UK National Archives to raise fees and introduce new Request A Military Service Record service

The National Archives based at Kew, England, which has charge of records common to the four nations of the UK, is to raise its fees in February 2026 for the first time since 2019, and to introduce a new Request A Military Service Record service. The following is the announcement:

From 2 February 2026, The National Archives will increase fees for some services as we bring charges in line with current delivery costs. This is the first increase since 2019.

The changes affect fees for document copies, research and search services, and authentication, and also introduce a new fee for accessing recently transferred historic Ministry of Defence service personnel records.

Saul Nassé, Chief Executive of The National Archives said:

‘We are introducing updated fees that reflect the costs of providing services to meet the high standards our users rightly expect. We have worked hard to keep the costs as low as possible, while introducing new offerings that we believe the public will value. A visit to view records at our reading rooms in Kew remains free, while these charges allow us to invest in the additional services we know people want.’

Since the last review in 2018, the operational costs involved to deliver our services have increased significantly. Improvements in our processes have enabled us to keep the majority of increases below inflation over the six-year period.

The one charge which has increased more than inflation is for naturalisation certificate copies. The certification process for naturalisation certificates is more complex than the general record copying service. This multi-stage process ensures the integrity and authenticity of certified naturalisation certificates, which are often required for legal and official purposes, and the new charge reflects the full costs involved.

The fee structure now also includes two new routes for access to historic Ministry of Defence service personnel records via a bespoke digital service, Request A Military Service Record. This new offer, starting on 2 February 2026, will provide a speedier and better-quality service and will allow us to address the high demand for access since the service personnel records began arriving at The National Archives in 2021. To date we have received 8.2 million personnel records with approximately 2.6 million already available to search on our catalogue.

The National Archives does not make a profit from charging, as the fees reflect how much it actually costs to deliver our services today.

The vast majority of the records in our collection which are open and searchable on our catalogue can still be viewed for free in our reading rooms at Kew.

The new Fees Regulations can be viewed at legislation.gov.uk

Read more information on the new Fees Regulations

Read more information on the new Request a Military Service Record service 

The Request a Service Record service will cost a whopping £42.25 for digital copies and £47.16 for print copies, standard service, plus postage and packing. The rate includes a search fee and copying fee. 

Note the following:

The implementation date is Monday 2 February 2026. Any requests received prior to this date will go into the current system and will not be charged. Requests received on or after 2 February 2026 will go into the new service and if requesting the standard service, users will receive their information within 30 working days. 

(With thanks to TNA via email)

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Ancestry releases first batch of Second World War army service records

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has released the first batch of infantry records from the Second World War (and beyond):

UK, Military Service Records, 1939-1959
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62685/
Source: WO 422: War Office: Infantry Over Age Other Ranks: Service Records, Second World War. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives, London, England. 

General collection information

This collection contains more than 2 million service records for British infantry service members discharged as over age between 1939 and 1959. The records for personnel from the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Cavalry, and Guards Regiments are not included in this collection.

Many of the records are military attestation forms that contain personal information for each soldier. The collection also includes records of those who had joined the British Army Reserves prior to the Second World War and then saw service in the conflict.

Digitization of this collection is ongoing, and additional records will be added as they are digitized.

Using this collection

Records in this collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Occupation
• Height
• Weight
• Distinguishing marks
• Next of kin
• Regiment

The information in these records may help you learn about your ancestor’s military service during and after the Second World War. Learning what regiment your ancestor served in may allow you to find historical accounts of the activities of that regiment during the war. The records also may give you a basic understanding of your ancestor’s physical attributes.

An exploration of the record image may also tell you the parish, town, and county where your ancestor was born and their address at the time of enlistment. The records list military service rendered and whether a soldier was wounded or received medals or decorations.

