Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society

Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society Chorley Branch Education Group Talk Handout Army Records The Army The Anglo-Saxons had a militia force that could be called out in times of national crisis they fought at Hastings Medieval knights were called to fight for the King and pledged to bring a set number of fighting men with them, however most of the knights usually went to war to get money through ransom rather than to support the King Knights and archers Knights practised hard to hone their warring skills by taking part in the tourney, which was originally a mini battle fought over the land - and deaths and injuries could and did occur Archers had to practise at the Butts every Sunday after church. England s longbow archers were renowned throughout Europe Europeans tended to use the crossbow, which could be as accurate as the

longbow, but the longbow firing rate was higher Medieval Muster Rolls - http://www.medievalsoldier.org and TNA Civil War The supporters of the King were badly organised and leadership was inconsistent The Parliamentarians eventually were well disciplined and organised with good leaders Some of the regiments raised during the Civil Wars were taken under the wing of the King after the Restoration and continued as Army units for many years

English Civil War - http://www.englishcivilwar.org/

Up to Victoria Regiments of soldiers, either foot or mounted regiments, would be raised by a local bigwig, who armed them and provided them with his own design of uniform!!! These were eventually taken over as regiments within the regular army Officers bought their commissions, they were not earned on merit as they are today The Prince Regent actually designed his own uniforms when he was Colonel in Chief for several regiments! Nicknames Many regiments had nicknames that reflected their uniforms The 11 th Hussars were commanded in 1840 by the 7 th Earl of Cardigan who decreed the men should wear very tight pink trousers. Their nickname was the Cherubims, which became the Cherry Breeches and also the Cherrybums The 4 th Foot was commanded by William Barrell between 1734 and 1739 The uniform had blue facings on the jacket and blue trousers They became known as Barrell s Blues

Defence Defensive forts and castles were built, and permanently manned, around the coast of England for centuries, mainly in the south east Dover Castle has been a defensive position since the time of the Romans and was used during WW2 and the Cold War During the ages, designs for the forts changed, as shown in the following map Georgian Times List of Engineers belonging to the Office of His Majesty s Ordnance and Officers and Men belonging to His Majesty s Royal Regiment of Artillery This shows their pay for the 61 day siege of Gibraltar in 1727

List of Men at the siege of Gibraltar 1727 - TNA

Georgian times During Georgian times England was at war in the American colonies The army was a reasonably well-organised force, that was kept supplied and organised from Horse Guards in London War brewed up in Europe when Napoleon went on the rampage The resultant war generated dispatches, maps, new regiments, new ideas This led to a lot of paperwork some of which is in The National Archives Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815) - www.forces-war-records.co.uk

Victoria During Victoria s reign the army became better organised and regiments were stabilised Barracks were built to accommodate soldiers and their families The main difficulty at times was to find good, experienced officers to command the soldiers the Charge of the Light Brigade is a prime example Regimental numbers were introduced Officers still bought their commissions Here is a list of fifers and drummers showing their Victorian regimental numbers It also shows their length of service for one stint and their allowance per day They would have been paid 5 7s 9d for the 90 days of their service

Drummers & Fifers - TNA Victoria / Edward During the wars in South Africa the red uniforms disappeared and the familiar khaki took its place Developments in fire-arms and tactics abroad meant that the army had to become more professional Boer War casualties - Ancestry

Boer War casualties - FindMyPast Militia Militia - Saxon times In Saxon times there was no standing army. Men and boys of the right age were called on to fight for the king for a certain amount of time each year At the time of the Norman Conquest, the Saxon king Harold had called on his men to fight with him at Stamford Bridge near York against the Vikings They had already been on high alert because of the threat from Normandy Their days of service were at an end after the battle at Stamford Bridge and many went back to their homes to harvest the crops When Duke William finally landed, the Saxon army was a depleted, weary group of men who fought to their utmost ability, but were overcome in the end Militia - Medieval times The knights who took their men to war with them were basically a militia style army they were not members of a regular army as we have now Skills were honed at home and could be used against their neighbours as much as in the king s service A web site for Medieval Soldiers is available and it has profiles of individual soldiers.

