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British Army

760 bytes added, 12:49, 27 September 2016
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===Army Lists===
''Army List''s are useful if you are researching an officer. There were Monthly, Quarterly and Annual editions published. At least during the [[First World War]], only the Monthly Lists cover the officers in “battalion order”.<ref> rflory [http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=228278&p=2267381 Army List - copies at Kew?] ''Great War Forum'' 27 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.</ref> ''Quarterly Army List''s only list regular, career officers and not others such as temporary officers and territorial officers who are to be found in the ''Monthly Army List''s.<ref>rflory. [http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=236726&p=2369451 Army List lookup], posts 4 and 10. ''Great War Forum'' 26 February 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.</ref> The Monthly Lists are available on the open shelves at the National Archives and major libraries, and some have now been digitised.
For volumes available online, see '''[[Military periodicals online]]'''.
From '''1878 to 1898''', all muster rolls are in [http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/details?Uri=C14227 '''WO 16''']. The majority of the records for the years 1878 to 1888 contain detailed pay lists with names. From 1888 onwards (WO 16/2917-3049) the series consists of company muster rolls only, and these do not contain pay lists.
Muster roll records are unfortunately NOT available on [[LDS]] microfilms. If you are a FIBIS member and are unable to visit Kew, the [http://www.fibis.org/research/ FIBIS Research team]should be able to assist.
'''Please note that muster roll records may be missing for some Regiments and periods''', in India and generally. For example, there are virtually no muster roll records for the Royal Artillery in India,
*Findmypast has the records, (located in Armed forces & conflict/Regimental & service records) '''British Army, Worldwide Index 1861''' extracted from the National Archives April-June quarter Paylists held in WO 10 (Royal Artillery), WO 11 (Royal Engineers) and WO 12 (Cavalry, Guards, Infantry and other units) series War Office records, including men serving overseas. 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). Also on Findmypast is the database '''British Army, Worldwide Index 1871''', with census day 2 April 1871 and generally covering much of the June Quarter 1871, extracted from War Office army pay lists. The latest (2016/1) database released by FMP is '''British Army, Worldwide Index 1841''', created from muster rolls and pay lists between April and June 1841. As advised in the section above, there will be no records for Royal Artillery soldiers in India.
====Courts martial and desertionMedal Rolls====*See [[Courts-martialMedal Rolls]]. Includes information about those medal rolls available online.
====Research guides====
Note that if a record is available both in the [[Church records]] and in the [[General Register Office]] records, the latter may contain more information, at least for some time periods. By way of example, in 1903 the additional information available for a marriage record was the nationalities of the groom and bride, and the occupations of the fathers of the groom and bride.
 
===Courts martial and desertion===
*See [[Courts-martial]]
===Other sources===
**[http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/all-about-the-wfa/wfa-news-events/pension-records/pension-record-cards-and-ledgers-deeper-understanding.html "Great War Pension Record Cards and Ledgers: deeper understanding"] 31 March 2013
**[http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/attachments/article/2961/WFA%20Pension%20Records%20Cards%20Manual%20Lookup%20Request%20April%202013.pdf Pension Record Cards: Manual Lookup Request] 31 March 2013. A fee applies. It is intended that these records be digitised in time.
**[http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/all-about-the-wfa/wfa-news-events/pension-records.html More details from WFA]
====WW1 Casualty Lists====
=====Other=====
*[[Findmypast|findmypast]] includes a database "Prisoners Of War 1715-1945" and also a similar "Browse" database (both located in Armed forces & conflict/Regimental & service records) which contains records from The National Archives , including selected FO 383 records, including some for Indian Army soldiers. The records included are detailed in this [http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/prisoners-of-war-1715-1945 findmypast link].
 
====Medal Rolls====
See [[Medal Rolls]]. Includes information about those medal rolls available online.
 
====1911 England and Wales Census====
British Army personnel in India, together with their families appeared for the first time in an England and Wales Census in 1911. The 1911 Census is available on the pay websites [[findmypast]], Ancestry and perhaps other pay sites. This [http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C90811 National Archives] catalogue entry shows the regiments that were included in the 1911 Census. The items (17 in total) are RG 14/34978-34992, 34995, 34997. However, it is probable there were other regiments in India at this time. The census was taken on the night of Sunday 2 April, 1911. Note however, there are is at least one known instance of a soldier and his family known to be in the British Army in India at the time of the census, whose names do not appeat in the census, another indication that the data may not be complete. The 1911 Census also includes similar information for other British Army overseas bases, and returns from ships of the Royal Navy at sea and in ports abroad.
***"Royal Naval Division Records 1914-1919" and "Royal Naval Division Service Records 1914-1920". The Royal Naval Division transferred from the authority of the Admiralty to the War Office on 29 April 1916.
***Databases based on the publications ''The Bond of Sacrifice; a Biographical Record of all British officers who fell in the Great War'' (2 Volumes), ''Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-19'' (80 Volumes, HMSO) and "Officers Died in the Great War 1914-19" (the latter two, one database), and ''The Roll of Honour. A biographical record of all members of His Majesty's naval and military forces who have fallen in the war'' by the Marquis De Ruvigny (5 Volumes). Databases 2 and 3 are also available on Ancestry.
***Database based on the publication ''Ireland's Memorial Records, 1914-1918: being the names of Irishmen who fell in the Great European War'' ( 8 Volumes). The findmypast database is "Ireland's Memorial Record: World War 1: 1914-1918 ", and there is similar database on Ancestry "Ireland, Casualties of World War I, 1914-1922 ".
***"British Jewry Book Of Honour, 1914-1920"
***"British Army, Deserters and Absentees In Police Gazette 1914-1919". Selected dates only, not a complete range.<ref>Stewart, Graham. [http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=230741&p=2296337 New on Findmypast - Deserters and Absentees, Police Gazette, 1914-1919] ''Great War Forum'' 15 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015</ref>
== Conditions and activities==
=== Enlistment term===
From the end of the Napoleonic Wars until 1847, men were enlisted for twenty-one years, practically for life. From 1847 enlistment was for ten years, later increased to twelve; with a pension after twenty one years for extended service. From 1870, as part of the Caldwell Reforms, “short service” was introduced, where men enlisted for a period of time in the Army, the balance of time in the reserves (total twelve years). The standard term varied over time, including six and six, seven and five, three and nine, nine and three years, <ref> grumpy. [http://www.victorianwars.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=6122 1870: Short Service] ''Victorian Wars Forum'' 17 October 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2016. <br> QGE. [http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?/topic/243429-cavalry-terms-of-engagement-1902-1914/&do=findComment&comment=2448106 Cavalry: Terms of Engagement 1902-1914] ''Great War Forum'' 27 September 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.</ref> but terms may have been modified for regiments going to India.<ref>[http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=TS19000303.2.59 The British Army. (By The Right Hon Sir Charles W. Dilke)] ''The Star'' , Issue 6734, 3 March 1900, Page 7 Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand.</ref>
===Wives and families travelling to India===
For soldiers deployed from Britain to overseas garrisons only a proportion of men were allowed to be accompanied by their wives. For most countries the proportion was six wives per one hundred soldiers. However for India, and Australia, the ratio was twelve wives per one hundred men, including NCOs. The number of children was unlimited.<ref>Fuller, Tony [http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/india/2000-08/0966007649 Women on ships – again] ''Rootsweb India Mailing List'' 11 August 2000. (The author was researching at the Tower Hamlets Library). Retrieved 17 February 2015</ref>
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