Researching World War One records
It can be hard to know where to start looking for World War One records. Results will also vary by country, which resources have been digitised and how much information survives about each person.
Many soldiers were born in one country, but served in another, so you might need to search multiple countries. Copying resources over to this page is very much work in progress and will be biased towards the research I've done so far, but I've found the following resources useful. If you know of any I've missed, please just sign up and edit the page to add them.
Contents
Australian records
Researching Australian military service: First World War, 1914-1918 and Researching Australian military service: introduction.
Looking for specific names
- Australian WWI Records Finder searches the National Archives of Australia, Australian War Memorial and Commonwealth War Graves Commission sites
- Discovering Anzacs
British records
The The Long, Long Trail site is useful for any researcher but is particularly focused on 'The British Army in the Great War of 1914-1918'. It includes:
- How to find records of soldiers of the British Army of 1914-1918
- Researching a soldier with a 'guide and tips on how to find out about a soldier of the British Army of the First World War'.
- How to find a soldier's number explains where to look for this very useful identifier.
- Other guides include How to interpret a medal index card and Interpreting soldiers service records.
- Ancestor Research & Military Genealogy information from the Army Museums Ogilby Trust
The Great War Forum is also an incredible resource - your question may already have been answered.
Canadian records
Indian records
- British Library India Office Records: Family History Sources
Searching for specific names
- India Office Family History Search 'for mainly British and European people in India c.1600-1949'
