Other useful sources
The National Archives (Formerly the Public Record Office) (www.nationarchives.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 (currently being
refurnished as part of the Museum of Somerset, and due to reopen in
Spring 2011). 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.
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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.
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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]