All guides
240 guides in 20 topic sections, all published 31 October 2026.
RAF Service Records (13)
- RAF Service Records: A Method Guide
- How Do I Find an RAF Service Record?
- What Does an RAF Service Number Tell You?
- Which Dates Decide Where an RAF Record Is Held?
- How Do I Research an RAF Officer?
- How Do I Research RAF Other Ranks?
- How Do I Research WAAF Service?
- What About RAF Reserve and Auxiliary Service?
- Why Are There Gaps in an RAF Service Record?
- How Do I Read RAF Discharge Papers?
- How Do RAF Casualty Records Fit the Service Record?
- Can I Get a Copy of an RAF Service Record?
- What If No RAF Service Record Turns Up?
RAF Squadrons and Operations (12)
- RAF Squadrons and Operations Records: A Method Guide
- What Is an RAF Operations Record Book?
- How Do I Identify the Right RAF Squadron?
- How Do I Track a Squadron Move?
- Aircrew or Ground Crew: Why Does It Matter?
- How Do I Read an RAF Operation Entry?
- What Do RAF Station Records Add?
- How Reliable Are Published Squadron Histories?
- What If a Squadron Was Disbanded or Renumbered?
- How Do I Use Squadron Photographs as Evidence?
- How Do I Research a Squadron Loss?
- In What Order Should I Research a Squadron?
RAF People, Trades and Ranks (11)
- RAF People, Trades and Ranks: A Method Guide
- How Do RAF Ranks Work in Records?
- What Do RAF Trade Titles Mean?
- Why Did a Trade or Mustering Change?
- Which RAF Ground Trades Leave the Best Trail?
- What Were the Main RAF Aircrew Roles?
- Which Trades Did Women Serve In?
- How Do I Track a Promotion?
- What Do RAF Record Abbreviations Mean?
- Personal File or Unit Record: Which First?
- How Do I Research RAF Training?
Army Service Records (13)
- Army Service Records: A Method Guide
- How Do I Find an Army Service Record?
- What Does an Army Service Number Tell You?
- Regiment or Corps: What Is the Difference?
- How Do I Research an Army Officer?
- How Do I Research Army Other Ranks?
- How Do I Research ATS Service?
- Which Dates Decide Where an Army Record Is Held?
- How Do I Read Army Discharge Papers?
- What If No Army Service Record Turns Up?
- Can I Get a Copy of an Army Service Record?
- How Do Army Casualty Records Fit?
- How Do I Follow an Army Transfer?
Army Regiments and Corps (12)
- Army Regiments and Corps: A Method Guide
- How Do I Identify the Right Regiment?
- What Is a Battalion, and Why Does It Matter?
- What Happens When Regiments Amalgamate?
- How Do Corps Records Differ?
- What Can a Regimental Museum Add?
- How Reliable Are Regimental Histories?
- What About Territorial Army Units?
- How Do I Track a Unit Move?
- Can a Unit Nickname Identify a Regiment?
- What Does Home Service Mean in Records?
- In What Order Should I Research a Unit?
Army War Diaries Method (12)
- Army War Diaries: A Method Guide
- What Is an Army War Diary?
- How Do I Find the Right War Diary?
- How Do I Read a War Diary Entry?
- Will a War Diary Name My Ancestor?
- What Are War Diary Appendices and Maps?
- Why Are There Gaps in a War Diary?
- When Should I Use Brigade or Division Diaries?
- How Do I Handle Place Names in War Diaries?
- How Do I Read a Casualty Entry in a War Diary?
- War Diary or Service Record: Which Proves Presence?
- In What Order Should I Use War Diaries?
Navy Service Records (13)
- Royal Navy Service Records: A Method Guide
- How Do I Find a Royal Navy Service Record?
- What Does a Navy Service Number Tell You?
- What Does a Naval Rating Mean?
- How Do I Research a Naval Officer?
- How Do I Research a Naval Rating?
- How Do I Research WRNS Service?
- Which Dates Decide Where a Navy Record Is Held?
- How Do I Read Navy Discharge Papers?
- What If No Navy Service Record Turns Up?
- Can I Get a Copy of a Navy Service Record?
- What Is a Shore Establishment in a Record?
- How Do Navy Casualty Records Fit?
Navy Ships and Logs (12)
- Navy Ships and Logs: A Method Guide
- What Is a Ship's Log?
- How Do I Find a Ship's Log?
- How Do I Read a Ship's Log Entry?
- How Do I Track a Ship's Movements?
- What If a Ship's Name Was Reused?
- What Are Naval Action Reports?
- How Do I Use Ship Photographs as Evidence?
- How Do I Research a Ship's Loss?
- Will a Ship's Papers Name My Ancestor?
- Ship Log or Service Record: Which Proves Presence?
- In What Order Should I Research a Ship?
Medals Method (13)
- Medals: A Method Guide
- What Is a Medal Roll?
- What Is a Medal Index Card?
- How Do I Find a Medal Roll Entry?
- What Do Campaign Medals Show?
- What Does a Medal Clasp Mean?
- How Do I Read Medal Ribbons in a Photograph?
- What If a Medal Was Never Claimed or Issued?
- What Does Engraving on a Medal Tell You?
- Can a Medal Be Forfeited or Returned?
- How Do I Test a Family Medal Story?
- In What Order Should I Research Medals?
- Medal Roll or Service Record: Which Comes First?
Gallantry and Citations Method (11)
- Gallantry Awards and Citations: A Method Guide
- Where Is a Gallantry Award Published?
- What Is a Citation?
- How Do I Find a Citation?
- Gallantry Award or Campaign Medal: What Is the Difference?
- What Does Mentioned in Despatches Mean?
- Why Do Citations Name Rank and Unit?
- How Do I Test a Gallantry Family Story?
