Over two million service records of those who served in the British Army infantry division during the Second World War are now available online and will be freely available to view in the lead-up to Remembrance Day.
Genealogy website Ancestry, working with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and The National Archives (TNA), has digitised and indexed the collection as part of a vast project to digitise WW2 British Army service records as they are transferred from the MOD to TNA.
In late 2024 Ancestry released its first tranche of WW2 service records with a much smaller collection of records from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) amongst others. However, as the vast majority of soldiers were infantrymen, this new release is far more significant and will be welcomed by anyone interested in uncovering details of family members who served.
The collection is made up of more than two million service records for other ranks (not officers) from the British Army infantry. It covers those who were discharged as over age between 1939 and 1959 and will include many service records for those who served during the First World War but opted to continue their service beyond 1921.
Most First World War service records were destroyed in a fire during the Blitz, so this new release of records may give insight into two conflicts for some researchers.
The records include military attestation forms that contain personal information about each soldier, but will not include medical records, which will remain closed. Details of which regiment a relative served in will enable family members to explore historical accounts of actions that the regiment were involved in, giving unprecedented insight into their ancestor’s WW2 experience.
The launch coincides with Ancestry offering free access to nearly seven billion selected wartime records in the lead up to Remembrance Day. As well as the newly released WW2 records, registered users will have free access to almost 7 billion military records including POW records and medal registers.
Free access to the military records will run from 6 November to 12 November and will require free registration with the website. You do not need to sign up for a free trial to the subscription service, all you need is a ‘registered guest’ account. To register in advance, go to ancestry.co.uk/account/create (if visiting from the UK) or ancestry.com/account/create (for US and other visitors).
