Research guides

• First World War – an overview
  Recommended guide
  Keywords: first world warwarsworld war one
• Military and maritime records: an overview
  Recommended guide
  Keywords: merchant navymilitarywars
• Second World War – an overview
  Recommended guide
  Keywords: nazi germanysecond world warwarsworld war two
• Abbreviations in Merchant Navy records
  Keywords: merchant navynavy
• Armed forces records held by other archives
  Keywords: armybritish armyrafroyal air forceroyal navysoldierwars
• Army regiments
  Keywords: armybritish armyregiments and corps
• Births, marriages and deaths at sea or abroad
  Keywords: birthscoloniesdeathsmarriagesmerchant navyshipping
• Births, marriages and deaths in the armed forces
  Keywords: armybirthsbritish armydeathsmarriagesnavyrafroyal air forceroyal marinesroyal navy
• Board of Ordnance
  Keywords: armybritish armyordnance (military supplies)
• Bomb Census survey 1940-1945
  Keywords: air raidsbomb censuscasualties of wardatasetssecond world warstatisticssurveysworld war two
• British and Commonwealth prisoners of the First World War and previous wars
  Keywords: first world warpowsprisoners of warworld war one
• British and Commonwealth prisoners of the Second World War and the Korean War
  Keywords: korean warpowsprisoners of warsecond world warsecond world war personnelworld war two
• Available on:
  
  British Army casualty lists 1939-1945
  Keywords: armybritish armydeathsdigitised recordsonline collectionssecond world warsoldierworld war two All records viewable online
• British Army medal index cards 1914-1920
  Keywords: digitised recordsonline collections All records viewable online
• British Army muster rolls and pay lists c.1730-1898
  Keywords: armybritish armymuster rollsregiments and corpssoldier
• British Army nurses
  Keywords: armybritish armynurseswomen's military service
• British Army nurses’ service records 1914-1918
  Keywords: digitised recordsonline collections All records viewable online
• British Army officers in service after 1918
  Keywords: armybritish armysecond world warsecond world war personnelsoldierworld war two
• British Army officers of the First World War
  Keywords: armybritish armyfirst world warmedalsofficers (army)soldierworld war one
• British Army officers up to 1913
  Keywords: armyawardsbritish armymedalsofficers (army)soldier
• British Army operations after 1945
  Keywords: armybritish armykorean warregiments and corpswar diaries
• British Army operations in the First World War
  Keywords: armybritish armyfirst world warregiments and corpswar diariesworld war one
• British Army operations in the Second World War
  Keywords: armybritish armyregiments and corpssecond world warwar diariesworld war two
• British Army operations up to 1913
  Keywords: armyboer warbritish armycrimean warnapoleonic warsregiments and corps
• British Army soldiers in service after 1945
  Keywords: armybritish armysoldier
• British Army soldiers of the First World War
  Keywords: armybritish armyfirst world warnon-commissioned officersoldierworld war one
• British Army soldiers of the Second World War
  Keywords: armybritish armysecond world warsecond world war personnelsoldierworld war two
• British Army soldiers up to 1913
  Keywords: armybritish armypensionssoldier
• British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force disability and dependents’ pensions from the First World War
  Keywords: armybritish armydisability pensionsfirst world warpensionsrafroyal air forceroyal navyworld war one
• British military campaign and service medals
  Keywords: armyawardsbritish armycampaign medalsmedalsofficers (army)
• British military gallantry medals
  Keywords: armyawardsbritish armygallantry medalshonoursmedals
• Coastguard stations and administration
  Keywords: coastguardcustoms (tax)shipping
• Conscientious objectors
  Keywords: conscientious objectorsfirst world warsecond world warworld war oneworld war two
• Courts martial and desertion in the British Army 17th-20th centuries
  Keywords: armybritish armycourts martialdeserters (armed forces)first world warsecond world warsoldierworld war oneworld war two
• Crimean War – an overview
  Keywords: crimean warwars
