WW1 Army Records

[Charney Jo]

Hi

Please excuse my ignorance on this subject - I know nothing about it at all and thought it easier to just ask here than trawl the internet.

I know that ancestry has some WW1 Army records (service records, pension records and medal rolls index cards) but I was wondering whether there are any other records available anywhere else?

My FIL wanted to know about his father's war experiences as he told him very little. I have found his medal rolls index card and pension record but not his service record on ancestry. I do know that a lot of records were destroyed in WW2 but just wondered whether I might find anything else anywhere else?

Many thanks

[Janet in Yorkshire]

My advice would be - keep on looking, on Ancestry and elsewhere. Never, ever give up.

Many years ago, I had a researcher look at Kew for the service records of my half-uncle, who died in WW1. (We knew his name and regiment.) The search produced nothing, only mutterings about damage and loss in WW2. :(

Once things became available on line, I found him on CWGC and also on the medal roll. No service or pension record on Ancestry of course, I had been told it was damaged or destroyed, so no big deal.

Then one day, it suddenly appeared on Ancestry, or part of it ;D The images on either side of the ones for my man are for somebody with a completely different surname. So, it looks as if the ones I needed had been incorrectly filed, amongst someone else's papers.

Digital imaging and indexing is a wonderful thing and "praise be" for it.
I had waited over 20 years to find out about my half-uncle, but got there in the end.

Jay

[Little Nell]

Kew also have the war diaries for the regiments. So you can look there and also on the relevant regimental website for ideas about where the regiment was and what it was doing at various times, although its unlikely there would be mentions of individuals.

[Charney Jo]

Thanks both. Janet, I know not to ever give up - genealogy is a never-ending quest! Little Nell, thanks for the heads up about Kew. He would be interested in what his regiment were up to (I have googled but not found much) so I will follow that up when I get some time.

Many thanks!

[Night Owl]

Some of the War Diaries have been digitised and you can download them for £3.50. I managed to find some that I needed and they are packed with info (although as Little Nell said its mostly officers that get mentioned by name)

I had to try various keywords in the search to track down the right ones but you may be lucky

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[Charney Jo]

Oh, fingers crossed for me Jackie. Off to have a look ...

[Sue from Southend]

The service records so far on Ancestry are only for surnames beginning A-N. So if your gt grandfather's surname began with a later letter of the alphabet they may turn up one day!
I'm waiting for them to get to W!!