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IntroductionYou can search and download selected volumes of soldiers’ service records from the Royal Hospital Chelsea. This is the main series of service documents of soldiers (but not officers) who became either in- or out-pensioners of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The attestation and discharge documents within it constitute the most detailed record of a soldier’s service. Searching the recordsYou can search by:
What’s available?The volumes available on DocumentsOnline are: WO 97/6347, WO 97/6354, WO 97/6360, WO 97/6361, WO 97/6364, WO 97/6366, WO 97/6367, WO 97/6373, WO 97/6375, WO 97/6378, WO 97/6379 and WO 97/6380. Most of these volumes date from the period 1843 - 1899, although volumes WO 97/6347 and WO 97/6354 cover the period 1900 - 1913. Some of these later files also include an image of the death certificate, obtained from the General Register Office for administrative purposes. What will the records tell me?The records usually give particulars of age, birthplace, service (including any decorations), physical description, previous occupation on enlistment and the reason for discharge to pension. Documents after 1883 usually contain fuller particulars, such as next of kin and details of marriage and children. Why can't I find an entry?The series generally doesn't contain the records of soldiers who died in service or who took an early discharge and never received a pension. Those service records would not have survived because they were not required for pension purposes. The records available on DocumentsOnline are only a small proportion of the records within the WO 97 series. There are further soldiers’ service records from the Royal Hospital Chelsea which you can order or view in other ways. Please refer to the Catalogue for up-to-date information on viewing other records from WO 97. Further researchLearn more about Chelsea Pensioners on the Royal Hospital Chelsea website. Research guidesBritish Army: Soldiers’ pension records, 1702-1913 British Army: Useful Sources for Tracing Soldiers BooksMy Ancestor Was In The British Army, Michael J Watts & Christopher T Watts , Society of Genealogists, 2009. Army Records, William Spencer, The National Archives, 2008. Tracing Your Army Ancestors, Simon Fowler, Pen and Sword, 2006. |
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