* NB: This collection is only partially complete - digitisation is ongoing and future updates are planned. A recent article from Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine suggests that 106,000 records from the first batch.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

FindmyPast adds Battle of Trafalgar Royal Naval records

The drought on new Scottish records continues with FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk), but they have released a new collection which may contain some Scots and Irish names:

British Royal Navy, Battle of Trafalgar Prize Book
In partnership with the National Museum of the Royal Navy, we've digitised one of only two surviving copies of the 1805 Trafalgar Prize Book, which contains the names of sailors who received payments after the battle. If your ancestor was involved in the Battle of Trafalgar, their name may appear within these 17,050 extraordinary new records.

British Royal Navy, Battle of Trafalgar 1805
The Prize Book isn't the only way to trace your family's ties to the Battle of Trafalgar - you can also explore 18,115 naval records within this new collection. 

Further details at https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/battle-of-trafalgar-photo-collection

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

The National Archives (Kew)'s oldest document featuring the Anglo-Saxon language

There's an interesting post about the langiuage of Old English on the English based National Archives website, concerning their oldest item containing the language, a charter from 974 AD for the Anglo-Saxon king Edward. Now the history of Edgar has nothing to do with Scotland, but it is interesting to see vestiges of Old English which later evolved into the English language that we use today in Britain, including Scotland, albeit our dialects here have been heavily influenced by Scots and Gaelic through the centuries!

Most of the document is actually in Latin, but a tiny part detailing lands in question are written in Old English. You can read the article at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/stories/edgar-charter/ and see the document itself at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/whats-on/exhibitions/stories-unboxed/.

Incidentally, there is a Teach Yourself Old English (Anglo-Saxon) course available, as written by Mark Atherton - you can see further details via Amazon at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yourself-Complete-Anglo-Saxon-Aug-27-2010-Paperback/dp/B00C47KOOO/.

Chris

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available - Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

FindmyPast adds incoming UK passenger lists and naturalisation records

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has added two new databases that may assist those with ancestors who came to Scotland and Ireland, as well as the wider UK.

Britain and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists 1878-1960
https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/britain-and-ireland-incoming-passenger-lists-1878-1960

These records were digitised from the original series held at The National Archives as BT 26, Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and successor: Inwards Passenger Lists.
 

Britain & Ireland Naturalisations
https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/britain-and-ireland-naturalisations-1603-1700

The blurb notes that this second dataset will cover the years 1844-1990, with 413,558 new records, although the dataset actually linked to still states the coverage to be 1603-1700, with no sign of the records from 1844-1990 - perhaps someone has still to press a button somewhere! 

For further details visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/incoming-passenger-lists

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available - Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Saul Nassé appointed Chief Executive of the National Archives at Kew

The National Archives at Kew, England (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) carries many records for Scotland and Ireland/Northern Ireland, usually for those collated on a British wide basis (e.g. military records, civil service records, etc), although there are some unique holdings also, such as those of the Royal Irish Constabulary prior to its disbandment at Partition in 1921.

The following was announced by the archive on Monday 8th April 2024:

Saul Nassé has been appointed by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport as Chief Executive and Keeper of The National Archives and will take up the post at the end of July. He takes over from Dr Jeff James who has led The National Archives successfully since 2014.

Saul Nassé is a Fellow of Robinson College, University of Cambridge and former Group Chief Executive of Cambridge Assessment, the University’s examinations business.  In his eight years with the organisation, he developed new digital propositions, grew international reach, and deepened engagement with teams around the world.

Previously, Saul held leadership roles at the BBC both in the UK and India.  As Controller, BBC Learning, he led the teams that commissioned and produced educational content, such as Bitesize and Domesday Reloaded.

Congratulations to Saul on his appointment. The full statement is available at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/saul-nasse-appointed-as-new-chief-executive-and-keeper-of-the-national-archives/.

** There is no further news as yet on the appointments process for an equivalent new Chief Executive for the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk), fulfilling the role of Registrar General for Scotland and the Keeper of the Records of Scotland. The position is currently being managed by 'Interim Chief Executive' Janet Edgell, who has now been in this temporary role for almost 14 months (see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2023/02/interim-ceo-appointed-at-national.html). The deadline for the position was originally advertised in late 2022 and early 2023, the closing date for applicants being Thursday, February 16th 2023.

