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Personal and historical records of soldiers during the First World War are made available to the public
Documents detailing the personal experiences of millions of people who served in the First World War are to be made available online.
The Ancestry.co.uk website has teamed up with The National Archives to make service and pension records of solidiers who served in the British Army between 1914 and 1920 available online.
Personal and historical records including census results have been gathered from more than 8,000 reels of transcribed microfilm at The National Archives.
Users will be able to find details about people's former occupations, physical appearance, discipline records, regimental movements, postings, next of kin, and military career histories and, in some cases, the manner of their deaths.
Around five million soldiers from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland fought in the First World War, but German bombing raids in 1940 destroyed around 60 per cent of service records that were held.
The surviving records, many badly damaged and known as the 'burnt documents', were conserved by The National Archives and filmed. Although they can be viewed on microfilm at The National Archives, it is hoped the digitisation process will make this information available to more people who can't visit the institution in person.
The records, known as the WO363 British Army Service records and the WO364 British Army Pension records, will be put online in phases.
The first to go online from today are pension records for about 100,000 soldiers. These will include medical reports and documents pertaining to discharges and pensions granted for disability.
By the end of 2008, Ancestry.co.uk hopes to have records for 2.5 million former soldiers online.
Tony Robinson, who has been involved in the project, spoke at the launch event, held in the Cabinet War Rooms in Westminster, and said the aim of the project was to help people understand more fully what their forebears went through.
Because so many returned from war too traumatised to speak about their experiences, he added, this would allow people to "reclaim the history of the First World War".
Digitally transcribing the records already online has taken teams of researchers five months. To get the full records of 2.5 million soldiers that will be available will take until the end of 2008.
William Spencer, a senior military specialist at The National Archives in Kew, underlined the importance of these records saying they were not just military history, but social history from one of the most significant periods of the 20th century.
The records can be searched on the website ancestry.co.uk either on a
per-view basis or by subscribing to Ancestry.co.uk for £80 per year, or £10 for
one month.
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No Record - It`s a Fraud
My Grandad served in WWI and received an `Honourable Discharge` but there are no records of him ever having been in the Army. And to investigate this matter further Ancestory want £££`s. I thought the records were supposed to be FREE?
Posted by John H, 23 Nov 2008
My Uncle
My Uncle died in 1917 on the Western front. It is unfortunate that I now have to pay the find detail is of his death.
Posted by Jim Cogan, 13 Nov 2008
YOU DONT HAVE TO PAYE
GO TO THE CWGC WEBSITE AND PUNCH IN HIS NAME AND HIS DETAILS WILL APPEAR ITS TOTALLY FREE
Posted by PAUL ALEXANDER, 15 Nov 2008
Cash
This is just another money making scheme
Posted by Peter, 16 Nov 2008
war records
Charging to access the records of the world wars is an insult to the brave soldiers who gave their lives
Posted by Frank Turner, 17 Nov 2008
PROFITERING FROM THE DEATH OF MY GREAT UNCLE
Why does every thing cost so much, £ 80.00 to join a site to get a medical card is such a rip off, these things should be free to relatives,
Posted by gary higgitt, 20 Nov 2008
No record
I like John H of 23 Nov 2008 subscribed to Ancestery to look up my fathers WW1 records and although I have all his details i.e. regimental number and corps nothing was found, although I did manage to find a few of my wifes family.
Posted by Brian Batchelor, 25 Nov 2008
wrong to pay for our heroes
i am disgusted that we must pay to look at this site and express it is wrong to pay for our heroes who all ready payed with thier lives for this country and our freedom
Posted by gareth s stone, 30 Nov 2008
Why
Yes Why do we have to pay for info on members of uour own family who have already made the ultimate gift to this country.The love of money is the ROOT of ALL evil
Posted by john smith-jon, 11 Jan 2009
Payment for valour
I am disgusted that I need to pay to find out about the records of my grandfather. Many paid the supreme sacrifice serving their country with honour and bravery. For those who survived many paid the price for the rest of their lives. My grandfather was gassed on the Somme and carried that with him all the life I ever knew of him. This is a most shameful 'service' Money doesn't talk it swears
Posted by Chris Hockenhull, 11 Feb 2009
Re. Payments for records
While I do not mind paying something for people`s time and effort in researching records, which is still very difficult in the U.K., I agree that having joined Ancestry for instance, only so much is given and its constantly reminding you to pay another £8 odd a month for a bit more, then it`ll be another £8 for a bit more still. I paid £5 for some pre 1837 info from another site. I understood the complicated credit system would allow me five lookups, but no such thing. In five minutes my £5 was gone and I had nothing to show for it. Whereas I paid £7.50 to Parish Chest and a researcher went to the Archives and found me loads and posted it to me. Just shop around!
Posted by chris colloby, 13 Feb 2009
Easy Money
Its easy for the researcher who has plenty of money , but what about those of uswho cant afford these rediculous prices. We might never get to know about our ancestors who gave their lives . Its all about money at the end of the day. I wonder what our ancestors would think about it.
Posted by Ant, 14 Feb 2009
cost
My great uncle is missing in ww1, and on a different website it cost £45 to find out what i already know such as his name serial number and the fact he is missing, I think it disgusting, this information should be free to all reletives
Posted by gary, 21 Feb 2009
Monica
Australian records are all online for everyone to see free of charge. I think this is a money making scheme. These records should be public.
