11 December 2024
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You will find The Gazette freely accessible at www.thegazette.co.uk. Its searchable digital archives span centuries, making it an essential resource for British & Commonwealth military family history research – and even for details of non-combatant heroes too.
Published since the 17th century, The Gazette, is digitised and free to use online to search for details of your military ancestors.
Please find below this guide from our sponsor and advertiser The Gazette.
You will find The Gazette freely accessible at www.thegazette.co.uk
- Read about British military history
- Discover how to save your important search results with The Gazette
- Search smarter! How to search The Gazette by name, online, for free
- What can you learn about your family heroes? What are Mentions in Despatches? Who was awarded the Victoria Cross?
- It's not just for the British Isles: discover international connections to military heroes in The Gazette
- Learn about your ancestors' overseas military awards
- How to trace an Officer
- Find further top search hints and tips to find your ancestor in The Gazette
Read about British military history
Read contemporary reports of top-level military events by military leaders. It is fascinating to read these first drafts of history.
Read for instance issue 17028 of The Gazette – The Gazette Extraordinary – in which the news of the victory of the British and Allied forces at the Battle of Waterloo was published: www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/17028
Imagine - you can read the account of the Battle of Waterloo published just a few days after this iconic event!
Discover how to save your important search results with The Gazette
Found something interesting?
When you find a search result of interest, bookmark the url, so that you can easily find it again.
Handy hint! Note that the issue number is included in the web address. See above, for instance, where the issue number 17028 is in the web address (www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/17028) for the issue that covers the Battle of Waterloo.
Create a free Gazette Researcher account: If you’d like to quickly and easily save your Gazette searches, simply create a free Gazette Researcher account. To do so, complete your registration form here: https://bit.ly/GraCre
Search smarter! How to search The Gazette by name, online, for free
The Gazette comprises a vast archive of centuries of material, so use these tips to help you pinpoint relevant records about your ancestor:
• How to search The Gazette by name
Experiment with the name search: Start your search with the full name of your ancestor. However, do remember that names may be listed with initials (for instance, ‘J. Hill’ or ‘J.E.S. Hill’). They may also be recorded with their military titles (for instance, ‘Captain J.E.S. Hill’).
• How to search The Gazette by rank and regiment
Refine by rank & regiment search: The First and Second World Wars saw millions of personnel serve in the Armed Forces. As a consequence there may be several people with the same name as your ancestor in the records. Including details of rank and regiment in your search will help home in on the correct entries.
• How to search The Gazette by honours
Specify the honours: You may also like to specify medals or honours they may have received in your search terms to help to locate them.
What can you learn about your family heroes? What are Mentions in Despatches? Who was awarded the Victoria Cross?
Mentions in Despatches, and announcements of gallantry awards and medals (such as the Victoria Cross, Military Cross, Military Medal and Distinguished Service Order) are published in The Gazette.
Such mentions and citations are records of extreme bravery or exemplary service on the part of your ancestor. You can search in The Gazette to find their details.
Note, too, that noncombatants and civilians are similarly recognised in The Gazette. On page 6511 of issue 36828, for example, two members of the clergy (noncombatants) are listed as having been awarded the Military Cross: thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36828/ (See Figure 1 below, or click the link and turn to page 5611).
Figure 1. See that non-combatants are recorded in The Gazette.
Research tip! When you find your family member’s name you may need to page back to the preceding page to find the section header and note the honour they have been awarded.
It's not just for the British Isles: discover international connections to military heroes in The Gazette
In addition to providing information for personnel across all the armed services, you may also find details of family members who served on the side of the Allies in armed forces other than British forces.
Learn about your ancestors' overseas military awards
You may also find details of ancestors honoured with gallantry awards from foreign nations. Their entry in The Gazette may help you to identify the mystery medal in your family’s possession. See Figure 2 (below, or click the link below and scroll through to page 5616), for instance, for details of Lieutenant Hubert Anthony Ward who was awarded the Silver Star Medal by the United States of America: thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36828/
Figure 2: Note that forces other than those of the UK and Northern Ireland are recorded in The Gazette. Note too that you may find details of your ancestors' gallantry awards given by other nations.
How to trace an Officer
Use the details you find in The Gazette, to create a timeline your officer ancestor's career.
Find details of officers’ promotions and appointments across all branches of the armed forces when searching The Gazette. Such information enables you to build a timeline of your officer ancestor’s years of service and career progression, and includes notices about retirement, discharge, and postings too.
Find further top search hints and tips to find your ancestor in The Gazette
We hope you find these research tips useful when investigating your military ancestors’. Find further hints and tips in our online 'How to search The Gazette guide':