Militia - Tudor times In Tudor times, the militia began to be a more organised force Musters of able-bodied men were kept and many are now in TNA at Kew When Elizabeth I spoke to her army at Tilbury, she was speaking to the militia who were there to defend England. The main soldiers were on board the fleet chasing the Spanish Armada up the English Channel. Militia - Post Tudor times Readers of Jane Austen will remember the excitement felt by many of the young ladies when the militia were stationed in their area The Duke of Atholl still has his own private army at Blair Atholl There is also the Royal Company of Artillerymen, the monarch s bodyguard in the City of London

Militia - Victorian times During Victoria s reign these militia groups became more organised and were attached to local regiments

Militia - Post Victorian During WW1 men who had served with the volunteers were encouraged to reenlist to help with Home Defence Militia Today The tradition of a civilian volunteer army is still with us in the shape of the Army Reserve (Previously the TA) These men and women are serving beside regular army personnel on the war front in Afghanistan and Iraq World Wars World Wars Both World Wars of the 20 th century saw many horrific developments in firearms and tactics Anti-aircraft batteries were formed The parachute was developed and used in raids over the Continent Women entered the armed services Records Regimental records are kept at The National Archives. To access them you need to know a person s regiment, the time of service and possibly regimental number There are many regimental museums around the country, where local records, such as war diaries, may be accessed, but the main records are at TNA at Kew Records - The Internet

Some records are gradually being put on to the Internet for easier access to a wider audience These include pensions records, medal records and prisoner of war records Pension records can be many pages long and not only include the soldier s army record, but also letters from the soldier s close relatives A record from the Pension Records on Ancestry.co.uk for Edward Mantle. I have his service records too, but they are in very poor condition. This was also obtained from Ancestry. (13 pages) Here are the first two of eight pages

Medal Card 1914-1918 - Ancestry

De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour, 1914-1924 - Ancestry & Findmypast Soldiers Died in Great War 1914-1919 Ancestry & Findmypast

The National Roll of the Great War, 1914-1918 - Ancestry Records - After Service Discharge papers for soldiers contained a lot of information, but also what could be called a load of bumf My father kept all his papers, copies of which are on the wall

The Home Guard Dad s Army was to be used as a guerrilla force if the Germans invaded!!!!!!! Under age young men and veterans from World War I formed most of the brigades Local groups were trained by the army and went on manoeuvres with them Army ranks were used and promotion records can be found at the Imperial War Museum, London

WW2 Prisoners of War Herbert Chapman Herbert was captured in 1940 providing a rearguard action to the retreat at Dunkirk He was held prisoner of war for the duration of the war. For most of that time he was held at Fort Rauch in Poland

From the smiles Herbert seems to have had a good war. However, by searching the internet and getting other accounts of other people s experience it was not always happy. I read of beatings, deaths and starvation especially towards the end of the war when they were marched back to Germany. Herbert being punished

Ancestry has some records of the men who were prisoners of war in Germany

This card was not obtained from Ancestry but from the Veteran s Agency.

International Committee of the Red Cross Prisoners of War WW1 https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/

WW2 WW2 Casualties Army Roll of Honour 1939-1945 - Ancestry

WW2 Casualties www.forces-war-records.co.uk Pay site that covers Post WW2, Interwar, WW2 World War 1, Boer, Victorian Conflicts, Crimean, Early 19th Century, Napoleonic, Pre-Napoleonic (1350 2014)