Chris  

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Ancestry updates overseas British Consulates BMD records collection

Just updated by Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

UK, Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths From British Consulates, 1810-1968
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/60911/
Source: UK, Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths From British Consulates, 1810-1968 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.
Original data: Various Registers of the Foreign Office. FO 114, 149, 155, 161, 170, 173, 207, 208, 211, 214, 218, 220, 221, 267, 322, 331, 339, 345, 359, 387, 397, 398, 399, 441, 445, 446, 451, 510, 516, 521, 526, 529, 581, 586, 601, 609, 634, 653, 664-666, 675, 681, 683, 687, 700, 706, 707, 714, 715, 717-722, 724-734, 744, 753-756, 769, 778, 783, 786, 797, 799, 803, 870-875, 878, 885, 907, 911, 920. The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey, England.

About UK, Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths From British Consulates, 1810-1968

This collection consists of over 300 various registers from the UK Foreign Office, mostly of births, deaths and marriages recorded at overseas locations. The embassy and consular records of the Foreign Office contain information that was returned annually to the General Register Office. The registers reveal all kinds of clues about the lives led by those living in close-knit British communities abroad.The collection is particularly rich in marriage records, with despatches to certificates of marriages abroad providing names of the parties involved, general correspondence and circulars on consular marriages and acknowledgements of receipt of certificates by the Bishop of London's Registry. The collection also includes a few other miscellaneous registers from the Foreign Office, of passports, interments, wills, deeds, declarations, oaths, and consular notarial acts.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Wills of Royal Navy and Royal Marines Personnel, 1786-1882

Also from Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

UK, Wills of Royal Navy and Royal Marines Personnel, 1786-1882  https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62613/

Source: ADM 48: Navy Board, Navy Pay Office, and Admiralty, Accountant General's Department: Seamen's Wills. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives.

About UK, Wills of Royal Navy and Royal Marines Personnel, 1786-1882

General collection information

This collection contains the wills of officers who served in the Royal Navy or Royal Marines between 1786 and 1882. All records are in English. Although many records were handwritten onto pre-printed forms, you may encounter handwritten wills that aren't standardised. Some records may also include correspondence relating to the will, such as notes, proof of marriage, or applications for the executor/executrix.

Using the collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Rank
• Occupation
• Marriage date
• Will date
• Descriptions of personal effects
• Ship name
• Ship's master or captain name
• Executor's name
• Names and relationships of family members
• Family members' residency
• Family members' occupations

Wills are an excellent resource for genealogical research because they contain personal information about your ancestor, their life, and their family. They often list personal details about other relatives that can help you trace your family back for generations.

The records in this collection are likely to span multiple pages. Click the arrow to the right of the image to access the rest of the record.

Further details via the link.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Ancestry adds Second World War army casualty lists 1939-1945

New Second World War military records added to Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) this week:

UK, World War II Army Casualty Lists, 1939-1945
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62623/
Source: WO 417: Army Casualty Lists, 1939-45 War. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives.

About UK, World War II Army Casualty Lists, 1939-1945

This collection includes images of casualty records for the British Army during the Second World War. The records have names and information about soldiers killed or wounded and those missing following battles between 1939 and 1945. Many of the records are arranged chronologically according to the date of the casualty. The records are typed, and casualties were often reported on a daily basis.

Using this collection

Records in this collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Alias
• Rank
• Service number
• Regiment
• Unit
• Death date and place
• Missing date and place
• Military enlistment date and place

The records in this collection can be used to verify the date and place that your ancestor was killed, wounded, or reported missing. The information about your ancestor's military service can lead you to histories about their units or regiments, which may explain what happened during the battle in which your ancestor was a casualty.

For further details, ans to search, visit the link above (subscription required)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Ancestry adds Chelsea Pension payment registers 1842-1883

Ancesty (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added the following new collection, which can help those with ancestors who served in the British Army and who were later discharged to pension in Britain or Ireland.:

UK, Royal Hospital Chelsea Returns of Payment of Army and Other Pensions, 1842-1883
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62604/
Source: WO 22: Royal Hospital Chelsea: Returns of Payment of Army and Other Pensions. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives.

