My searches generally include the following. It is possible, depending on the man’s specific circumstances, that I will also need to study sources not mentioned here.
- Army service records
- Service, disablement or widow’s/dependants’ pension records
- Casualty lists
- Hospital admission records
- Prisoner of war records (where relevant)
- Records of death and burial (where relevant)
- Campaign medals records
- Gallantry, bravery and other special awards records
- Mentions in local newspapers (often a source of photographs of the man, too)
- War diary of the man’s unit(s). These are not likely to mention him by name, although casualties and those given awards often are. The diaries however provide detail of the movements and actions in which the unit participated. Where specific actions are of relevance (for example, if your soldier was wounded), I will explain and illustrate events by reference to contemporary trench maps and battle maps.
- Published regimental, unit and formation histories and memoirs or diaries of men serving in the same unit. The chances of your soldier being named within are not high, but it is not impossible.
- My aim is to reconstruct the man’s story, and this often requires some knowledge of his personal life. I draw upon censuses, registrations of birth and marriage, and other civil records to provide this information.
It is often possible that information exists about the man in archives or sources that are less readily available. If I can search these sources, I of course will, but sometimes this is just not practical if the cost of research is to be kept at a reasonable level. An example of this would be material held in regimental or local archives that has not been made digitally available. Where this may be the case, I will mention it in my report and provide information about how to contact the relevant sources.
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