Commonwealth War Graves Commission www.cwgc.org/

Chelsea Pensioners From 1692 until 1955 all Army Pensions were paid through the Royal Chelsea Hospital There were two types of pensioner in- pensioners and out-pensioners Out-pensioners lived with their families and received their pension money on a regular basis Their records are at TNA, Kew In-pensioners are the familiar red-coated ex-soldiers we see every year at the Festival of Remembrance They give up their pension to live at the Chelsea Hospital, which is run on military lines Records of the Chelsea Pensioners from 1871 can be accessed through the Assistant Curator at the Hospital. Records prior to 1871 are at TNA, Kew Some are on FindMyPast (1883-1913) Some are on Ancestry (Index) and you will be transferred to Fold3 for images (pay site) Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Admissions and Discharges, 1715-1925 Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Soldier Service Records, 1760-1920 Royal Hospital, Chelsea: Regimental Registers of Pensioners, 1713-1882

Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Registers of Soldiers Who Served in Canada, 1743-1882 - Ancestry Where they served and what they did - The Long Long Trail

www.1914-1918.net

Where to find the records The National Archives Kew Army Personnel Centre Glasgow (Living men) Veterans UK Armed Forces and War Pensions, Service Records, Medals or Badges Regimental Museums Guards Museum Wellington Barracks, London The Royal British Legion Commonwealth War Graves Commission Regimental Benevolent Societies The Imperial War Museum London Militia records local record offices The Internet Some Useful Army Databases on the Web BBC WW2 Peoples War www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar Commonwealth War Graves Commission www.cwgc.org Genuki Military page www.genuki.org.uk/big/militaryrecords.html Geoff s 1914-1921 Database http://www.hut-six.co.uk/cgi-bin/search1421.php Imperial War Museum http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections British Empire (Large site with a section on the army Uniforms, Units, Campaigns) www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/army.htm Military Researchers With useful information and advice www.militaryarchiveresearch.com/index.htm About war memorials and the men recorded on them (With photographs) www.roll-of-honour.com Where to apply for service records https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterans-uk Soldiers Memorials www.angelfire.com/mp/memorials/memindz1.htm The Long, Long Trail. Large very useful site WW1 www.1914-1918.net/ Medieval Soldiers. With profiles of individual soldiers. www.icmacentre.ac.uk/soldier/database/index.php The Wartime Memories Project (WW1 & WW2) www.wartimememories.co.uk/ War Memorials Archive http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/ The National Archives www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Army Databases available on Ancestry.co.uk www.ancestry.co.uk/ Babergh Hundred Military Survey of 1522 Bexley, Kent, England, WWI Registration Cards, 1914-1919 British and German Deserters, Dischargees, and POW's Who May Have Remained in Canada and the USA, 1774-1783. Part One and Two British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 British Army WWI Pension Records 1914-1920 British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920 British Naval Biographical Dictionary, 1849 Cornwall, England, Militia and Sea Fencibles Index, 1780-1831 Dorset, England, Militia Lists, 1757-1860 England, The National Roll of the Great War, 1914-1918 Families from village Wetheral : 1949 supplement Gateshead, Durham, England, War Honours Scrapbook, 1914-1920 Great Britain Army War List, January 1893 Great Britain, Royal Naval Division Casualties of The Great War, 1914-1924 Indian Army Quarterly List for 1 January 1912 Ireland, Casualties of World War I, 1914-1922 Ireland, Royal Hospital Kilmainham Pensioner Discharge Documents, 1724-1924 Ireland, Royal Irish Constabulary Pensions, 1873-1925 Perthshire, Scotland, Militia Survey, 1802 Sample Records from British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920 Scottish Soldiers in Colonial America, Part III Surrey, England, Regimental Rolls, 1914-1947 The French and Indian War from Scottish Sources The Kirkcaldy War Album. Containing portraits of over two hundred Fife men. Groups and Views 1900/1902 UK, American Loyalist Claims, 1776-1835 UK, Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects, 1901-1929 UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945 UK, British Army Lists, 1882-1962 UK, British Army Muster Books and Pay Lists, 1812-1817 UK, British Army Recipients of the Military Medal, 1914-1920 UK, British Jewry Roll of Honour, 1914-1918 UK, British Officer Prisoners of War, 1914-1918 UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945 UK, Casualties of the Boer War, 1899-1902 UK, Citations of the Distinguished Conduct Medal, 1914-1920 UK, Commonwealth War Graves, 1914-1921 and 1939-1947 UK, De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour, 1914-1919 UK, Electrical Engineer WWI and WWII Rolls of Honour, 1924, 1949 UK, Hart's Annual Army List, 1908

