Official holders used across this site
- The National Archives: official archive holdings and research guides.
- Discovery catalogue: the catalogue of what The National Archives holds, with references and digitisation status.
- Ministry of Defence: holder of more recent service records and of disclosure guidance for deceased persons.
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission: commemoration records for those it commemorates.
- The Gazette: the official public record for awards, commissions and notices.
- RAF Museum: RAF history, collections and research context.
- National Army Museum: Army history, collections and research context.
- National Museum of the Royal Navy: naval history, collections and research context.
- Imperial War Museums: collections, histories and research context across the services.
- Royal Museums Greenwich: maritime history and merchant navy context.
How sources are used in guides
Each guide carries a source box naming the holders relevant to its record type. Guides keep claims general where holder guidance changes by date or series, and they do not present a secondary summary as if it were the holder's own rule. Commercial genealogy sites are treated as indexes and finding aids, not as authorities on holdings.