1.7 million WWII campaign medal cards are now online

After years of frustration for those attempting to research their WWII serviceperson’s record, which are 100% complete, but have only previously been released to proven descendants or under FOI application; The National Archives (TNA) have some good news at last!

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has commenced the transfer of the ten million Army, Royal Navy and RAF personnel service records, dating between 1921 and 1946, to The National Archives for permanent preservation, beginning with the first tranche of 150,000.

This will eventually include not only those pertaining to the Second World War, but those that relate to individuals who served during the First World War, but who opted to continue their service beyond 1921, including those who served only throughout the inter-war period and were discharged before the outbreak of the Second World War.

WWII campaign medal cards available online

As a bonus, 1.7m WWII campaign medal cards are already online with an index and individual transcription at www.ancestry.co.uk whilst the original images are at www.forceswarrecords.com and www.fold3.com. These cards were completed by service personnel in their own hand after the war to apply for their own campaign medals. They provide vital information such as name, address, service number, regiment/corps, medals awarded and the soldier’s signature.

Will the MOD service records be digitised?

TNA have appointed Ancestry to digitise, transcribe and publish the records, but it will take several years for all 10 million dossiers to be transferred to Kew. Ancestry will publish the first tranche of records in phases between now and 2029.

Be aware of certain constrains:

• Priority will be given to the records of ‘other ranks’ first, followed by commissioned officer’s records last.
• Only MOD service records of individuals with a date of birth over 100 years ago will be published to prevent sensitive information becoming available for those still living (Ancestry will publish newly opened records on an annual rolling basis as they reach 100 years old).
• Medical forms and disciplinary and conduct forms will not be digitised as part of this project at all, since these records contain sensitive personal data.
• Due to the scale of the project, the decision was taken not to digitise each service record in its entirety.
• The information being digitised includes: (1) Attestation forms: structured information about when the individual joined the service (2) Statements of Service: providing details of which units an individual served in, including dates, transfers and promotions (3) Service and Casualty forms: providing information of the individual’s time in service, including (in the case of the Army) details of the regiment(s) in which they served and where they were posted.

Example attestation record courtesy Graham Caldwell

Example service record courtesy Graham Caldwell

Example WW2 medal index card courtesy Graham Caldwell

Which MOD service records are being digitised in the first tranche?

The collections include:

WO 420: Approximately 56,000 service records of other ranks (not officers) who served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) during the Second World War. The REME was established in October 1942 and was responsible for the maintenance and repair of military equipment. It consisted of skilled tradesmen, many of whom had initially transferred from other units.

WO 421: Over 96,000 records of soldiers from twelve smaller units/corps during the Second World War who were discharged as over-age personnel, such as the Pioneer Corps, the Military Police, the Royal Corps of Music, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps and the Royal Army Dental Corps.

WO 419: Over 830,000 records of other ranks discharged from the infantry of the British Army between 1921 and 1939. Most of the service records relate to individuals who served during the First World War, and who opted to continue their service beyond 1921, but also include those who served only throughout the inter-war period and were discharged before the outbreak of the Second World War.

WO 422: Over two million records of non-commissioned officers and other ranks who served in infantry regiments of the British Army during the Second World War and who were discharged from the armed forces as over-age before their time expired in the reserves after 1945.

How much will it cost to access the TNA service records online?

The first tranche of service records will be available as part of Ancestry’s All Access subscription package, or on Ancestry’s subsidiary subscription sites, Fold.3 and Forces War Records.

It’s been mentioned that the first tranche of service records will also be available on a pay-per-view basis without an Ancestry subscription. The digitisation of this first tranche of MOD service dossiers will consist of just over three million records and an estimated 36 million images, larger than any previous census digitisation.

MOD records archived at The National Archives Kew

The contract awarded to Ancestry comprises around one-third of the total 10 million records transfer from the MOD. TNA will issue invitations to tender for further service records collections in the coming years.

As they become available, you will be able to view them at TNA Kew in their Reading Room free of charge, or by ordering them via https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk their online Discovery catalogue as hardcopies, or digital downloads. A fee is chargeable to obtain a digital or paper copy of these records. Copying requests start with a document/ individual page check costing a non-refundable £8.40, plus page copies sized A4 up to A3 charged at £1.35 (paper) or £1.20 (digital) the latter delivered by email. You will be quoted in advance how many pages are involved before you confirm your order.   

To order, you will be directed to the appropriate online application form. One is for those born before 1909 and the other for those born between 1909 and 1939.

How do I know whether to request a copy from the Ministry of Defence or from The National Archives?

The National Archives and MOD have access to the same name index database, which will indicate to TNA where the record is held. If you are unable to find an individual by searching the TNA Discovery catalogue, then it’s likely that the record has not yet been transferred to TNA and is still with the MOD. In such cases you can still submit a service record request directly to MOD at https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-records-of-service

Applications made directly to MOD for all three services are now free of charge and can be applied for by either post or online but be aware that MOD response times are currently several months (particularly for Army requests) due to a backlog of applications that built up during Covid when their offices were closed.