What this site does
This site teaches method. Each guide answers one question about one record type, gives a direct answer first, and points to the official holder for the current position on holdings, access and copies. RAF guides come first, Army second, Navy third, followed by war diary and medal method guides and by guides to free online records, archives and starting from almost nothing.
What this site does not do
This site does not offer a record lookup service, does not find any individual's records, does not identify living persons, and does not give personal professional advice. It does not publish determinations about any individual person. Where a guide describes a holder's process, you should approach the holder directly and follow its current guidance.
Deceased persons only
All guidance here concerns deceased persons. Records of living people are out of scope, and nothing on this site should be used to identify, contact or publish material about a living person. Family papers and photographs should be shared only with rights and privacy in mind, especially where living people appear.
Sources and independence
This site is not affiliated with The National Archives, the Ministry of Defence, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission or any service museum. Claims are kept general and are pointed at those official holders, so you can check the current position with the holder itself. Where a fact, fee, date or coverage claim cannot be checked against a primary official source, this site states the position generally or omits it.
How to follow updates
If you use a search engine that offers preferred sources, you can add this site to your preferred sources so its guides surface more readily in your own searches. That link is the site's only preferred sources prompt, and it appears here on the About page only.