Armed Forces & Conflict

Search our historical records

What can you find in the Armed Forces & Conflict records?

“Receiving my Granddad's WW1 medals really spurred me on to start researching on Genes Reunited. I found his army records and learned that he gained his medal holding off the enemy at the Yser Canal. I also learnt he was shot and I now understand the significance of the half-penny which saved his life by taking the impact of the bullet.”Anonymous Genes Reunited member

Why you should search these records?

  • You will find that most families, at some point throughout history, include an ancestor who served in the armed forces.
  • There are more than 38 military datasets dating from 1656-2005.
  • The records include vital information such as next of kin, physical descriptions, and details of their military service.
  • Records include both World Wars and conflicts such as Waterloo, Trafalgar and the Boer War. You'll also find servicemen such as RAF, Navy and Marines plus support personnel and even military nurses.
  • 6 easy steps to use these records

    • You can choose to search all military records by entering information into the search bar at the top of this page or you can click into a specific dataset using the left hand menu.
    • Enter first and last name
    • Enter a birth or death year if you know this information. If not you can leave this field blank
    • Too many results? Add a place of birth, soldier number or other keyword into 'Optional keywords'
    • Not enough results? Tick the 'name variants' box in case the name has been recorded under a different spelling
    • View your search results for free