Researching your Military
Ancestors:
Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteers for the family Historian
given
by Dr Peter Boyden on 26th September 2000 at Windsor
Valerie Storie provided the
following summary:
Dr Peter Boyden from the National Army Museum
spoke on the above topic at the September 2000
meeting of the Windsor/Slough Branch.
The Public Record Office (PRO) at Kew is the major
repository of all things military but the Museum also
holds all sorts of records. Depending on just how
closely your military ancestor fits into your "tree",
it is possible you already hold all the clues -
medals, for instance, were awarded for every campaign
since Waterloo, all bearing the recipient's name
until WW2.
Discharge papers often lurk about in forgotten
places and these can give all kinds of interesting
facts and then there are those photographs of the
proud soldier in his uniform whereby badges, and even
buttons, can be identified.
Beware of cap badges however, as these were often
"swap currency" for small boys along the
lines of cigarette cards. Even names can be tricky
for many men enlisted using an alias for a variety of
reasons. If you know the birth-date, and bearing in
mind most joined up around 18 years of age, then you
have a clue as to which official records are
available to you.
For Officers, there are Regimental Journals and
Gazettes, naming all men from 1750 with relevant
dates of enlisting and when/where they served;
pay lists also exist from 1750 to 1898 for all men in
each Regiment and where each was stationed.
There are enlistment sheets, medal rolls, casualty
lists, indeed, there is often more information
available for those who died than for those who
survived!
The PRO has indexed many of the records making
life easier and these are often available via the
internet. The National Army Museum (situated in
London, next to the Royal Hospital in Chelsea) holds
details of money left by deceased officers between
1901 and 1961 providing useful names/addresses of
next of kin. Other sources include the London
Gazette detailing all officers gaining or
relinquishing commissions and, since the 1750's there
have been 'monthly lists' containing a myriad of
information as well as War Diaries written in the
field and Regimental Histories. One interesting point
Dr Boyden made was that each time a man changed
Regiment in WW1 then his army number changed too.
For both WW1 and WW2, the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission (CWGC) website gives the location of
where the fallen are commemorated (in whatever part
of the world and whatever rank) and very often the
next of kin and last known address are also given.
For centuries Militia were raised at times of
national danger and possible invasion. Fit men
were expected to sign up and assemble for training
although those with money could often 'buy' someone
to stand in for them. The frequency of these musters
lessened after Waterloo (1815) but they were raised
again as late as the Crimean and Boer Wars and were
the forerunners of today's Territorial Army. Local
newspapers of the day often carried reports of these
assemblies as the men practised their manoeuvres. For
men with a slightly less illustrious army career,
there are published lists of deserters detailing
enlistment and last known whereabouts!
Apart from the PRO and CWGC, other useful
repositories include the MOD (DR2b) at Hayes, the
British Library (Oriental & Indian Office
Collections) in Euston Road, London, the Royal
Commission on Historical Manuscripts in Chancery Lane
and the Imperial War Museum. The National Army
Museum itself is open (free) to the public and
besides special exhibitions (currently 'The British
Army in South Africa 1795-1914" until February
2001) there are outstanding collections of all things
military. Their website can be found on www.national-army-museum.ac.uk
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