The organisation behind these records
If you cannot read a word, mark it unread rather than guessing it. A guessed word, once written into a timeline, is very hard to dislodge. Cross-references inside a file, see another sheet, another number, another unit, are the file telling you where its own gaps are filled. Follow them.
When is a match safe to use?
A record destroyed, a record never created, and a record held elsewhere look identical from a search screen. The catalogue description is what tells them apart. A unit, ship or camp that cannot be fixed from the clues available is a reason to gather one more clue, not a reason to guess the most likely candidate.
What does this section cover?
A ship's log is a ship's diary, kept for navigation, discipline and events, and it is catalogued by ship and date, not by sailor. It becomes personal evidence only when the service record puts your person on that ship on those dates. 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 National Museum of the Royal Navy. Holdings change as transfer and digitisation programmes proceed, so the holder and coverage statements in each guide describe the general position and point you to the holder's current guidance for the exact position.
Starting here, in order
Whatever else you hold, hold the dates lightly until a record confirms them. Family dates are often a decade out, a year out, or attached to the wrong event. Write down what you know, what you suspect, and what you do not know, in three separate lists, and keep them apart until a record joins them.
| 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
Move from personal records to unit records, or from unit records back to personal ones, deliberately. Each direction answers a different kind of question. Work the chain one link at a time. A timeline built link by link can be checked; a timeline built by jumping to the most interesting record cannot. Trust the process: fix the person, date the entries, note the references, and let the timeline assemble itself link by link.
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.