About UK, Royal Hospital Chelsea Returns of Payment of Army and Other Pensions, 1842-1883

General collection information

This collection includes records of pension payments from the Royal Hospital Chelsea dated between 1842 and 1883. The records include entries related to pensions for British Army servicemen and other miscellaneous pensions. The collection typically doesn't include records of soldiers who died in service or were discharged by purchase.

Using this collection

Records in this collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Service number
• Military Rank
• Regiment
• Admission date
• Pension date
• Death date
• Death age
• Place of admission
• Place of transfer

The information in these records may help you verify if and when your ancestor was admitted to the Royal Hospital Chelsea and when their pension commenced. You also may be able to verify your ancestor's date of death and their age at death compared with other vital records. In addition, record images may show the estimated pension amount your ancestor received.

Comment: This is a potentially very handy collection that can help you to 'follow the money' to locate a soldier after his discharge from the British Army. 

The following collections have also been updated on Ancestry:

UK, Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Admissions and Discharges, 1715-1925 

UK, British Army Records and Lists, 1882-1962 

UK, Naval and Military Courts Martial Registers, 1806-1930

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

TNA outlines Ancestry's Second World War UK military records digitisation plans

The National Archives at Kew in England (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) has recently announced that Ancestry would be digitising service records material from the Second World War, but it has now extensively detailed its digitisation plans remit for the next few years. First, its introductory post (from https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/award-of-mod-records-digitisation-contract/)

We have announced that we have awarded Ancestry®, a contract to digitise the first tranche of Ministry of Defence service personnel records. Both parties are looking forward to working to make these important records accessible online.

Gemma Maclagan Ram, Commercial Director at The National Archives said:

‘Widening access to records is very important to us and we are pleased that this partnership with Ancestry will allow people to look at these records in the comfort of their own homes. We know how important these records are to military groups, veterans and family genealogists and we are working with Ancestry to ensure that they are accessible online as early as possible.’

This contract covers the first four groups of non-officer British Army service records: approximately three million files in total, amounting to an estimated 36 million images. We anticipate that the digitisation will take over four years, so from late 2024 Ancestry will publish in tranches, when each series of records is ready for publication online. 

The real detail, however, is in the subsequent link at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/our-role/plans-policies-performance-and-projects/our-plans/ministry-of-defence-service-records/ - and it is packed with information.

The following are some key snippets:

• The records included in this collection cover personnel in all three services – Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force – where the individual has a date of birth before or up to 1 January 1939.  They include around 500,000 personnel with First World War service, and the vast majority of those who served in the Second World War.
• The most common information within the collection are attestation papers, which capture details of when the individual joined the service, along with a Record of Service that shows which units and between what dates the individual served in.
• There are just under ten million records, representing the biggest and most complex transfer of public records in our history.
• We have already received over four million records and expect to complete the transfer of all Army non-officer records within the scope of the project by the end of March 2024. We will then move onto RAF non-officer records in 2024-25. The whole transfer process will run until 2026.
• The first four collections to be digitised are British Army service records of non-officer ranks:    WO 420: Approximately 54,000 service records of other ranks (not Officers) who served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) during the Second World War. The REME was established in October 1942 and was responsible for the maintenance and repair of military equipment. It consisted of skilled tradesmen, many of whom had initially transferred from other units.  WO 421: Over 94,000 records, originally held at the Bournemouth Combined Manning Record Office, of soldiers from 12 smaller units/corps during the Second World War and immediately after, discharged as over age personnel. WO 419: Over 830,000 records of other ranks discharged from the infantry of the British Army between 1921 and 1939. The majority of the service records relate to individuals who served during the First World War, and who opted to continue their service beyond 1921, but also include those who served only throughout the inter-war period and were discharged before the outbreak of the Second World War. WO 422: Over two million records of non-commissioned officers and other ranks who served in infantry regiments of the British Army during the Second World War and who were discharged from the armed forces as ‘over age’ before their time expired in the reserves after 1945.
• These collections were chosen as they contain the largest proportion of open and publishable records. They also include records of individuals from across the world who served in the British Army, particularly during the Second World War.
• Are you digitising everything in each MoD service record? No – due to the scale of the project, and the nature of the information that records contain, it is not possible to digitise each service record in its entirety.
• Will MOD service records for living individuals be digitised? Only MOD service records of individuals with a date of birth over 100 years ago will be published.
• Our licensing partner for the first tranche of records, Ancestry, will publish the records on their platform in phases between 2024 and 2029.
• The service records will be available to view free of charge in digital format in our reading rooms.  They will also be available free of charge at two more public access venues within the UK, details to be confirmed. Libraries and other public institutions with institutional Ancestry subscriptions may also offer free access.
• The digitisation project "consists of just over three million records, and an estimated 36 million images".
• We are gradually cataloguing the service records as they are transferred to us... Collections now partially available to search and browse (on Discovery) include: WO 420: Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers regiment (other ranks); WO 421: selected smaller corps (other ranks); WO 422: infantry over age (other ranks)
• Will MOD service records for living individuals be digitised? Only MOD service records of individuals with a date of birth over 100 years ago will be published. The long-accepted assumption of 100 years for life means that records can be opened 100 years and one day from the date of birth of the individual. Our licensing partner for the first tranche of records, Ancestry, will publish newly opened records on an annual rolling basis as they reach 100 years old.

