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→Military records at the National Archives: fix links
===Military records at the National Archives===
====Muster rolls====
Unlike those of the presidency armies, muster rolls for British Army regiments stationed in India are not at the British Library but are instead at [[The National Archives]] at Kew in London. The majority of the Muster records up to '''1878''' are in [http://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogueSearchUI/displaycataloguedetails.aspbrowse/C14223?CATID=13072&CATLN=3&Highlight=&FullDetailsv=True h '''WO 12''']. The catalogue describes the records as:
[[Image:72nd Married Roll 1877 (close up).JPG |right|thumb|325px| ''Detail from a 1877 Married Roll'']]
<blockquote>"...a comprehensive means of establishing dates of enlistment, movements throughout the world, and of discharge or death. The first entry may show age on enlistment. An entry on the form "Men becoming non-effective", sometimes to be found at the end of each quarter's musters, shows the birthplace, trade, and date of enlistment of any soldier discharged or dead during the quarter. From about 1868, at the end of each muster, may be found a Marriage Roll, which enumerates wives and children for whom married quarters were provided." </blockquote>
From '''1878 to 1898''', all muster rolls are in [http://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogueSearchUI/displaycataloguedetails.aspdetails?CATLN=3&CATID=13076&SearchInit=4&SearchType=6&CATREFUri=WO+16 C14227 '''WO 16''']
An 1889 example of data from a Marriage Roll can be seen [http://web.archive.org/web/20040417222802/members.ozemail.com.au/~clday/married.htm here] on Cathy Day’s archived site.
=====Chelsea Pensioners=====
Discharge papers ([http://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogueSearchUI/displaycataloguedetails.aspbrowse/C14305?CATID=13157&CATLN=3&Highlight=&FullDetailsv=True r'''WO 97''', (to '''1913''')]), usually containing service/attestation information, and pension records ([http://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogueSearchUI/browse/displaycataloguedetails.aspC14231?CATID=13082&CATLN=3&Highlight=&FullDetailsv=True r '''WO 22''']) may also be found at TNA. Records in WO 97 are usually only for men discharged with a pension (ie having served 12 years or having been invalided) as these were the papers sent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea and preserved, but from 1883, most causes of discharge, (apart from death (with a few exceptions)<ref>There are WO 97 records for a few men who died in the Anglo- Boer War (and papers in the Ancestry "WWI" series for men who died during the Anglo-Boer War) according to this [http://www.victorianwars.com/viewtopic.php?f=82&t=3511&start=15#p23904 Victorian Wars Forum post] dated 1 October 2011 by Meurig. This further Victorian Wars Forum [http://www.victorianwars.com/viewtopic.php?f=82&t=7112#p30127 post] dated 30 May 2012 by Mark A Reid also mentions a few other deaths. </ref>) were included. Note however, '''the survival rate of discharge papers appears to be low for men discharged overseas<ref>''My Ancestor was in the British Army'', page 63 by Michael Watts and Christopher Watts 2009</ref> [ie not in Britain, and therefore low for India]. If a man went on to serve during World War 1 then his records would normally have been removed from WO97 and placed with his WW1 service records<ref> ''My Ancestor was in the British Army'', page 64 by Michael Watts and Christopher Watts 2009 and [http://newsarch.rootsweb.com/th/read/DEVON/2010-03/1269096802 Chelsea Pensioners] dated 20 March 2010 from Rootsweb Devon List.</ref>. WO 97 records are also unlikely to include men who immediately went on active service with a Milita unit, (whose discharge papers may have been transferred to the Milita unit)<ref>India List [http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/INDIA/2011-06/1308580161 post] dated 20 June 2011</ref>'''. The records often contain a wealth of genealogical information, including birth date and location, next of kin, physical description, service locations, medical history and medals. They may include information about marriages, births of children or deaths of family members.
The National Archives has worked with findmypast.co.uk to scan and place online '''WO 97''' (Royal Hospital Chelsea: Soldiers' Service Documents 1760-1913) All WO 97 records, for the years '''1760 to 1913''' are currently available on [http://www.findmypast.co.uk/chelsea-pensioners-service-records-collection-search-start.action findmypast.co.uk]. Searching the records is free, but charges apply to view the records, although they can be viewed for free at TNA (and other institutions with a FMP subscription).
=====Kilmainham Pensioners=====
The records online atfindmypast do not include those men discharged through the Kilmainham Hospital in Ireland, (out-pensioners to 1822 and in-pensioners to 1929). These records, held under TNA reference WO119[http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/browse/C14327?v=r WO 119], are currently (2012) being digitised and will be hosted on the findmypast website in due course. For more information see [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/548.htm TNA News Archive] which mentions that names with brief service descriptions can now be found in [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/ The National Archives Catalogue] and this could provide a welcome break for family historians.
