What does this section cover?
Army research starts by separating two questions: which regiment or corps, and which dates. The regiment gives you the unit trail, the dates give you the holder, and until both are fixed, searching by surname alone will mix together people who share a name and nothing else. This section is organised as one pillar guide plus supporting guides that each answer one question about the same record type. Read the pillar first for the shape of the records, then follow the supporting guides for the detail that matches your case.
The records in this section are held principally by The National Archives and the Ministry of Defence, and holdings change as transfer and digitisation programmes proceed, so check the holder current guidance for the exact position.
Starting here, in order
If you hold only a place, start with the records for that place, not with a surname search across the whole country. Place is a filter, and a strong one. Do not let a familiar surname carry the search. In a large record set, a familiar surname is the weakest filter you have.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fix the person first: name, number, service and dates. |
| 2 | Fix the unit or ship, where the record allows it. |
| 3 | Open the record for those dates only, and note the reference. |
| 4 | Add dated facts only to the timeline, each with its source note. |
The organisation behind these records
A name entered in a different hand, or in different ink, may have been added later, for a later purpose. Ask when an entry was made, not only what it says. A date written in one format on one sheet and another format on the next is the same date wearing two formats. Convert carefully, and keep the original.
When is a match safe to use?
A trail that depends on a single fragile link, one spelling, one initial, one date, will break. Strengthen the link with a second record before you build on it. A transcription error can hide the right entry completely, because you search for the correct spelling and the index holds the wrong one. Try variants deliberately.
Where do you go next in this section?
Ask what single fact would most strengthen the weakest link in the timeline, and let that fact choose the next record. The next record in the chain is usually the one for the same dates in a different record set, not the next date in the same record set. When the trail goes cold, note where, and when, it went cold. That note is the starting point of the next session, not a reason to stop.
Primary sources for this guide
This guide keeps its claims general and points to the official holders, so the holder itself is the place to check the current position. It is general educational information only, not personal professional advice, and it offers no record lookup service and no determination of any individual's service.