It looks like we'll have lots to get stuck into over the next few years! For further detail, visit the link above.

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

RIP Audrey Collins, who has sadly passed away

Today was never going to be a good day, it being the second anniversary of my father's death, but I've just heard the truly tragic news that Audrey Collins, for many years Family History Specialist from the National Archives at Kew, has passed away over the weekend. 

Audrey was an absolute giant of the UK genealogy world, thanks to her role at TNA, and was key in explaining many of the records sets being released online from Kew, including the censuses down south and the 1939 National Identity Register. Most recently she helped contribute a surviving schedule from the 1921 Scottish census to the National Records of Scotland's coverage for its own launch - although schedules in Scotland have not survived, Audrey had located one at TNA in England, taken by a holidaymaker south from Scotland (see https://blog.nrscotland.gov.uk/2022/12/11/a-chance-survival/). A read of Audrey's blog, The Family Recorder (http://thefamilyrecorder.blogspot.com), will keep you enthralled and enlightened for hours, and she also co-authored Birth, Marriage & Death Records - A Guide for Family Historians with Dave Annal, a superb account of the systems of church records and civil registration records kept in Britain, Ireland, The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. 

Audrey was originally from Glasgow's Govan area, but moved many years ago down south. I had the pleasure to meet her a few times at Who Do You Think You Are? Live conferences and at other events, as well as at TNA - she was always so good natured, humorous, and an absolute encyclopaedia of knowledge. One of my fave recordings that she made many years ago, which we often talked about, was a lecture she gave for FamilySearch trying to explain to exactly what the UK, the British Isles, Great Britain etc meant as terms, as we shared a common exasperation at how often folk overseas use them to mean the same thing, i.e. England! (The lecture is at https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/lessons/what-is-britain). Although she lost her native Govan brogue, she was very proud of her Scottish roots, constantly citing her flame red hair as proof of her Scottish credentials!

The following is a ten minute interview I did with Audrey at Who Do You Think You Are? Live in London's Kensington Olympia eleven years ago in 2011, which will give a flavour of the legend that she was (also available at https://youtu.be/1620ec4BlIg).

RIP Audrey - you will be sorely missed. My sincere condolences to all of Audrey's family and friends.

(With thanks to Dave Annal via Twitter) 

UPDATE: From Audrey's family via Twitter @AudreyCollins23:

This is a message from Audrey’s family. Audrey sadly died on 4 February after a short illness. Details of services will be posted here when available. Thank you to all her friends and colleagues who made her life so happy.

