Other Research Sources
Research Guidance Notes
We hope that you will find these notes of use for your research into our Lancashire Lads.
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Official Service Records:
1. Surviving ‘Other Ranks’ service records for the period 1760-1913 (WO97 series) are held at The National Archives (TNA). These records are being digitised and released through www.findmypast.com.
2. For the service record of a soldier serving during the period 1914 and 1920 and Officers serving during the period 1914 up to and including 30 March 1922 please contact:
The National Archives (TNA), KEW, Richmond, SURREY, TW9 4DU. Tel: 020 8876 3444 www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ TNA provides access to an on-line catalogue of materials, various research guides and lists of independent researchers. TNA also offers a research service. All surviving First World War ‘Other Ranks’ service records are also being digitised by www.ancestry.co.uk.
3. For the service record of a soldier serving in or after 1921 and Officers serving on or after 31 March 1922 please contact:
The Army Personnel Centre, Disclosures 1 (MP520), Kentigern House, 65 Brown Street, Glasgow, G2 8EX. E-mail: apc-sp-disclosures1@mod.gov.uk. Tel: 0345 600 9663 (calls not being taken during the Covid-19 Pandemic). Service records are free to the serviceman in question and their widow but there is a charge of £30 for enquires from other family members and you will be required to fill in a Certificate of Kinship. If you are seeking your own service records please contact the APC via the Veterans Agency (please see link below).
The APC can also provide access to surviving Home Guard Service Records from the Second World War. These records contain very little information and the aforementioned charge applies. The application form(s) can be downloaded from the Veterans Agency website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterans-uk
Medal Entitlements:
1. Rolls for awards before 1924 are held by the National Archives. The most comprehensive list of soldiers who served overseas during the First World War is the Medal Index Cards (MiC). The MiC’s can be downloaded from the National Archives website at: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/british-army-medal-index-cards-1914-1920/ MiC’s can also be downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk. On the latter website both sides of the MiC’s have been filmed and are reproduced in colour.
2. For medal entitlement after 1924, apply to:
MOD Medal Office, Room G36, Innsworth House, Imjin Barracks, Gloucester, GL3 1HW
Tel: 0800 085 3600.
Please contact the office directly for their latest guidelines on applying for un-issued medals and replacement medals.
Details of awards for gallantry during the twentieth century can be found on line at www.london-gazette.co.uk
Soldiers Killed during the First or Second World Wars:
For grave location and information on unit and date of death please contact:
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), 2 Marlow Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 7DX, UK. Tel: 01628 634221. A searchable database is available at: http://www.cwgc.org
The CWGC maintains records of burials and commemorations of Commonwealth war dead in over 170 countries. The CWGC’s website includes a magnificent search engine which lists all the 1.7 million men and women from the British Commonwealth who died in the two World Wars. If you are researching someone who died on active service, this is the best place to start.
Links (The following are some useful websites):
www.theogilbymuster.com This site holds archival material found in the Regimental and Corps Museums of the British Army. This includes photographs, documents, maps, audio and visual footage. Any purchases from the platform directly contribute to the sustainability of the Regimental Museums and enables The Ogilby Muster to continue its work in adding new material as well as sustaining the platform for future generations. The Museums and TOM appreciate each and every contribution that is made.
www.armymuseums.org.uk Army Museums Ogilby Trust. This site provides contact details for each Regimental and Corps Museum in the UK.
www.1914-1918.net/ The Story of the British Army of 1914 – 1918, also known as the Long Long Trail. This is a very useful site to gain a greater understanding of the ordinary experiences of a Tommy.
www.army.mod.uk/ The British Army site. This is useful to discover the activities of the British army today.
www.icrc.org International Committee of the Red Cross. The ICRC provides an on-line search facility to discover if records pertaining to a PoW are held by the organisation for which there may be a charge.
www.cofepow.org.uk Children of Far East Prisoners of War is a group dedicated to the perpetuation of the memory of the men who experienced captivity in the hands of the Japanese during the Second World War.
www.omrs.org.uk Orders and medal research site. This site is useful for general information regarding orders and medals.
www.victoriacross.org.uk This is a very useful site for information regarding the evolution of the Victoria Cross medal.
www.britishmedalforum.com. This is an excellent website for any queries regarding medals of any type or period. It also has links to sites where you can try and search for missing medals from your group(s), search for Silver War Badges and Next-of-Kin Memorial Plaques (First World War)
https://www.gov.uk/search-armed-forces-memorial-roll-of-honour The Roll of Honour provides information relating to members of the Armed Forces who have died in service since the end of the Second World War.