- How Do Gallantry Award Levels Differ?
- What Does a Posthumous Award Mean in Records?
- In What Order Should I Research an Award?
Free Online Records: Myth Setting (12)
- What Is Really Free Online? A Method Guide
- Free or Paid: How Do I Tell?
- What Can I See Free at The National Archives?
- Free Index, Paid Copy: What Is the Difference?
- Are War Graves Records Free Online?
- Is The Gazette Free Online?
- What Do Service Museums Offer Free Online?
- Are Commercial Genealogy Sites Free?
- What If a Record Is Not Digitised at All?
- What Are the Common Free Online Myths?
- How Do I Plan Research Around Free Sources?
- Are Free Online Transcriptions Reliable?
The National Archives and Discovery (12)
- The National Archives and Discovery: A Method Guide
- How Do I Search Discovery?
- What Does a Discovery Reference Mean?
- How Do I Tell If a Record Is Digitised?
- What Is a Record Series?
- How Do I Use TNA Research Guides?
- How Do I Handle Name Variants in Discovery?
- What Should I Know Before Visiting The National Archives?
- How Do Copy Orders Work?
- What Does a Closed Record Mean?
- Why Not Just Use a Web Search Instead of Discovery?
- In What Order Should I Use Discovery?
MOD Disclosure for Deceased Persons (11)
- MOD Records for Deceased Persons: A Method Guide
- Which Records Does the MOD Hold?
- Why Might the MOD Ask for Proof of Death?
- What Does Next of Kin Mean for MOD Requests?
- How Does an MOD Request Work in General?
- What Might Be Released, and What Might Not?
- How Long Might an MOD Request Take?
- What If the MOD Does Not Hold the Record?
- Do Officer and Other Ranks Requests Differ?
- How Is Privacy Handled for Deceased Persons?
- What Should I Do With a Released Record?
War Graves and Memorials (12)
- War Graves and Memorials: A Method Guide
- How Do I Search Commonwealth War Graves Records?
- How Do I Read a CWGC Entry?
- Cemetery or Memorial: What Is the Difference?
- What If There Is No Known Grave?
- How Do Local War Memorials Fit?
- What If a Memorial Spelling Differs?
- CWGC Entry or Service Record: Which Proves Service?
- How Reliable Are Family Details on a CWGC Entry?
- How Do I Use CWGC Cemetery Photographs?
- In What Order Should I Research a Commemoration?
- What If a Person Is Not Listed by the CWGC?
Prisoners of War Records (11)
- Prisoners of War Records: A Method Guide
- How Do I Find a Capture Record?
- What Do Prisoner Camp Records Show?
- What Is a Liberation Questionnaire?
- What Can Red Cross Records Add?
- Missing or Captured: How Do Records Distinguish Them?
- How Do I Research an Escape?
- How Do I Research a Death in Captivity?
- How Do Prisoner Letters Fit the Record?
- Why Are There Gaps in Prisoner Records?
- In What Order Should I Research Captivity?
Home Front and Auxiliary Services (12)
- Home Front and Auxiliary Services: A Method Guide
- How Do I Research Home Guard Service?
- How Do I Research ATS Home Service?
- What Records Cover Civil Defence?
- Home Front Role or Armed Forces: How Do I Tell?
- Which Home Front Roles Did Women Fill?
- Why Do Local Archives Matter for Home Service?
- Did Home Service Earn Medals?
- How Do I Use Home Front Photographs?
- Why Are Home Front Records Patchy?
- In What Order Should I Research Home Service?
- How Do I Research Life After Home Service?
Merchant Navy Records (11)
- Merchant Navy Records: A Method Guide
- How Do I Find a Merchant Seaman's Record?
- What Is a Discharge Book?
- What Is a Crew Agreement?
- How Do I Track a Merchant Ship?
- How Do I Research a Merchant Ship Loss?
- Merchant Navy or Royal Navy: How Do I Tell?
- What Do Merchant Navy Ratings Mean?
- Why Are There Gaps in Merchant Records?
- How Do I Use Merchant Ship Photographs?
- In What Order Should I Research Merchant Service?
Photographs and Personal Papers (12)
- Photographs and Personal Papers: A Method Guide
- How Do I Date a Military Photograph?
- What Can a Uniform Tell Me?
- Can a Cap Badge Identify a Unit?
- How Do I Use Personal Letters as Evidence?
- How Do I Use a Personal Diary?
- How Should I Preserve Family Papers?
- How Do I Identify People in a Photograph?
- Personal Papers or Official Records: Which Wins?
- Can I Share or Publish a Family Photograph?
- Should I Donate Papers to an Archive or Museum?
- In What Order Should I Use Personal Papers?
Reading a Service Record (13)
- Reading a Service Record: A Method Guide
- What Forms Make Up a Service Record?
- How Do I Put a Service Record in Date Order?
- How Do I Decode Service Record Abbreviations?
- What Do Crossings Out and Corrections Mean?
- How Do I Read Medical Entries?
- How Do I Read Disciplinary Entries?
- What Do Pay Entries Tell Me?
- What Do Next of Kin Entries Show?
- How Do I Handle Missing Sheets?
- Should I Transcribe a Service Record?
- When the Record Contradicts the Family Story?
- How Do I Write a Summary From a Service Record?
Starting From Almost Nothing (12)
- Starting From Almost Nothing: A Method Guide
- How Do I Start With Only a Name?
- How Do I Start With Only a Photograph?
- How Do I Start With Only a Medal?
- How Do I Start With Only a Place?
- How Do I Research a Very Common Name?
- How Do I Handle Spelling Variants?
- What If I Have No Hint About the Service?
- How Do I Test a Family Story First?
- How Do I Build a First Timeline?
- What Are the First Dead Ends to Expect?
- What Is the Single Best Next Step?