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

WW2 - English and Welsh Women's Land Army cards added to Ancestry

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added a new collection for the Second World War: 

UK, World War II Women's Land Army Index Cards, 1939-1948
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62020/
Source: MAF 421: Ministry of Food: Women's Land Army: Index to Service Records of the Second World War. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives.

General Collection Information

This collection contains records of employment for those who served in the Women’s Land Army (WLA) from 1939 to 1948. The Women’s Land Army was established to help the country boost its wartime food production. Records in this collection consist of index cards to Second World War service records and are usually handwritten and are organised alphabetically by last name.

Using this Collection

This collection includes the following details:

    Name
    Any known aliases, including maiden names
    Address
    Employment county
    Employment place
    Birthdate
    Age at enrollment
    Date of enrollment
    Occupation
    Date of employment
    Date of release
    WLA membership number


Comment: This is a collection for folk who worked in England and Wales, rather than in Scotland, but there are some Scots and Northern Irish folk listed as working down south, but with a noted residential address back home. TNA have produced a short guide at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/womens-land-army-index-cards-online-at-ancestry/.

Various records for the equivalent Scottish Women's Land Army are held at the National Records of Scotland, such as those for the Timber Corps, catalogued under AF59/285/1, and further Women's Land Army index cards for service records at AF59/285/1. From the NRS catalogue:

AF59/285/1 (Women's Land Army: Timber Corps)
"Index cards to service record files, arranged alphabetically. The cards give the name, address, date of birth, enrolment number, dates of interview and enrolment, dates and locations of training and employment, date and reason for leaving, and any comments. [The service record files have not survived.]"

AF59/285/2 (Women's Land Army)
"The cards give the name, address, date of birth, enrolment number, dates of interview and enrolment, dates and locations of training and employment, date and reason for leaving, and any comments. [3 of the service files have been preserved at NRS (refs: AF59/245, AF59/246, and AF59/247) but the remainder have not survived.]"

Check the NRS catalogue for further details at www.nrscotland.gov.uk.

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ancestry adds UK, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Service Records, 1903-1922

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added the following collection to its databases:

UK, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Service Records, 1903-1922
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62403/
Source: ADM 337: Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve: Records of Service, First World War. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives.

From the description page:

About UK, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Service Records, 1903-1922

This collection includes service records for British Royal Naval volunteer reserves who served between 1903 and 1922.

Service records for ratings provide more detailed information than officer records such as birth dates, physical descriptions, and previous occupations. They also contain details about naval service, such as division and service numbers, dates and periods of engagement, ships or units served in, periods of service, and remarks about character and ability.

The records for officers include their rank, appointments, honours and awards, dates of promotion, and names and addresses of next of kin.

Using this collection

You can use these records to find details about your ancestor including:
First and last names
Rank
Birth date
Birthplace
Enlistment date
Discharge date
Occupation

The records for ratings are arranged by division and then division service number. Those who joined the volunteer reserves after the start of the First World War will have a "Z" in their service number.

For further details visit the collection page.

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Response from Archive Service Accreditation

Apologies for the lack of blogging in recent days, I have been down with Covid since Saturday. 

However, I did want to provide an update on a letter I sent to the Archives Service Accreditation team at the National Archives in England, which overseas the accreditation of archives in the UK, which have to meet a certain standard to be accredited, and which have to undergo regular reviews to maintain that standard. My query was about the NRS level of service provision, and whether its failure over the last 30 months or so to provide any meaningful form of service was a breach of this standard (see https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2022/07/has-nrs-breached-archive-service.html). I received a response this morning: 

Dear Mr Paton,

Thank you again for your expression of concern regarding public service provision and some other aspects of service delivery at National Records of Scotland. Your comments were sent to the Archive Service Accreditation (ASA) Committee chair, Geoff Pick, who shared them with the next available Accreditation Panel meeting. This allowed for a full discussion of programme governance around the issues raised, and in the context of considering awards of Accredited status. 

