The organisation behind these records
Do not assume a modern map, a modern rank table, or a modern unit list applies to a record from another decade. Check the period source for the period entry. The order of sheets in a file is not always the order of events. Rebuild the date order yourself, and do not trust filing order to do it for you.
When is a match safe to use?
If a family paper and an official record cannot both be right, keep both, date both, and look for a third record. A third record breaks ties that argument cannot. If a unit record is missing for the exact week you need, the neighbouring weeks, and the higher formation record for that week, may still fix place and date.
What does this section cover?
Discovery is a catalogue, not a record collection in itself. It tells you what The National Archives holds, where a record sits, and whether a digital copy exists, and searching it well is a skill separate from reading the records it points to. 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.
For this section, the principal holders are The National Archives. Because transfer and digitisation programmes proceed over time, the statements here describe the general position, and the holder guidance gives the exact one.
Starting here, in order
Ask what the record was made for. A record made to pay, post, or commemorate a person answers different questions from a record made to tell a story. Initials are a filter, not an identity. A search on initials plus surname will match strangers, and a search that ignores initials will miss the right person.
| 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. |
What to read next here
A session that ends with three referenced facts and one named next step has succeeded, even if the story feels shorter than you hoped. From here, the productive move is usually sideways, into a different record set for the same dates, rather than forwards into the next date. Keep the person, the number and the dates together, and the rest of the chain follows.
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.