Starting here, in order
A record set arranged by unit will not yield to a surname search, and a record set arranged by date will not yield to a unit search. Learn the arrangement first. If the first search returns a crowd of same-name results, narrow by dates before you narrow by anything else: dates cut a crowd faster than spellings do.
- Start with the person: name, number, service, dates.
- Settle the unit or ship from the record, where it allows that.
- Read the record for those dates, and note its reference as you go.
- Let only dated, sourced facts into the timeline.
The organisation behind these records
When a file is thin, read it twice: once for what it says, and once for what kind of file it is. A thin file read as a thick one will be over-interpreted. Read the entry in the terms of its own period, not in modern terms.
When is a match safe to use?
The common dead ends here are a shared name, a variant spelling, a thin record for the dates you need, and a unit that cannot be fixed from the clues available. A photograph, a medal, or a story that points to a unit the records do not support is a prompt for one more check, not evidence that the records are wrong.
What does this section cover?
Navy research is ship research as well as person research. A service record gives ratings, ships and dates, and each ship then has its own log and history, so a Navy timeline is really two timelines that have to be matched date by date. 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.
Holding for this section sits principally with The National Archives and the Ministry of Defence. Transfer and digitisation programmes move holdings over time, so the holder current guidance is the place to check the exact position.
Going further in this section
Where the next step involves a different holder, take the reference with you. A holder approached without a reference can only offer general guidance. Let the question this record raised choose the next record. A record opened out of curiosity, rather than out of a question, rarely advances a timeline. Work from the record, not from the story, and let the timeline stay shorter than the story for as long as it needs to.
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.