Family Tree Forum - Military and Maritime

Military and Maritime
Military and Maritime History
Most researchers will have at least one relation who served on land or sea, in peace or war.

Our military and maritime history pages have a wealth of links to resources which describe wars throughout history and information on how to obtain records of service.

FTF Guide: Military Research A detailed overview of where to look for records.

FTF Guide: Maritime History The central page for maritime information.

FTF Guide: Military History The central page for military information.

The Royal Navy, The British Army and the The Royal Air Force each have their own dedicated page. There are separate pages for World War One and World War Two.

Resources for the Allied Forces can be found on the page for each nation:

Australia
Canada
India
New Zealand
United States of America

In addition, there is a page dedicated to those who lost their lives in the service of their country on War Memorials

You may also find these editions of the Family Tree Forum Online Magazine to be useful in your research:

FTF Online Magazine November 2007
FTF Online Magazine November 2008
World War One Centenary

'The day the lights went out in Europe'

Events, research projects and commemorative ceremonies will be taking place between 2014 and 2018, marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War, and many of them have dedicated websites.
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WW1 Roll of Honour

Tower of London Remembers : 5 August - 11 November 2014

A commemoration of the ...

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Military Research

This page will give you guidance as to where you can look for the service records of your ancestors.

While military records are increasingly being made available online and some have been filmed by the LDS, the major repository for the majority of records remains the National Archives.

Their research guides provide an overview of the availability of records for all services. Books, websites and museums can provide more detail. The following describes the main sources for research but is not exhaustive.
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Maritime History

The term sailor is commonly used to describe any man who went to sea, whether in the Royal Navy, Merchant Navy, Coastguards, Lifeboat Service, fishing fleet or as a pilot, privateer or a single boatman. If a man went to sea he was a sailor.

The term mariner can be synonymous with sailor but is more likely to mean that the man was concerned with the navigation of the vessel. Master mariners were those skilled in navigation. A Master Mariner would probably have a Mate or Master's ticket and be on the Seaman's Register at the National Archives. Mariners would come under the umbrella heading of the Merchant Navy. ...

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Military History

This page gives an overview of resources available online for conflicts throughout history and around the world.

For resources available for sailors and mariners, please see our FTF Guide: Maritime History.

For more specific advice on tracing the service records for your ancestors who served on land, at sea and in the air, please see our FTF Guide: Military Research.

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The British Army

This page gathers together resources specific to the British Army and its associated branches.

For more detailed advice on tracing the service records for your ancestors who served in the Army, please see our FTF Guide: Military Research.

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The Royal Navy

This page gathers together resources specific to the Royal Navy, its history and its associated branches.

For more detailed advice on tracing the service records for your ancestors who served in the RN, please see our FTF Guide: Military Research.
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The Royal Air Force

This page gathers together resources specific to the Royal Air Force and its associated branches.

For more detailed advice on tracing the service records for your ancestors who served in the RAF, please see our FTF Guide: Military Research.

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World War One

On this page, we have gathered together general resources available online for the First World War (1914-1918) for all branches of the armed and civilian services.
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World War Two

On this page, we have gathered together general resources available online for the Second World War (1939-1945) for all branches of the armed and civilian services.

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War Memorials

This page contains links to war memorials and military cemeteries.

For cemeteries, tombstones and graveyards worldwide see: Cemeteries Online Worldwide. ...

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Military and Maritime

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