UK Military Records

There has been some good news about accessing post-1922 military service records for the United Kingdom.

“From 1 April 2023 it will be free to apply for a military service record from the MOD. You’ll need to pay the £30 fee if you submit an application before 1 April.”

 

Note you will only be eligible for this free service if one of the following criteria is met:

• You’re next of kin to the person in the record 
• The person died over 25 years ago
• You only want basic information about someone who died within the last 25 years e.g. dates of their military service

Records from World War 1 are held by The National Archives rather than the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

If the person you are researching served in World War 1, you will need to request a Freedom of Information (FOI) paid search.  You’ll be quoted a search cost (normally around £25 - complicated searches cost more) and results usually arrive within 20 working days.

Visit the UK MOD website at Get a copy of military service records