- The National Archives does not hold army service records for the Second World War. They are still with the Ministry of Defence.
- Many army service records between 1914 and 1920 do not exist as they were destroyed by enemy bombing in 1940 - only about 40% survive.
- The condition of the surviving service records can vary greatly - some are badly damaged.
When searching for a person you may find information on:
Regiment and Rank
Remarks concerning the Individual
Next of Kin
Medical reports and Pension details
Remarks concerning the Individual
Next of Kin
Medical reports and Pension details
The records of soldiers who served in the guards regiments (Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh) are accessible by writing to the appropriate Regimental Headquarters. Some of these records were destroyed by enemy bombing whilst stored in the Guards chapel during the Second World war.