Over 1.4 million British Army Service records available to search this Findmypast Friday
Over 8.7 million new records are available to search this Findmypast Friday including over 1.4 million new additions to our collection of British Army Service records, brand new WW1 Royal Air Force gallantry awards and the 1911 Canada Census.
Over 1.4 million records released in association with The National Archives have been added to our collection of British Army Service records to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of the Somme. The collection now includes the records of officers who served during World War 1 and men who served with the famous household cavalry between 1801 and 1919.
Containing roughly 7.8 million records, Findmypast’s British Army service records is one of the most significant British Army collections available online. The collection includes a myriad of Army forms including attestation papers, medical forms, discharge documents, pension claims, and proceedings of regimental boards. The latest National Archives series to be added to the collection include:
WO 76 – Regimental records of officers’ services 1775-1914 – a collection of service records pertaining solely to officers.
WO 400 – The Household Cavalry 1801-1919 – The Household Cavalry is one of the oldest and most senior units in the British Army, dating back to 1600, and are the Queen’s official bodyguards. These regimental records will provide you with your ancestor’s service history.
WO 22 – Royal Hospital Chelsea: returns of payment of Army and other pensions 1842-1883 -documents related to pensions paid by the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
WO 23 – Royal Hospital Chelsea: admission books, registers, and papers 1702-1876 – a collection of superannuation books created to administer pensions payable by the commissioners of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, to both in-pensioners and out-pensioners.
WO 339 – Officers’ services, First World War, regular army and emergency reserve officers – transcripts created from records and correspondences related to officers in the regular army and the emergency reserve during the First World War.
WO 374 – Officers’ services, First World War, personal files – an index of men who served as officers in the British Army during the First World War.
British Royal Air Force, Gallantry Awards 1914-1919
Royal Air Force, Gallantry Awards 1914-1919 contains over 274,000 records of RAF servicemen who were awarded gallantry medals during World War 1. Awards for gallantry were given to those who displayed acts of exceptional bravery and were often announced in the London Gazette, the official newspaper of the British government.
Each records includes a transcript created by Graham Clitheroe using information found in the archives and the London Gazette. The detail in each record can vary, but most will include your ancestor’s name, residence rank, award and Gazette date. The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the first air branch of the British Army. The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy. On 1 April 1918, the two forces were amalgamated and the RAF was created.
The 1911 Canada census was started on June 1st 1911. The total population count was recorded as 7,206,643, an increase of 34% over the 1901 Census count of 5,371,315. All ten provinces and two territories (Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories) are represented in these records. The collection consists of more than 6.9 million transcripts that allow you to discover your ancestor’s residence, birth place, birth year, marital status and more. Images are available online at the Library and Archives Canada web site.