Page
Modified: 01 October 2004
Service
Records / Royal
Navy / Army / Royal
Air Force / Non UK and Commonwealth
Serv.Pers.
Service
Records
  
Service records are
archived at the MOD establishments listed in the above text links.
Requests from former Service personnel
Requests from Interested parties
Deceased personnel
Where do I write to for access to data?
What about records in the public domain?
You may need to access personal data held by the MOD in manual or electronic
format for many reasons including:
- proof of service
- medical reasons
- family history
or research
Service records which
pre-date those held by the MOD have been transferred to the
National Archive and
are freely available for public access. However the National Archives
is not resourced to carry out searches. Enquirers are instead welcome
to visit, or hire an independent researcher - see the National
Archive website for further details.
Requests
from former Service personnel
Requests from former Service personnel for his/her personal data held
by the Ministry of Defence are processed in accordance with the Data Protection
Act 1998; such requests are called Subject Access Requests (SAR).
A SAR must be made
in writing and must be accompanied by proof of identity (e.g. a copy of
a passport or recent utilities bill), and sufficient information to locate
the data sought. To assist the search, your letter should include as much
information as possible eg:
- Service Number,
Rank, Full Name, Date of Birth and period served (dates from and to).
- Requests for data
for ex-Army personnel must also include the Regiment or Corps.
Once all the necessary
information has been received, your request will be processed and you
should receive a reply within 40 calendar days.
To download the SAR
form, please click here.
For service records of non-UK personnel please
click here.
To access a record the following information (or as much as possible)
is required:
- Service Number,
Rank, Full Name, Date of Birth and period served (dates from and to).
For queries to the Army also state the Regiment or Corps in addition
to the above information.
- A full copy of
the record can be requested however, original documents, discharge papers/books
cannot be replaced. The MOD will also provide extracts from service
records.
Requests
from Interested parties
Enquirers must provide a letter of consent from the subject of the record.
Deceased personnel
Enquirers must provide the consent of the Next of Kin and unless the person
died in Service, proof of death. A charge may be made for enquiries. Prior
to 1972 all Royal Navy personnel were given their service record when
they were discharged. For pension purposes the Royal Navy retained pay
details. Therefore the only data held on Royal Navy personnel who served
prior to 1972 is their Service details (number, rank, name etc) and a
list of dates and ships/shore bases.
Where
do I write to for access to data?
Personnel records are stored at archives and repositories throughout the
UK. Additionally there are also Subject Access Request Co-ordinators for
each Service. The list at the back of the leaflet will assist you to choose
the correct address.
What
about records in the public domain?
The following personnel Service records have been transferred to the National
Archive (formerly the Public Record Office) and are available for public
access.
- Royal Navy Officers
who enlisted prior to 1914
- Royal Navy Ratings
who enlisted prior to 1924 and First World War records for Women's Royal
Naval Service
- Royal Marine Officers
and Other Ranks who enlisted before 1926
- Army Officers and
Other Ranks that enlisted prior to 1920
- Royal Air Force
Officers that served prior to 1922
- Royal Air Force
Airmen that served prior to 1924
If you have any other queries about service
records or are not sure about which office to write to please contact
the Veterans
Agency Helpline
For
information on historical records see Links
to other Veterans' Organisations
Frequently
Asked Questions
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