The Committee primarily assesses Accreditation awards through written submissions and discussion with applicants. In 2019 it was established that external evidence could be applied to assessment decisions and ongoing oversight of award holders, “where such information identified and evidenced significant omissions or inaccuracies within a live application, or suggested possible grounds for extraordinary removal of Accreditation from an award holder.” However, the decision reiterated that Accreditation does not function as a complaints resolution body for service-specific issues. These need to be taken up with the archive service concerned and if necessary its parent body. 

The meeting fully recognised that it has been a difficult and frustrating time for researchers where service reductions have been needed during the public health emergency and parent organisations (as well as government in the four home nations) have taken different routes to re-establishing access arrangements. The ASA Committee has agreed a statement on the impact of the pandemic for existing award holders: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/archive-service-accreditation/archive-service-accreditation-and-covid-19/. This recognises that archive services may have to offer a reduced service based on public health guidance and risk assessments, and that this will not affect Accreditation status. Archives should keep public services under review to understand the impact of revised offers, and it is good to see some progressive opening up of access and direct responses to user concerns within this context. 

This statement remains live, recognising that pandemic guidance and restrictions remain in place in some home nations, meaning that practice differs across the UK. The National Archives also publishes guidance on post-covid recovery work which notes that different organisational risk assessment and site arrangements may impact public offers. We all hope that the currency of this requirement is receding, but it does remain relevant for now. 

Your enquiry mentioned a further concern about the recent temporary restriction on production from West Register House, which we understand was due to issues with mobile racking which are being resolved. NRS has been open in its communication with the Accreditation programme about site issues such as this, and it has been incorporated into consideration of their Accredited status. 

With best wishes. 

Melinda Haunton 

(Programme Manager, Archive Service Accreditation)

Comment: I am grateful for this response from London, disappointing as it is. I guess my disappointment here is that it would appear that this statement suggests that there may really not be much of an attempt to evaluate how any currently accredited archive has risen to a challenge such as the pandemic, with regards to its public service obligations - the mere existence of the pandemic is enough for the ASA to step back and not enforce its own promoted standard. What standards should an archive be marked against in terms of operational resilience in the midst of a challenge such as Covid, and are archives such as the NRS adequately prepared for future challenges such as Covid? Hopefully some attempt will be made to answer these at some stage, whether by the NRS or the UK archive sector as a whole. Covid will certainly not be the last pandemic to be faced by Scotland or the UK.

(With thanks to Melinda Haunton)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Has the NRS breached the Archive Service Accreditation standard?

I wrote to the Archive Service Accreditation team at the UK National Archives last week about the National Records of Scotland, enquiring as to whether the ongoing disruption to access of records at NRS is a breach of the standard by the archive.
 
I have just received the following response: "Dear Mr Paton, Thank you for your email. This is just a short note to confirm receipt and that it has been shared with the Archive Service Accreditation programme chair as part of the ongoing oversight of Accredited Services."
 
I have enquired as to whether there be any further feedback from the programme chair, and will report back as and when.
 
If others feel that the standard has been breached, you can write to the team at accreditation@nationalarchives.gov.uk. 

 

The standard itself is explained at https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/archives/archive-service-accreditation-standard-june-2018.pdf - my enquiry has asked whether provisions 1.4, 3,2 and 3.3 have been breached. 

 

For more on Archive Service Accreditation, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/archive-service-accreditation-defining-what-an-excellent-service-looks-like.
 

 

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ireland's Virtual Record Treasury launches

If there is one thing to learn about Irish genealogy and history, it is that the glass is always half full when it comes to the survival of records, it is never half empty. You'll hear a lot of doom and gloom from folk about records being destroyed, and how it just can't be done. Ignore them, there is often a way!

Today, Ireland pulled off a miracle, in retrieving a great deal of the material thought to be forever lost in the Public Record Office fire of 1922, during the Irish Civil War. Through transcripts, surrogate copies, conservation miracles, and collaboration with other archives worldwide (not least PRONI and TNA), the new Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland platform has now been launched at https://virtualtreasury.ie.

Having just watched the official launch online, which I found to be extraordinarly emotional, it's just too big to review right now, so I am merely going to suggest that you get stuck in, and in due course, when I can breathe a little more, I will properly review it! 

