This is an introductory guide to records of deaths of British and Commonwealth servicemen and women and also, to a lesser extent, civilians who died in the First and Second World Wars. This guide will help you to find out if the information you are looking for exists and, if it does, whether it is held at The National Archives or in other archives.
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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 approximate date of death
- the branch of the armed forces and the unit, if applicable
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What records can I see online?
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Army Roll of Honour (1939-1945)
Search the Army Roll of Honour for details of British Army casualties in the Second World War (WO 304) on findmypast (£).
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Indexes to deaths in the armed forces (1796-2005)
Search indexes to registers of deaths in the armed forces on findmypast (£). The death certificates themselves can be obtained from the General Register Office.
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French and Belgian death certificates for British military personnel (1914-1919)
Search for French and Belgian death certificates for British and Commonwealth soldiers and airmen who died outside the immediate war zone (RG 35/45-69) on BMD Registers (£). They are written in French or Flemish.
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Maritime war deaths (1794-1964)
Search selected maritime war deaths (£There may be a charge for accessing this information. Searching indexes may be free.) on findmypast.co.uk by name. The online collection includes records series BT 334 which cover First and Second World war and ADM 242, ADM 184/43-54 and CUST 67/74 which cover the First World War period.
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What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?
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Registers of naval personnel killed and wounded (1914-1929)
Consult the registers of Royal Navy personnel killed and wounded 1914-1929 in ADM 104/145-149. Indexes are available on microfilm in ADM 104/140-143.
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Lists and registers of deaths in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines (1914-1920)
Consult the war graves rolls in ADM 242/7-10 for officers and ratings who died during the First World War. Details include the ship's name, the cause of death and next of kin.
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Enquiries into missing naval personnel (1939-1945)
Search by name, or ship name, the Admiralty Casualty Branch's enquiries into missing personnel during the Second World War (ADM 358).
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Lists of air casualties (1918)
Look in the lists of air casualties and related correspondence in AIR 1/860/204/5/423.
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What records can I find in other archives and organisations?
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Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service casualty cards
Visit the RAF Museum for incomplete records of casualties mainly from Britain or the Western Front. Details include the cause of death or injury, type of aircraft involved, and sometimes next of kin.
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Records held locally
Search the Access to Archives (A2A) and National Register of Archives (NRA) databases to find records held in local archives.
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What other resources will help me find information?
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Books
Read Cross of Sacrifice by S and B Jarvis (1993) for an alphabetical record of officers who died serving in British, Commonwealth and colonial regiments and corps, in all services.
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Websites
Search the Debt of Honour Register (1914-1921 and 1939-1947) on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for a record of civilian and armed services' war dead.
Consult Soldiers Died in the Great War (1914-1919) on findmypast (£There may be a charge for accessing this information. Searching indexes may be free.) for records of officers and other ranks killed in the First World War.
Search Marquis de Ruvigny's Roll of Honour (1914-1918) for biographies of Army, Air Force and Navy personnel killed in the First World War on findmypast (£There may be a charge for accessing this information. Searching indexes may be free.).
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Births, marriages and deaths in the armed forces
Births, marriages and deaths at sea or abroad
Births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales