This is a brief guide to researching records of nurses who served with the Royal Navy. These records are varied and can be complicated. While most of the relevant records can be found at The National Archives, some material is also held by the Ministry of Defence and the Red Cross.
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What do I need to know before I start?
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Try to find out:
- the name of the person
- the name of the nursing service
- a date range to help focus your search
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What records can I see online?
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There are no significant collections of Royal Naval nurses' records available online.
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What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?
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Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service records (1894-1929)
Browse registers of service in ADM 104 for a nurse in the Royal Navy.
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Campaign medals (1793-1949)
Consult the campaign medal and award rolls in ADM 171. You will need to know the campaign and the relevant nursing service to use these records. These do not usually contain biographical information.
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Recipients of the Royal Red Cross (1883-1994)
Consult the registers of the recipients of the Royal Red Cross in WO 145 to find a person who received this award.
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To access these records you will either need to visit us, commission research (£there will be a charge) or, where you can identify a specific record referencea unique set of letters and numbers identifying a document in The National Archives, order a copy (£there will be a charge).
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What records can I find in other archives and organisations?
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Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service (1929-present)
Visit the Veterans UK website for information about how to request a summary of a service recorda document recording the career of an individual in the armed forces from the Ministry of Defence. These are not available to members of the general public, though next of kin may request access to them.
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Voluntary Aid Detachment records (1914-1920, 1939-1945)
Contact the British Red Cross museum and archives for the service record of a person who served in a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) during the First or Second World War.
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What other resources will help me find information?
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Websites
Browse the Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service website for an overview of nursing services in the Royal Navy.
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Census
Royal Air Force nurses
British Army nurses