=====Other Pension Records=====
Another useful TNA source is the '''WO 22''' subseries "Army and other pensions paid out locally in India, Ceylon and China" detailing names and payments made, including [http://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogueSearchUI/browser.aspbrowse/C168751?CATLN=3&CATID=13082&GPE=False&DOWN=TRUE&MARKER=216000&MARKERSCNv= r '''WO 22/228-230'''] Bengal, [http://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogueSearchUI/browser.aspbrowse/C168760?CATLN=3&CATID=13082&GPE=False&DOWN=TRUE&MARKER=228000&MARKERSCNv= r '''WO 22/237-238'''] Bombay and [http://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogueSearchUI/browser.aspbrowse/C168789?CATLN=3&CATID=13082&GPE=False&DOWN=TRUE&MARKER=265000&MARKERSCNv= r '''WO 22/266-270'''], mainly Madras.
If you cannot find any service or pension records, and your research interest left the army between 1884 and 1887, it is worth checking the '''WO 121''' microfilms "Register of men discharged without pension". Although the catalogue does not mention this, the films contain many records of men leaving the army in India under the heading "Nominal list of men discharged by the Commander-in-Chief in India..." As the register provides name, regimental number, rank, corps, date and cause of discharge, attestation date (and a few other administration details) it is an invaluable resource for those not able to find these details elsewhere.
These records are included in the National Archives catalogue entry [http://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogueSearchUI/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=107&CATLN=2&accessmethod=5 browse/C537 Records of the Royal Chelsea and Kilmainham Hospitals]. The latter hospital was in Ireland. This category of records also includes [http://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogueSearchUI/browse/displaycataloguedetails.aspC14324?CATID=13176&CATLN=3&FullDetailsv=True r '''WO 116'''] Disability and all Royal Artillery pensions and [http://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogueSearchUI/displaycataloguedetails.aspbrowse/C14325?CATID=13177&CATLN=3&accessmethodv=5 r'''WO 117'''] Pensions awarded to soldiers for length of service.
Some of these records, in particular WO 116 ( for what appears to be WO 116/1-165 being Cavalry and Infantry Disability to '''1882 ''' and Royal Artillery to '''1893''') and WO 117 (to '''1913''') are available to '''download free of cost''' from [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/digital-microfilm.asp The National Archives Documents Online: Digital Microfilms]. These are stated to be large pdf files, which need a broadband internet connection. This Ancestry.com British Army Message Board [http://boards.ancestry.com/topics.Military.uk.britarmy/2203.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.2.1/mb.ashx post] details some of the information found.
This India List [http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/INDIA/2011-04/1303469139 post] mentions '''WO 120''' and '''WO 121''' records. Catalogue references are: [http://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogueSearchUI/displaycataloguedetails.aspbrowse/C14328?CATID=13180&CATLNv=3&FullDetails=True r '''WO 120'''] "From about 1812 dates of death have been noted and in the last series these dates extend to 1877". and [http://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogueSearchUI/browse/browser.aspC14329?CATLN=3&CATIDv=13180&GPE=False&MARKER=0 r Browse WO 120]; [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=13181&CATLN=3&FullDetails=True '''WO 121'''], [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/browser.asp?CATLN=3&CATID=13181&GPE=False&MARKER=0 Browse WO 121]. Also refer the paragraph above. The WO 120 records are available on [[LDS]] microfilm with this [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=315468&disp=Regimental+registers+of+pensioners%2C+ar&columns=*,0,0 catalogue entry]
Service and pension records from '''World War 1''' from the National Archives are available on the pay site [http://www.ancestry.com Ancestry .com]. They do contain some papers for men who did not serve in WW1.<ref>Victorian Wars Forum [http://www.victorianwars.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=7266&start=15#p31162 post] dated 17 July 2012 by Meurig</ref>
*[http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1219 British Army WWI Service Records, '''1914-1920'''] are [http://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogueSearchUI/displaycataloguedetails.aspbrowse/C14567?CATID=13422&CATLN=3&accessmethodv=5 r '''WO 363'''] records also known as the ‘Burnt Documents.’ These are the records which survived a fire, about one third of the total documents. *[http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1114 British Army WWI Pension Records '''1914-1920'''] are [http://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogueSearchUI/DisplayCatalogueDetails.aspbrowse/C14568?CATIDv=13423&CATLN=3&FullDetails=True&accessmethod=7 r '''WO 364'''] records
====Research guides====
