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. Where the service is unknown, do not guess it from a photograph or a badge. Test each service in turn, starting with the one the dates and the place suggest.
- 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
A name in a unit document proves presence only when name, rank, role and dates all match the person you are researching, not when the surname alone matches. If the record uses initials instead of full names, match on the full set of filters, not on initials plus surname, because initials alone match too many people.
When is a match safe to use?
A record set that covers only part of a period will always look like a gap at the edges. Check the coverage dates before you conclude anything is missing. A trail that depends on a single fragile link, one spelling, one initial, one date, will break. Strengthen the link with a second record before you build on it.
What does this section cover?
Prisoner of war research is a separate trail from ordinary service research, because captivity generated its own records: capture reports, camp records, liberation questionnaires and Red Cross material. The service record still anchors the timeline, but captivity has to be researched as its own period. 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, the International Committee of the Red Cross archives, and service museums. 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.
Going further in this section
If this guide answered the question you brought to it, the next guide should start from a new question, not from the momentum of this one. The next step is usually a record that answers one specific thing: a date, a unit, a place, or a name, rather than a whole new area of research. 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
This guide keeps its claims general and points to the official holders, so the holder itself is the place to check the current position. It is general educational information only, not personal professional advice, and it offers no record lookup service and no determination of any individual's service.