Earlier this year, we announced that the first Ministry of Defence (MOD) service personnel records were on our catalogue and available to order. We have continued to upload various series and you can now search our catalogue, Discovery, to find out which records are available.

Currently, documents can be viewed when ordered in four days in advance which allows us to ensure the preparation of the records before viewing. It also allows us to monitor usage and popularity which in turn will enable us to react to researcher requirements.

If you believe that we have a service record you are looking for but it has not yet been made available, you can request access either by making a Freedom of Information (FOI) request or a Subject Access Request. There are various ways to request access dependent on who you are looking for and whether they are still alive or have passed away:

More advice and information on how to access records can be found in the FAQs (PDF, 0.1 MB) and in our updated research guide, British Army soldiers in service after 1918.

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/mod-service-personnel-records-now-available-update/