• Deaths in the First and Second World Wars
  Keywords: casualties of wardeathsfirst world warsecond world warworld war oneworld war two
• Environmental pollution and damage
  Keywords: contaminated landenvironmental pollutionlandland ownershippollution
• Fleet Air Arm personnel
  Keywords: fleet air armnavyroyal navysecond world war personnel
• French muster rolls from the Battle of Trafalgar 1805
  Keywords: digitised recordshigh court of admiraltyonline collectionstrafalgar (battle of) All records viewable online
• German Foreign Ministry and Italian documents 1867-1945 captured by the British
  Keywords: german foreign ministrynazi germanysecond world warworld war two
• High Court of Admiralty
  Keywords: admiraltycoloniescourts of lawhigh court of admiraltyshippingtrials
• Home Guard personnel
  Keywords: home fronthome guardsecond world warworld war two
• Household Cavalry soldiers’ service records 1799-1920
  Keywords: digitised recordsonline collections All records viewable online
• Indian Army personnel
  Keywords: armyfirst world warindian armysecond world warworld war oneworld war two
• Intelligence and security services
  Keywords: espionageintelligence and security servicesmi5 and mi6security servicesspecial operations executive
• Internees
  Keywords: aliens (foreign nationals)first world warimmigrationinterneesmigrationpowsprisoners of warsecond world warworld war oneworld war two
• Land and property requisitioned for war in the 20th century
  Keywords: first world warlandland ownershiprequisitioned landsecond world warworld war oneworld war two
• Maritime history records held by other archives
  Keywords: merchant navynavyroyal navyshipping
• Medieval and early modern soldiers
  Keywords: armybritish armyearly modern periodmedieval periodofficers (army)soldier
• Merchant Navy medals and honours
  Keywords: awardscampaign medalsgallantry medalshonoursmedalsmerchant navy
• Merchant Navy officers
  Keywords: crew listsmerchant navyofficers merchant navy
• Merchant Navy seamen in service before 1914
  Keywords: apprenticeshipcrew listsmerchant navy
• Merchant Navy seamen in service since 1918
  Keywords: crew listsmerchant navysecond world warsecond world war personnelworld war two
• Merchant Navy seamen of the First World War
  Keywords: apprenticeshipcrew listsfirst world warmerchant navyworld war one
• Merchant Navy ships wrecked or sunk
  Keywords: first world warmerchant navynavysecond world warshippingworld war oneworld war two
• Merchant Navy ships’ records: movement cards 1939-1945
  Keywords: digitised recordsmerchant navyonline collectionssecond world warshippingworld war two All records viewable online
• Merchant Navy ships’ records: registration of merchant ships
  Keywords: merchant navynavyshipping
• Merchant Navy ships’ records: crew lists, musters and log books
  Keywords: crew listslog books (ships)merchant navyshipping
• Merchant trade records: port books 1565-1799
  Keywords: customs (tax)merchant navyport bookstaxation
• Military maps of the First World War
  Keywords: first world warmapsworld war one
• Military maps of the Second World War
  Keywords: mapssecond world warworld war two
• Military nursing
  Keywords: armybritish armynavynursesrafroyal air forceroyal navywomen's military service
• Militia
  Keywords: armybritish armymedalsmilitiapensionssoldiervolunteer soldiers
• Napoleonic wars and the war of 1812 – an overview
  Keywords: napoleonic warswars
• Ordnance Survey
  Keywords: mapsordnance survey
• Photographs
  Keywords: photographs
• Prisoners of war in British hands
  Keywords: boer warcrimean warfirst world warpowsprisoners of warsecond world warworld war oneworld war two
• Research and development in the British Army
  Keywords: armybritish armyordnance (military supplies)
• Research and development in the Royal Air Force and civil aviation
  Keywords: air transportaviationcivil aviationrafroyal air force
• Research and development in the Royal Navy
  Keywords: navyordnance (military supplies)royal navyshipping
• Royal Air Force nurses
  Keywords: nursesrafroyal air forcesecond world war personnelwomen's military service
• Royal Air Force operations
