Medal Rolls

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The medals article has details of medals awarded for various military campaigns. Most of the nominal medal rolls for these awards are at the British Library. Many of the rolls are reprinted in books on the open access shelves. Details of the India Office Records' reference numbers can be found at Your Archives - Medal Rolls in the India Office Library.

FIBIS resources

Medal roll transcriptions:

See also

The National Archives

Research Guides

WO 100 Medal Rolls

The National Archives records WO 100 Medal Rolls are available to download free of charge as pdfs. These records are available on the pay site Ancestry, (refer below) but those do not have access to Ancestry may find the downloads useful. They are large pdfs, which require a broadband connection . For full details refer the National Archives advice page Digital microfilm

The records are mainly in respect of British Army regiments, although there are some in respect of the Indian Army. Some medals do not appear to have rolls in the WO 100 records, and appear to be only available in the India Office records at the British Library, refer above.

The catalogue entry is WO 100 Campaign Medal and Award Rolls (General Series) The following subseries have been noted , following the order of the National Archive’s Discovery catalogue

WO 102 Medal Rolls

The National Archives records Long Service and Good Conduct Awards, Registers: WO 102 are available to download free of charge as pdfs. The records are Registers of candidates noted for, and recipients of, the Long Service and Good Conduct awards between 1831 and 1953. They are large pdfs, which require a broadband connection . For full details refer the National Archives advice page Digital microfilm

ADM 171 Naval Medal Rolls

The National Archives records ADM 171 Admiralty, and Ministry of Defence, Navy Department: Medal Rolls 1793-1995 are available to download free of charge as pdfs. These records are available on the pay site Ancestry, (refer below) but those do not have access to Ancestry may find the downloads useful. They are large pdfs which require a broadband connection. For full details refer the National Archives advice page Digital microfilm

British Library records

As stated above, many of the medal rolls are reprinted in books on the open access shelves at the British Library.

Catalogue references are

  • Medal Rolls IOR/L/MIL/5/42-141 1799-1911 with links to the sub categories. (These records are those covered in the "Your Archives" link above, but the catalogue references are given again, as the accompanying information may be slightly different)

Additional to the catalogue references for Medal Rolls IOR/L/MIL/5/42-141 the following list contains both medal roll catalogue references and some catalogue references which do not specifically mention rolls but which may possibly contain medal rolls, listed (approximately) according to date of the military action.

Medal Rolls for Indian Native Troops

The information in respect of Medal Rolls IOR/L/MIL/5/42-141 1799-1911 states that the names of Indian recipients rarely appear (except, however, in L/MIL/5/87-103). These latter records are detailed Your Archives - Medal Rolls in the India Office Library, which also lists a few entries such as L/MIL/5/60 Nominal rolls of Indian Army native troops. 1870-1878. These entries may possibly be included in the Ancestry website, refer below, but it is not known whether they are or not.

For details of some medals awarded to Indian troops in the Boer War, see Boer War

Publications containing Medal Rolls

Books currently available

Books currently available (November 2012) which have been noted:

External links

  • The Fee Paying Website "Ancestry" now hosts
    • UK, Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949, based on the National Archives records WO 100 "This database contains lists of more than 2.3 million officers, enlisted personnel and other individuals entitled to medals and awards commemorating their service in campaigns and battles for the British Army between 1793 and 1949" Campaigns in India are included - but not WWI or WWII medal and award rolls. WWI medal information is available in the next collection.
    • British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 Based on records from the Army Medal Office WWI Medal Index Cards. "The Medal Index Cards collection is the most complete listing of individuals who fought in the British Army in WWI, containing approximately 90% of soldiers’ names"
    • UK, Naval Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1972 Based on the National Archives records ADM 171. "The rolls include medals awarded for British campaigns and service in Europe, India, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and elsewhere during the height of the British Empire and into the 20th century. This database also includes medal rolls from the First and Second World Wars".
  • India List post by 'Tim B' dated 25 July 2012 which indicates that the medal rolls for the Commissariat Department in the HEIC and Indian Army are to be found at the British Library and are different to the medal rolls for the Commissariat Department of the British Army.
  • Victorian Wars Forum thread which includes reference to the service of the Surma Valley Light Horse in the Manipur Expedition of 1891 which led to the award of the India General Service Medal, 1854-95 with the clasp ‘N. E. Frontier 1891’. A later post advises the definitive work is the book by William Henry Sidney Wood Through Fifty Years: A History of the Surma Valley Light Horse available at the British Library which includes a list of medals awarded.


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