Filed under MOD Records for Deceased Persons: A Method Guide
What should you look for first?
Next of kin has a specific meaning in disclosure rules, and it affects what can be released and to whom. The holder's guidance defines the term for its own process, so check that definition before assuming a family relationship qualifies.
The strongest clue is often the least glamorous: a number, a date, a place. Glamorous clues, badges and stories, point in many directions at once. If a search starves you of results, drop one filter, not all of them. Dropping everything at once teaches you nothing about which filter was wrong.
Working through it in order
Start from the reference, not from the search box: know which record you are about to open, and why, before you open it. Do the unglamorous steps first. Fixing names, numbers and dates feels slow, and it is what makes every later step possible. As you work, note the reference of every record you open, and keep a separate note of anything you expected to find but did not.
- Fix the service, the dates, and the branch of service from what you already know.
- Check the holder current guidance for proof of death and next of kin requirements for your case.
- Prepare the identifying details the holder asks for, name, number, unit and dates, before making any request.
- Note what is released and what is withheld, and keep the holder reply with the record.
How to read this kind of entry
What looks like a sudden posting, promotion or move often has its explanation in a correction, a marginal note, or an entry on the next sheet. A summary written later is a different kind of evidence from a record written at the time, and the two should never be quoted as if they were one document.
A record that contradicts a family story is not necessarily wrong, and a story that contradicts a record is not necessarily false. Note both, and let dated entries decide, one at a time. When two sheets give different dates for the same event, note both, check which sheet was written first, and let the earlier sheet carry the timeline, with a note of the disagreement.
Common traps in this record type
The most common reason a search fails is a date filter that is too tight. Widen the range by a year on each side before you conclude anything is missing. If the same name keeps appearing in the wrong unit, the problem is usually a filter, not a missing record: widen the dates, or narrow by number, and try again.
- A record that transferred to another holder.
- A proof of death question for the case in hand.
- A next of kin question for the case in hand.
- An officer file held on a different route from an other ranks file.
The next record in the chain
Note the reference of this record before you leave it. A timeline without references cannot be revisited, and a revisit is where most errors get caught. If you have reached the end of what this record type can show, say so in your notes, and name the record type that takes over from here. A single well-checked fact is worth a page of plausible narrative. Prefer the fact, and let the narrative wait for more facts.
Primary sources for this guide
Claims in this guide are kept general and point to official holders, so you can check the current position with the holder itself. This guide is general educational information only. It is not personal professional advice, it does not offer a record lookup service, and it does not determine any individual's service.