UK, Memorial Books WWI and WWII, 1914-1945 UK, Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949 UK, Military Deserters, 1812-1927 UK, Military Discharge Indexes, 1920-1971 UK, Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Admissions and Discharges, 1715-1925 UK, Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Soldier Service Records, 1760-1920 UK, Royal Hospital, Chelsea: Regimental Registers of Pensioners, 1713-1882 UK, Silver War Badge Records, 1914-1920 UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 UK, Victoria Cross Medals, 1857-2007 UK, Waterloo Medal Roll, 1815 UK, WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920 UK, WWI War Diaries (France, Belgium and Germany), 1914-1920 UK, WWI War Diaries (Gallipoli and Dardanelles), 1914-1916 UK, WWII Civil Defence Gallantry Awards, 1940-1949 Warwickshire, England, Militia, 1776-1825 Web: Ireland, Military Service Pension Index, 1916-1923 Web: Ireland, National Army Census, 1922 Web: Ireland, Wills of Irish Soldiers Who Died in the British Army, 1897-1922 Web: UK, Women's Army Auxiliary Corps Index, 1917-1920 West Yorkshire, England, Militia, 1779-1826 Databases available on Find My Past ` www.findmypast.co.uk Boer War Anglo-Boer War Records 1899-1902 Britain, Campaign, Gallantry & Long Service Medals & Awards British Army Service Records Image Browse British Army, Honourable Artillery Company British Army, Northumberland Fusiliers 1881-1920 British Army, Royal Artillery Officer Deaths 1850-2011 British Army, Royal Artillery Officers 1716-1899 London Volunteer Soldiers Middlesex War Memorials Military Nurses 1856-1994 Paddington Rifles 1860-1912 Prisoners Of War 1715-1945 Prisoners Of War 1715-1945 Browse Register Of The Royal Red Cross, 1883-1994 Royal Artillery Attestations 1883-1942 Royal Artillery Honours & Awards Royal Fusiliers Collection 1863-1905 WW1

Abingdon 1914-1920 Birmingham City Battalions 1914-1918 Birmingham Employers Roll Of Honour 1914-1918 Bradford Pals 1914-1918 Britain School & University Memorial Rolls 1914-1918 Britain, Trade Union Members, Service & Casualties 1914-1918 British Army Service Records 1914-1920 British Army, Bond Of Sacrifice: Officers Died In The Great War 1914-1916 British Army, De Ruvigny's Roll Of Honour 1914-1918 British Army, Deserters and Absentees In Police Gazette 1914-1919 British Army, Lloyds Of London Memorial Roll 1914-1919 British Army, Royal Artillery War Commemoration Book, 1914-1918 British In Argentina 1914-1919 British Jewry Book Of Honour, 1914-1920 British Officers Taken Prisoner Of War 1914-1918 Edinburgh Pals 1914-1918 Essex, Clacton Roll Of Honour 1914-1918 Glasgow Pals 1914-1918 Harold Gillies Plastic Surgery Archives From WW1 Kempston Servicemen 1914-1920 Leicestershire and Rutland, Soldiers Died 1914-1920 Liverpool Pals 1914-1918 London County Council Record Of War Service 1914-1918 London Stock Exchange Memorial Roll 1914-1918 Manchester Employers' Roll Of Honour 1914-1916 Manchester Regiment City Battalions 1914-1916 Middlesex, Poplar, Military Tribunals 1916-1918 National Roll Of The Great War 1914-1918 Northamptonshire Military Tribunals 1916-1918 Oldham Pals 1914-1920 Oldham Pals Roll Of Honour Plymouth Rolls Of Honour 1914-1919 Royal Fusiliers, Stockbrokers' Battalion 1914-1918 Royal Sussex Regiment, Southdown Battalions 1914-1918 Salford Pals 1914-1918 Silver War Badge Roll 1914-1920 1st Sportsman's Battalion, Royal Fusiliers 1914-1918 Soldiers Died In The Great War 1914-1919 South Africa Roll Of Honour 1914-1918 Surrey, Military Tribunals 1915-1918 Swansea Pals (14th Welsh Regt) Welsh Guards 1914-1918 World War One British Army Medal Index Cards

