, posters and sound recordings)
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.rmg.co.uk/research-collections/research-guides (National Maritime Museum Research Guides The Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum has produced a range of research guides on the Royal Navy to help people carry out their own research)
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.militaryarchiveresearch.com (Military Archive Research, by Dr Stuart C Blank)
www.militaryarchiveresearch.com/RMServiceRecords.htm (Royal Marines Service Records, by Dr Stuart Blank)
www.bl.uk/collection-guides/uk-national-government-publications (British Library Guide: Service lists for the Army, Navy and Air Force)
www.naval-history.net (Information on battles, actions, medals, convoys, warships, merchant ships and ship losses, including photos of lost soldiers)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nelson (Online exhibition to commemorate Battle of Trafalgar in 1805)
Online Databases
TNA Online Collections (Royal Marines Service Records: Service records of those who joined the Royal Marines, 1842-1936 taken from series ADM 159. TNA Online Collections is produced by The National Archives and contains online access to indexes, transcriptions and digital images of some of the TNA’s most important holdings. Searches are free but a fee is levied for each downloaded item. However downloads are free if used at TNA or the Society of Genealogists)
www.findmypast.co.uk (British Royal Navy & Royal Marines Service and Pension Records, 1704-1919. The dataset consists of an assortment of documents kept by the Greenwich Hospital and the Royal Hospital Chelsea to record the details of Greenwich Pensioners)
www.forces-war-records.co.uk (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 (The Jack Clegg Memorial Database of WW1 Campaign Medals to the Royal Marines 1914-1920; Royal Marine Medal Roll 1914-1920)
CD Roms
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)
Manchester and Lancashire FHS (Oldham Chronicle Index of Service Personnel 1914-1919: Details of service personnel mentioned in the Saturday editions of the Oldham Chronicle1914 to the end of December 1919)
