My Ancestor was in the British Army: How can I find out more about him?

Michael J Watts & Christopher T Watts. Published by the Society of Genealogy

Contents:

• Book Summary
• Who will this book benefit
• Summary of chapters

Book Summary

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Some of the book is dated, such as references to St Catherine's House, but it is easy to cross link this information to the PRO. In addition the section on Soldiers Died Book Database is of course now replaced by the Computerised Database. Having said that the remainder of  the data is excellent. Appendix 2 is a wonderful resource as it provides an index of which Regimental Records you can actually find at PRO and their reference. The reference work through uses real examples with 3 soldiers of Private Rank and two with Commissioned Officer Rank. Regiments and Corps used in the example are 6th Foot Royal West Kent Regiment Northumberland Fusiliers Army Service Corps Royal Army Nursing Corps The book offers a step by step guide on how to research army records, and with the detail provided in the appendices you can substitute any regiment in the worked examples. So if you have this action in your list of things to do you need this book.

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Who is this book aimed at

This book will benefit those researchers trying to trace ancestors who served in the British Army (which included soldiers who enlisted in Ireland up to 1922)

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Summary of chapters

This is a description of the major chapters

1. Officers prior to 1914
   1. Army Lists
   2. Returns of Service
   3. Purchase of Commissions
   4. Commander-in-Chief's Memoranda Papers
   5. Half Pay Ledgers and Lists
   6. Widows Pensions and Pensions to Wounded Officers
   7. Other Record Sources for Officers
2. Other Ranks prior to 1914
   1. Finding the Regiment using Non Army Sources
      1. Civil Registration
      2. Census Returns
      3. Regimental Registers
      4. Chaplains Returns
      5. Medals & Names of Battles
      6. Miscellaneous
3. Finding the Regiment using Army Sources
4. Army Sources
   1. Soldiers Documents
   2. Muster Books & Pay Lists
      1. 1760-1877
      2. 1878-1898
   3. Description Books
   4. Hospital Records
   5. prize Records
   6. Deserters
   7. Courts Martial
   8. Artillery
   9. Engineers
   10. Other Corps
   11. Militia
   12. Volunteers & Auxiliary Forces
5. Other Sources prior to 1914
   1. Army Indexes
   2. Waterloo Committee
   3. Army Museums
   4. Medals and the Army Medal Office
   5. Vital Records
   6. Archives & Sources Abroad
   7. London Gazette
   8. Indian Armies
   9. Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research
   10. Miscellany
6. World War 1 Records
   1. Army Records Centre
   2. Commonwealth War Graves Commission
   3. Index to War Deaths at St Catherine's House (PRO)
   4. Soldiers who died in the Great War
   5. Imperial War Museum
   6. Other sources for World War 1
7. Appendix 1 British Army Campaigns & Medals 1660-1902
8. Appendix 2 List of Regiments & their records

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Reviewed by Don Dickson LAST UPDATED 21 April 2008
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