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Ancestry - WW1 British Army Records - Free for 1 week - 7th to 14th November
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butterflymum
Posts: 1,025 Forumite
Official MoneySavingExpert.com insert
What's the deal?
Until 14 Nov, family history site Ancestry.co.uk is making official First World War service records free to view.
It's possible to trace ancestors' wartime achievements or read the exploits of famous names such as Harold Macmillan, Noel Coward and Harry Patch.
How to view
Visit the special offer page and click on an archive to search. You will have to enter a name and email address, but no credit or debit card details. (After the week, you just won't be able to view the records, they'll be nothing to pay). Membership normally costs £10.95 a month.
Online files are based mainly records of each serviceman's medical history, awards, conduct and casualty forms.
Warning!
Before viewing, please be aware that as well as awards, good character references and notes on marriages and kids, records may also include cause of death details and misconduct charges. Think carefully about whether you'd be happy to see these.
Thanks to butterflymum for the wonderful deal and here's her original post below .....
____________________________________
....no need to give credit/debit card details. Just log on if you have a current username/password (but no paid membership)....or register (for free).
Three sets of records will be available this week:
British Army World War 1 Service Records for 1914–1920
British Army " " " Pension Records for 1914-192
British Army " " " Medal Rolls Index Cards for 1914-1920
details of offer at:
http://www.ancestry.co.uk/ukmilitary_offer
What's the deal?
Until 14 Nov, family history site Ancestry.co.uk is making official First World War service records free to view.
It's possible to trace ancestors' wartime achievements or read the exploits of famous names such as Harold Macmillan, Noel Coward and Harry Patch.
How to view
Visit the special offer page and click on an archive to search. You will have to enter a name and email address, but no credit or debit card details. (After the week, you just won't be able to view the records, they'll be nothing to pay). Membership normally costs £10.95 a month.
Online files are based mainly records of each serviceman's medical history, awards, conduct and casualty forms.
Warning!
Before viewing, please be aware that as well as awards, good character references and notes on marriages and kids, records may also include cause of death details and misconduct charges. Think carefully about whether you'd be happy to see these.
Thanks to butterflymum for the wonderful deal and here's her original post below .....
____________________________________
....no need to give credit/debit card details. Just log on if you have a current username/password (but no paid membership)....or register (for free).
Three sets of records will be available this week:
British Army World War 1 Service Records for 1914–1920
British Army " " " Pension Records for 1914-192
British Army " " " Medal Rolls Index Cards for 1914-1920
details of offer at:
http://www.ancestry.co.uk/ukmilitary_offer
butterfly )i(
0
Comments
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Found this offer by other means and came here to let others know but glad to see someone has already posted the details.
I have just been up very late last night (it really eats up your time) and came away with details of a relative that I knew was killed in action in WW1. It is quite an experience and both very sad and satisfying to search and find further details of ancestors who were involved in wars.
I searched by name and when I saw his service number come up in the records I was looking at it was quite a shock. To see the actual records detailing what he did and the injury that killed him was very thought provoking (searching for terminology here). I am an ex serviceman myself and am confident that no one from my family will have researched this info and therefore it is a bit of a debt of honour and something I am very willing to do at this time of year.
You can actually print off details of the images/pages that you view and also save the images as required.0 -
i am into family treeing, it has been on the backburner for the last 2mths due to funds and i kept hitting brick walls but thanks very much for this. I will def be using it this week
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All I can say is be prepared!!
I thought I may get some basic detail but there are 23 pages of records for my relative and they actually state the injury that killed him. Records include letter/telegram informing family that he was KIA, details of pension to his family (name, address etc of next of kin plus pension details stating wife and 3 dependant children - 29/7 d per week). He was 38 years old when he signed up in May 1917 and was killed in May 1918.
Very emotive!!0 -
All I can say is be prepared!!
I thought I may get some basic detail but there are 23 pages of records for my relative and they actually state the injury that killed him. Records include letter/telegram informing family that he was KIA, details of pension to his family (name, address etc of next of kin plus pension details stating wife and 3 dependant children - 29/7 d per week). He was 38 years old when he signed up in May 1917 and was killed in May 1918.
Very emotive!!
I just really hope i actually find something when i search...emotive but important x 0 -
I found my ancestor on the medals list but can't find any other record of him however I already knew he was killed in battle.0
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I am so glad that this offer is helping people access records they may otherwise have been unable to see.
Family History research is a fascinating hobby...and one that can become very addictive.
Military Records can be a two-edged sword, though, and you do have to approach researching them (as indeed any family history record) in a frame of mind that will accept that sometimes you may be shocked by what they contain eg cause of death information, charges against the soldier for mis-conduct or suchlike etc,. That said, there is often pleasing information too.......awards given, good character references etc,. Sometimes, marriage details and details of children born are also noted.
These records are only a very small part of what is available on the web nowadays to family history researchers, and in many ways, will only serve to be a taster for what information the hobby, as a whole, can discover or uncover.
At this time of year, they also serve as a poignant reminder of those who served and lived, or served and died, for their country, and we should perhaps not forget that it is a privilege for us to share some insight into these people and so therefore we should view each record with the respect it deserves, no matter what the content.
In family history each thread that has been sewn, goes together with those around it, to make a picture of what is, after all, the rich and varied tapestry of life. Accept this and you will find the hobby rewarding, despite, perhaps, the occasional unexpected revelation.butterfly )i(0 -
Thank you for the link. I have been wanting to research my ancestor's war record for ages now I have done it and saved copies of the documents to print out later for relatives.0
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Chocmonster7 wrote: »I found my ancestor on the medals list but can't find any other record of him however I already knew he was killed in battle.
Unfortunately, you need to be aware that not all WW1 records survived, many having been destroyed in a 1940 air-raid, but perhaps you could at least gather some information from other sources (try http://www.pals.org.uk/research.htm for some useful hints).
For others, also remember that if your ancestor served in WW1 and continued in service beyond the war or re-enlisted in WW2, their service/pension records will not be available on the Ancestry site albeit their medal card index should be.butterfly )i(0 -
Forgot to say earlier, if anyone is having problems finding records (and remember they may no longer exist), you can always pop onto the forums at various family history websites and ask members there for help/guidance.butterfly )i(0
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found this useful
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
http://www.cwgc.org/debt_of_honour.asp
I found a relative on this site, but cannot find his name on Ancestry0
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