Posted by Monica Laing, 24 Mar 2009
military records search
In Australia searches on Military Records Online are Free ie World War 1 or World War 2 Nominal Roll - War Memorial Site and Mapping our Anzacs, can find enlistment documents (the originals), embarkment details, age, date of birth, next of kin etc. Shame I cannot find my British Kin with out having to pay MORE !
Posted by morgan, 25 Mar 2009
ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED Greed, Greed, Greed.
Both my Grand Fathers fought for their country in WW1, they where both in the trenches on the Western Front . One also served in the Boer War. My Father was in active service in WW 2.. None of them would talk about their experiences. NOW I HAVE TO PAY SOME GREEDY MULTI - NATIONAL COMPANY TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT MY LOVED ONES. " Military serivce records is completly FREE to next of kin if you served In the Australia Armed Forces"
Posted by Dave, 26 Apr 2009
MY DAD
My dad as a 15 year old boy (he lied about his age) fought in Scotland in WW1, but I can find no record. Yes everone want money and it is so unfair.
Posted by Estelle Berrill (nee Goosen), 14 May 2009
payment to see records
At least ,we do not have to pay to send this comment , at least , not until now.I agree with many others, it should be funded by the Government,
Posted by Christopher Mitchell, 21 May 2009
cost of search
theses brave men and women gave thier lives for us and i belive in order for thier memories to live on and thier families can find out about thier brave fearless relatives who paid the ultimate price this service should befree of any charges for all to search.
Posted by christopher knights, 26 May 2009
Honour
They fought with honour, many died with honour. We wish to remember them; to know what they did for us. By charging for this information it is a form of dishonour to them which fills me with revulsion. Whatever information exists of what each individual contribution was to the war effort should be freely available in their honour and our admiration and respect.
Posted by Keith Jones, 01 Aug 2009
Complete Greed
Is it not enough that these soldiers died for there country,you now want to profit from there ultimate sacrifice by charging there relatives who want to know how and when they made the ultimate sacrifice.
Posted by Henry Richard Wildman, 31 Aug 2009
Profiteering
Typical of this Government to charge families of brave soldiers who served their country selflessly in one of the worst wars in history. Not surprised though as they continue to treat servicemen and their families with contempt!
Posted by Claire, 24 Sep 2009
cannon foder
its a shame that after being prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice these brave brave men & boys exploits remain unknown to relatives due to excesive costs for information that should be freely given and available to all. " lions led by donkeys" (we do know). it looks like the donkeys are still in control and have little regard for all but personal gain.
Posted by Oliver, great grandson of Sapper A V Rowe Royal Eng's, 26 Sep 2009
fat cats get fatter
yep i agree. Its the same old story, everything to make a "fast buck". Just sums up our country. Any chance at making a few quid from the population. Once more its the money makers profiting from the ones that make the sacrifices. Its always been like that and always will be. A politician and those like them are people who will give your life for their country
Posted by ian sykes, 02 Dec 2009
World War 1 military records go online
I entirely endorse everything everyone has said about this scam, which surely ought to be the subject of a petition on the No10 website? Also, I believe this is an issue that Computeractive should make crystal clear to readers whenever promoting access to these records (as it does from time to time) if not even actually campaign on our behalf for free release to the public.
Posted by Robert Crowther, 23 Dec 2009
Bless em all
God bless all the men and service woman whom have fallen in the great wars over the years and even in our time now. War will still go on even when i am long gone but I would like to say thank you to all those who still fight for democracy and the right for our children to live in a peaceful world. But please no profiteering from stories which need to be told for future generations. To me just sounds like greed from stories oof grief. God forbid no!!! PLEASE.
Posted by Frank Kennedy bolton lre sands, 23 Dec 2009
GREED AS PER USUAL
Why is it that everything costs money, even having access to relatives war information means that some greedy so and so has his nose in the trough. Still that is what we have come to expect from certain people these days. Perhaps Gordon will have a whip round amongst the thieving MPs and this cost so that as the tag line says "records are made public"
Posted by Maureen Smith, 06 Jan 2010
WW1 Records
Who is behind the Ancestry website? Please, please don't tell me it's an American concern.
Posted by David Leighton, 14 Jan 2010
Free ?.
Don't fall for this Ancestry .Com rip - off
Posted by donald macdonald, 30 Jan 2010
Dont vote for a goverment that can let this happen
We are in an election year, so when these candadates come asking for your support, tell them you will never support any goverment that can let this happen all family records should be free, we accept that reasonable administration are acceptable but proffetering is not
Posted by Richard Hooper, 26 Apr 2010
This is nonsense
Why does a person have to pay for records? What ever happened to the freedom of information
Posted by Peter Giles, 24 Apr 2011
ww1 records, research for families of dead should be free
I have researched a lot but cannot find Gt Uncle Sgt W Taylors grave without spending more money. Not fair.
Posted by Carole Cooper, 28 Aug 2011
DISGRACE
ALL OUR FAMILIES HAVE LOST LOVE ONES NEARLY 100 YEARS AGO AND WE ARE BEING MADE TO PAY TO ACCESS INFORMATION - PURE FRAUD AT ITS BEST. ACTUALLY FEEL SICK WITH THE THOUGHT OF SOMEONE BENEFITING FROM THIS.
Posted by GARETH BOND, 22 Nov 2011
ww1 Grandad search
I did a search about 7 years ago militery records online goverment site found full details of my grandad, strange that now you cannot find site but have to pay a Genealogy or Family tree site now ,but seems my grandads info as disapeared rip of sites
Posted by Dave Brown, 30 Jan 2012