Suffice to say that having just typed in my home town of Carrickfergus, 506 entries have popped up, and they will be duly plundered very soon. My home town of Carrickfergus has a Latin motto - Gloria Prisca Novatur - meaning 'the glory of old renewed'. Today, whilst our old PRO has not been fully restored, much of its former glory has been renewed in Dublin. A superb effort from all concerned, and a fitting conclusion to the Decade of Centenaries.

For more on the launch visit https://beyond2022.ie/ and https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2022/0624/1306668-virtual-record-office/.

The glass is half full, it is not half empty. Have fun!

Chris 

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

FamilySearch adds UK Prisoners of War 1715-1947 collection

FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org) has added the following collections:

Prisoners of War, 1715-1947
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/4459223

Comprised of various records held by The National Archives (England) detailing refugees and individuals taken as prisoners of war during major conflicts around the globe. The records contain the names of military personnel, civilians, diplomats, missionaries, and merchant seamen from nations all over the world.

Images are only available to FamilySearch members, their family history centres, their affilates, or at the National Archives in England (which holds the originals).

From the FamilySearch wiki entry at https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Prisoners_of_War_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records

Conflicts include:

• Napoleonic Wars, 1747-1889
• Crimean and Boer Wars, 1795-1951
• World War I, 1913-1918

Sources:

• ADM 1, Admiralty, and Ministry of Defence, Navy Department: Correspondence and Papers
• AIR 1, Air Ministry: Air Historical Branch: Papers (Series I)
• BT 167 Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Precedent Books, Establishment Papers, etc.
• CAB 45, Committee of Imperial Defence, Historical Branch and Cabinet Office, Historical Section: Official War Histories Correspondence and Papers
• CO 693, Colonial Office: Dominions (War of 1914-1918), Prisoners Original Correspondence
• FO 372, Foreign Office: Treaty Department and successors: General Correspondence from 1906
• FO 383, Foreign Office: Prisoners of War and Aliens Department: General Correspondence from 1906
• MT 9, Board of Trade and Ministry of Transport and successors: Marine, Harbours and Wrecks (M, H and W Series) Files
• WO 161, War Office: Miscellaneous Unregistered Papers, First World War
• WO 900, War Office: Specimens of Series of Documents Destroyed

 

Comment: Unfortunately, this is not an easy collection to use, as FamilySearch's default search fields are largely incompatible with the data fields presented in the returns. It looks like you can only search by name and date - and in most cases that I have seen so far, it seems to be the initial returned for a first name only.

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

TNA catalogues Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers service records

The first tranche of Ministry of Defence (MOD) service personnel records has been added to the catalogue of the National Archives in England (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk), with the records available for ordering on site at the facility at Kew. 

The first of 9.7 million military service records to be transferred from the MOD over the next six years, this collection concerns series WO 420, relating to the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers regiment. 

All records available are for those with a date of birth greater than 115 years, and documents need to be ordered in advance by four days prior to their consultation.

For further details read the TNA guide on the new records at https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/mod-service-records-collection-faqs.pdf

(Source: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/first-mod-service-personnel-records-now-available/)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ancestry releases RAF Operations Record Books, 1911-1963

From Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

UK, Royal Air Force Operations Record Books, 1911-1963
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62280/
Source: AIR 27 Air Ministry and successors: Operations Record Books, Squadrons Record books 1911-1993. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives.

About UK, Royal Air Force Operations Record Books, 1911-1963

General collection information

This collection contains records documenting operations conducted by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) between 1911 and 1963. The collection includes complete records for each squadron made up of summaries of events forms, details of work carried out and operational orders. The collection also includes records for allied squadrons from other countries under British command. Most records in the collection are typed, but will vary by record type.

Using the collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

    Name
    Rank
    Service number
    Date of operation

Depending on the type of document, records may also include information about aircraft type, aircraft number, the region where the operation took place, names of other crew members, type of operation, and notes about the operation.

Please note when “i/c” is listed in front of the officer’s rank, it indicates that the officer was in charge of the mission.

Visit the link for further contextual information.

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.