  Keywords: combat reports (raf)first world warrafroyal air forceroyal flying corpsroyal naval air servicesecond world warsquadrons (royal air force)world war oneworld war two
• Royal Air Force personnel
  Keywords: campaign medalscourts martialpowsprisoners of warrafroyal air forcesecond world war personnel
• Royal Air Force squadrons
  Keywords: rafroyal air forcesquadrons (royal air force)
• Royal Flying Corps airmen
  Keywords: royal flying corps
• Royal Flying Corps officers
  Keywords: officers (air forces)royal flying corps
• Royal Marines officers
  Keywords: first world warofficers (royal marines)royal marinesworld war one
• Royal Marines other ranks
  Keywords: first world warroyal marinesworld war one
• Royal Naval Air Service officers
  Keywords: first world warofficers (air forces)royal naval air serviceworld war one
• Royal Naval Air Service ratings
  Keywords: first world warroyal naval air serviceworld war one
• Royal Naval correspondence using the ADM 12 indexes and digests
  Keywords: admiraltyroyal navyshipping
• Royal Naval Division personnel
  Keywords: first world warroyal naval divisionroyal navyworld war one
• Royal Naval dockyard staff
  Keywords: dockyardnavyroyal navy
• Royal Naval Reserve personnel
  Keywords: first world warnavyroyal naval reservesecond world war personnelworld war one
• Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel
  Keywords: first world warnavyroyal naval volunteer reserveworld war one
• Royal Navy commissioned and warrant officers
  Keywords: courts martialnavyofficers (royal navy)royal navy
• Royal Navy commissioned and warrant officers’ pensions
  Keywords: first world warnavyofficers (royal navy)pensionsroyal navyworld war one
• Royal Navy nurses and medical officers
  Keywords: navynursesroyal navysecond world war personnelwomen's military service
• Royal Navy operations and correspondence 1660-1914
  Keywords: admiraltynavyroyal navy
• Royal Navy operations and policy after 1945
  Keywords: admiraltyfleet air armnavyroyal navy
• Royal Navy operations in the First World War
  Keywords: admiraltyfirst world warnavyroyal navyworld war one
• Royal Navy operations in the Second World War
  Keywords: admiraltynavyroyal navysecond world warworld war two
• Royal Navy ratings enlisted after 1918
  Keywords: campaign medalsmedalsnavyroyal navysecond world warworld war two
• Royal Navy ratings of the First World War
  Keywords: first world warmedalsnavyroyal navyworld war one
• Royal Navy ratings up to 1913
  Keywords: medalsnavyroyal navy
• Royal Navy ratings’ pensions 17th-20th centuries
  Keywords: first world warnavypensionsroyal navyworld war one
• Royal Navy ships of exploration logs and journals 1757-1904
  Keywords: admiraltydigitised recordslog books (ships)navyonline collectionsroyal navyshipping All records viewable online
• Royal Navy ships wrecked or sunk
  Keywords: first world warnavyroyal navysecond world warshippingworld war oneworld war two
• Royal Navy ships’ log books
  Keywords: admiraltylog books (ships)navyroyal navyshipping
• Sea charts
  Keywords: admiraltycharts (maps)maps
• Soldiers in African forces under British control
  Keywords: africanarmybritish armybritish empirecolonieswars
• The South African War, 1899-1902 (or Second Boer War) – an overview
  Keywords: boer warsouth african warwars
• Volunteers and Territorials
  Keywords: armybritish armyhome frontmilitiaofficers (army)regiments and corpssoldierterritorial armyvolunteer soldiers
• War crimes 1939-1945
  Keywords: control commissionnazi germanynuremberg trialssecond world warwar crimesworld war two
• Wills of Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel 1786-1882
  Keywords: digitised recordsonline collections All records viewable online
• Women in the British Army
  Keywords: armybritish armyfirst world warsoldierwomen's military serviceworld war one
• Women’s Land Army
  Keywords: home frontland girlssecond world warsecond world war personnelwomen's land armyworld war two
• Women’s Royal Air Force personnel
  Keywords: first world warrafroyal air forcesecond world war personnelwomen's military serviceworld war one
• Women’s Royal Naval Service personnel
  Keywords: first world warroyal navywomen's military serviceworld war one