![]() The Regiment has served in every major conflict and many minor ones since it raised. The Coldstream Guards are the oldest regiment in the British Army in continuous active service, the regiment’s origins date back to the English Civil War. It comprises of many different regimental history records including Discharge Books, Courts Martial Book, Decorations and Rewards and Officers' Statements of Services. Additional regimental records in this collection have been provided by the Scots Guards, held at their regimental headquarters in Wellington Barracks, London.Ĭoldstream Guards 1800-1947 This set has been made available by The Coldstream Guards Charitable Fund. What survived was eventually moved to The National Archives and subsequently microfilmed. Thousands of British Army records, especially from the First World War, were destroyed during the Second World War in September 1940 when enemy bombs hit the War Office Record Office, located on Arnside Street. The War Office was the precursor of today's Ministry of Defence. The records comprise soldiers' attestation and discharge papers and form part of the War Office (WO) series of records now held at The National Archives in Kew. Most documents prior to 1914 come from individual regiments. The British Army did not have a central record keeping system until the First World War. In-pensioners must surrender their pension to the hospital, be aged 65 or older (this was raised from 55), be able to live independently, and not have any dependents such as a spouse or children. Women were first admitted to the Royal Chelsea Hospital in 2009. A pensioner is either an ‘in-pensioner’, meaning that he or she resides at Royal Chelsea Hospital, or an ‘out-pensioner’ if he or she lives in a private residence. The hospital first opened in 1682 for retired soldiers. Many of the records in this collection were composed by the Royal Chelsea Hospital for pensions. Knowledge of your ancestor’s rank will help you with your search for military records. Non-commissioned officers, or other ranks, include privates, lance corporals and sergeants. The sale of commissions could lead to incompetent leadership, which became clear during the Crimean War and the ill-fated ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’. Until 1871, commissions (up to the rank of colonel) were purchased. ![]() Commissioned officers include the ranks of general, brigadier, colonel, major, captain, and lieutenant. The British Army service records include the names of both officers and other ranks. In addition, the doctor's notes of a medical report about a musician from Roden Hill, Marton, Buckinghamshire, claim that the man ‘walks with a marked limp which in my opinion is greatly exaggerated’. In the records, we discover that Reuben Booth (service number 29821) from the 10th Battalion suffered from trench foot and dental caries, but the doctor's notes state: ‘This man refuses dental treatment’. Some of the medical reports found on attestation forms reveal how tough conditions could be for the men and how they reacted to these conditions. The records found in this collection come from both The National Archives and the Scots Guards. This search covers all available papers for each soldier. This, together with other papers found in soldiers’ files, can help piece together a very detailed picture of an individual. The attestation form was completed when the soldier joined the regiment and was updated throughout his military career. The collection includes a myriad of Army forms including attestation papers, medical forms, discharge documents, pension claims, and proceedings of regimental boards. There are more than 8 million records available. Physical description (including any distinctive markings)įindmypast’s British Army service records is one of the most significant British Army collections available online. Use the previous and next arrows on the images to view more pages. The accompanying images may include additional information about your ancestor. Series – this gives you further clues to the context of the records for example, the series WO 97 is titled Chelsea pensioners British Army service records 1760-1913, which explains that these are pension records from 1760-1913. In the transcripts, you may find a combination of the following items:ĭeath date – if the individual died during service Some of the First World War service papers in series WO 363 were damaged during the Second World War therefore, the information gathered from these forms can be limited. The amount of detail in each transcript can vary depending on when the record was created and the purpose of the record, such as whether it was created for pension purposes or new recruits. ![]() Each record comprises a transcript, and most include several black and white images (ranging from 1-100) of the records of your ancestors who served as officers and other ranks in the British Army.
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