WW1 Distinguished Conduct Medal Citations Yorkshire, Craven's Part In The Great War Medal Rolls and Honours British Army, Indian Volunteer Force Medal Awards 1915-1939 Victoria Cross Recipients 1854-2006 Other Wars and Conflicts Army Deserters 1828-1840 Army List 1787 Army List 1798 Army List August 1878 Britain, Campaign, Gallantry & Long Service Medals & Awards British Army Discharges, 60th Foot 1854-1880 British Army Muster Rolls, 60th Foot 1879-1882 British Army Muster Rolls, 84th Foot 1808-1818 British Army Officer Promotions 1800-1815 British Army Pensioners - Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Ireland, 1783-1822 British Army Service Records Image Browse British Army, Honourable Artillery Company British Army, List Of Half-Pay Officers 1714 British Army, Northumberland Fusiliers 1881-1920 British Army, Royal Artillery Officer Deaths 1850-2011 British Army, Royal Artillery Officers 1716-1899 British Army, War Of 1812 Casualties British Army, Worldwide Index 1841 British Army, Worldwide Index 1851 British Army, Worldwide Index 1861 British Army, Worldwide Index 1871 British Casualties, Aden 1955-1967 British Casualties, Indian Mutiny 1857-1859 British Casualties, Korean War 1950-1953 British Casualties, Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 British India Office Army & Navy Pensions Bromsgrove School England Deaths 1899-1945 City Of York Militia & Muster Rolls 1509-1829 Cyprus Emergency Deaths 1955-1960 Falklands War British Deaths 1982 Grenadier Guards 1656-1874 Harts Army List 1840 Harts Army List 1888 Lincolnshire, Kesteven Militia Ballot List 1824 London Volunteer Soldiers Malayan Emergency Commonwealth Deaths 1948-1960 Middlesex War Memorials Military Nurses 1856-1994 Napoleonic War Records 1775-1817

WW2 Northamptonshire Militia Lists 1771 Paddington Rifles 1860-1912 Palestine Conflict British Deaths 1945-1948 Peninsular War, British Army Officers, 1808-1814 Plymouth Militia Records 1625-1831 Plymouth Subscribers For Redemption Of Captives In Turkey and Algiers 1680 Prisoners Of War 1715-1945 Prisoners Of War 1715-1945 Browse Register Of The Royal Red Cross, 1883-1994 Royal Artillery Attestations 1883-1942 Royal Artillery Honours & Awards Royal Fusiliers Collection 1863-1905 Royal Tank Corps Enlistment Records, 1919-1934 Surrey Recruitment Registers 1908-1933 Waterloo Roll Call, 1815 Britain, Campaign, Gallantry & Long Service Medals & Awards Britain, Enemy Aliens and Internees, First and Second World Wars Britain, Enemy Aliens and Internees, First and Second World Wars Browse British Army Casualty Lists 1939-1945 British Army Casualty Lists 1939-1945 Image Browse British Army Service Records Image Browse British Army, Honourable Artillery Company British Army, Royal Artillery, 80th Field Regiment Bromsgrove School England Deaths 1899-1945 London Volunteer Soldiers Middlesex War Memorials Military Nurses 1856-1994 Plymouth Second World War Records 1939-1945 Prisoners Of War 1715-1945 Prisoners Of War 1715-1945 Browse Register Of The Royal Red Cross, 1883-1994 Royal Artillery Attestations 1883-1942 Royal Artillery Honours & Awards Royal Artillery Other Ranks: Casualty Cards 1939-1947 Wyggeston Grammar School England Deaths 1939-1945

