War Service

It is a sad fact that it is easier to trace details of a person who died during war service than one who survived. Wolverhampton Archives & Local Studies has produced a leaflet to help in tracing details of soldiers who served in World War I.
Click here to see a copy.

For details of the circumstances surrounding the death of your army ancestor or to gain more of an insight into the events in which a particular battalion played a part, a battalion's war diary can be invaluable. From 1907 units of battalion size on active service had to keep a daily record of events. Often written under difficult circumstances, the information included varies widely but can include a graphic description of events. Officers are often mentioned by name but it is rare to find details of other ranks. For more information, see the Public Record Office's guide to war diaries.

Lists of those who were killed

The General Register Office Overseas indexes include details of deaths during the Boer War, World War I and World War II. Details given in the indexes include name, rank, number, unit and year of death.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains the graves and memorials commemorating the 1,700,000 men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died in the two World Wars. The Commission's cemetery registers often give the address, next of kin and location of the grave, if known. This information is available online in a searchable Debt of Honour register.

Wolverhampton Archives & Local Studies has the Roll of Remembrance for the Borough of Wolverhampton 1914-1918.

The Roll of Rememberance.

Medal entitlement

People who served overseas in the armed forces during wartime will have been entitled to receive a campaign medal. They may also have received gallantry awards or mentions in despatches and tracing records of these can give a fascinating insight into your ancestor's war service. Indexes to medal recipients (after 1914) are held at the Public Record Office and there are various guides available to the different types of medals. Before 1914, there are no indexes. Instead, records are usually arranged by regiment/battalion (army) or by ship (Royal Navy), then by rank, then name.

Awards notifications are usually "gazetted" (published in the
London Gazette). Sometimes actual citations are published as well, particularly in the period up to the First World War. There can often be a long delay between the award of a medal and the publication of the award in the London Gazette.

Service records

Most of the Service records for soldiers who served in the army during World War I were destroyed by bomb damage during World War II. The surviving 'burnt documents' are in the process of being transferred from the Ministry of Defence to the Public Record Office and microfilmed. This is being done in random letter blocks over several years and there is a list of available records if you Click here.

A Public Record Office leaflet on First World War Soldiers' Papers gives background information on the records. Supplementary records exist for Officers and are available at the Public Record Office. Records for service personnel in the Second World War are still confidential and are held at the Ministry of Defence.