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Find My Past Blog - Behind the scenes: the Chelsea Pensioners records with Paul Nixon

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  • Find My Past Blog - Behind the scenes: the Chelsea Pensioners records with Paul Nixon

    I joined findmypast.co.uk in August after seven years in India managing a team of software engineers. That’s probably about as far detached from family history as it gets. On the other hand, I have over 25 years’ experience researching British military history and have a number of military-related blogs including one on army service numbers between 1881 and 1918, a subject very close to my heart.

    Paul Nixon with son Tauran


    Findmypast.co.uk’s publication of the Chelsea Pensioners British Army Service Records (WO97) opens up a vast new range of military records dating from 1760 to 1913. What’s more, the records are in excellent condition and have been scanned in colour, which really makes them come alive.

    The beauty of the WO97 series is that the records encompass many different numbering systems. My own data has focused on the numbering system introduced in 1881 as part of Cardwell’s reforms, but WO97 goes back a full 120 years before this, enabling today’s patient historian to really study British military history in depth. In terms of military campaigns, in this series alone you’ll find records of men who fought at Waterloo alongside those who fought the rebels in the Indian Mutiny; Egypt and Sudan campaign veterans, Boer War veterans; in fact records of ordinary soldiers who took part in virtually every British military campaign between 1760 and 1913.

    I list below sample records for the 1st and 2nd (regular) battalions of The King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment). The regiment was formed on 1 July 1881 from the 4th (King’s Own Royal) Regiment of Foot and was established as the newly formed regiment for North Lancashire. It started numbering from 1 in July 1881.

    Use the information below to narrow down the date on which your ancestor joined this regiment. For instance, if he had the number 444, and was soldiering with the King’s Own in the late 19th Century, he must have joined between 2nd June 1883 and 21st March 1884.

    A word of warning, however. Numbering in the British Army is far from a simple matter and regiments could and did start new number series for other battalions - or indeed the same battalions - within the regiment. For instance, by 1908, the King’s Own had five battalions and the number 444 had already been used four times, once for the 1st and 2nd Battalions, once for the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion, and once each for the 4th and 5th Territorial battalions.

    The King’s Own - Regular enlistments 1881-1913

    10 joined on 9 July 1881
    271 joined on 16 December 1882
    397 joined on 2 June 1883
    599 joined on 21 March 1884
    1012 joined on 12 March 1885
    1632 joined on 22 July 1886
    1923 joined on 1 January 1887
    2300 joined on 19 January 1888
    2561 joined on 15 January 1889
    2981 joined on 11 June 1890
    3244 joined on 24 June 1891
    3506 joined on 31 January 1892
    4061 joined on 24 July 1893
    4317 joined on 17 February 1894
    4650 joined on 12 January 1895
    5019 joined on 29 January 1896
    5311 joined on 3 May 1897
    5671 joined on 14 April 1898
    5923 joined on 24 March 1899
    6288 joined on 2 April 1900

    The 1st Volunteer Battalion, The King’s Own, sent over 150 of its volunteers to South Africa to serve with the 2nd Battalion. Such was the number of men wishing to serve with the Volunteers that a 2nd Volunteer Battalion was formed and its headquarters was set up at Lancaster. Those volunteers who made it to South Africa fought in several actions and guarded prisoners at Ladysmith.

    Numbers within the range to 7200 to 7352 were issued to men serving in the 1st VSC. Numbers 7353 to 7448 were issued to men serving with the 2nd VSC. Numbers 7449 to 7468 were issued to men serving with the 3rd VSC and - as stated on the QSA medal roll - the Volunteer Service Section.

    6665 joined on 4 January 1901
    7003 joined on 17 February 1902
    7652 joined on 5 January 1903
    8079 joined on 11 January 1904
    8489 joined on 9 January 1905
    8847 joined on 9 March 1906
    9134 joined on 1 January 1907
    9800 joined on 20 August 1908
    10076 joined on 21 April 1909
    10178 joined on 14 February 1910
    10439 joined on 20 April 1911
    10649 joined on 3 May 1912
    10836 joined on 3 January 1913

    I hope you enjoy searching findmypast.co.uk’s Chelsea Pensioners collection for your military ancestors.



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