The Genealogist www.thegenealogist.co.uk Casualty Lists War Office Daily Casualty Lists 1914-1920 War Office Weekly Casualty List 1917 1918 Dambusters Operations Record Book, 617 Squadron Medals Distinguished Conduct Medal Military Medal Military Court Index Military Rolls & Lists Army Lists 1661-1940 Defence Staff Lists 1914-1921 Despatches Naval and Military Despatches Vol. I (Sept-Oct. 1914) Naval and Military Despatches Vol.II (Nov 1914 - Jun 1915) Naval and Military Despatches Vol. III (Jul-Oct. 1915) Naval and Military Despatches Vol. VII (Dec 1916 - Jul 1917) Harrow Memorial of the Great War Harrow Memorials of the Great War 23rd August 1914 to 20th March 1915 Harrow Memorials of the Great War 13th September 1915 to 3rd July 1916 Harrow Memorials of the Great War 31st March 1915 to 11th September 1915 Harrow Memorials of the Great War 5th July 1916 to the 11th April 1917 Harrow Memorials of the Great War 11th April 1917 to 10th April 1918 Harrow Memorials of the Great War 10th April 1918 to the end of the War Memorials (WW1) Loos Memorial Touret Memorial Vis-en-Artois Memorial Arras Memorial Pozieres Memorial Militia Lists North York Militia Officers 1876 First Regiment of Militia History of Lancashire Militia

Lancashire Militia Roll of Officers 1642-1889 Rolls of Honour War Service Lists National Union of Teachers War records 1914-1919 Militia Musters 1781-1782 POW Records Regimental Records Essex Ireland Kent Lancashire (example) Manchester City Battalions 1916 42 nd East Lancashire Division 1914-1918 55 th West Lancashire Division 1914-1919 Soldiers Died - The Kings Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) Leicestershire Middlesex National Nottinghamshire Oxfordshire Scotland Yorkshire Rolls of Honour Heroes of the United Service 1824-1914 Edinburgh Academy Register, War Supplement 1921 1824-1914 The Edinburgh Academy Register Artists' Rifles- Roll Of Honour 1914-1919 British Roll of Honour 1914-1916 Surrey, Croydon and the Great War 1914-1919 Craven's Part in the Great War, Yorkshire Edinburgh Royal High School Roll of Honour 1914-1918 1914-1919 Gloucestershire, Stroud District and its Part in The Great War London, Hampstead, University College Roll of Honour & War List 1914-1918 The Roll of Honour of the Institution of Electrical Engineers 1914-1919 Inner Temple London 1914-1918 1914-1919 Old Reptonian War Register London, Wimbledon and Merton Roll of Honour 1914-1918 West Riding Yorkshire Territorials in the Great War Manchester City Battalions - Book Of Honour - 1916 Soldiers who Died in WW1

War Memorial List Fold3 www.fold3.com UK, Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Soldier Service Records British Army WWI Service Records Distinguished Conduct Medals UK, WWI War Diaries (Gallipoli-Dardanelles) British WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards Ireland, Royal Hospital Kilmainham Pensioner Discharge Documents Good luck. Get searching. Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society Chorley Research Centre at Astley Hall Farmhouse Opening times First & Third Saturdays Noon 4:00pm Monday, Wednesday & Friday 10:00am 4:00pm Last appointment 3:00pm Booking advisable Tel. 01257 231 600 (When centre is open), Tel 01257 262 028 (When centre is closed) or Book on line at - Chorley Family History Research Centre Website www.cfhrc.com Research Enquires - chorleyresearch@lffhs.org.uk Chorley Branch Website - www.lfhhschorleybranch.com LFHHS President Steve Williams Society Website www.lfhhs.org.uk Reg. Charity Number - 513437