Ancestor Tracing

A BRIEF GUIDE TO TRACING ANCESTORS IN THE ARMY

Introduction

In recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of people researching their family histories. The purpose of this brief guide is to indicate to researchers the main sources of information. Because the records of ‘Officers’ are generally accessible from sources other than those of the ‘Other Ranks’, that is to say the Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers, they are dealt with separately. It is recommended that once an individual’s regiment or corps has been identified a researcher’s initial approach should be to the appropriate regimental or corps museum, details of which may be obtained from the museum pages. The familiar title Public Record Office has changed to The National Archives, for which the abbreviation TNA is used throughout this Guide.