Get a copy of military records of service

Skip to contents of guide

Apply for the records of a deceased serviceperson

Records of service for the deceased are held by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and The National Archives (TNA). Who you apply to depends on:

  • when the person served
  • which service they were in
  • their rank

Apply for records held by The National Archives

TNA hold most records of service for those who served in the British Army after World War 1 and were:

  • below the rank of officer
  • discharged before the end of 1963

Records for all ranks in the Royal Navy (including Royal Marines), British Army and Royal Air Force from before and up to the end of World War 1 are also held by TNA.

Request a Freedom of Information (FOI) search from The National Archives to get these records.

There may be a fee. If there is, you’ll be quoted a search cost.

Apply for records held by the MOD

You can apply for a copy of a deceased person’s records of service if they’re not held by TNA and that person was in the:

  • Royal Navy (including Royal Marines)
  • British Army
  • Royal Air Force (RAF)
  • Home Guard

What information you’ll get

Each record of service may include:

  • first name and surname
  • service number
  • rank and regiment or corps
  • place and date of birth
  • date they joined and left the armed forces
  • date of death, if they died in service
  • good conduct medals
  • details about their career, for example, the units they served in

Information may be withheld if it:

  • could harm the security or operations of the armed forces
  • relates to medical or disciplinary information

In some cases little or no information is available about someone’s military service. For example, Home Guard records may only include their personal details from when they enlisted.

How to apply

You can apply online or by post.

There’s no fee.

You’ll need to provide the person’s:

  • full name

  • date of birth

  • service number, if you know it

You do not have to provide a death certificate. But without one, information may be withheld unless the person either:

  • died in service
  • was born more than 116 years ago

If you’re applying online and can provide a death certificate, it needs to be in digital format (PDF, PNG, or JPEG).

If you do not have the death certificate, you can order a copy or provide a declaration of a presumed death.

Due to high demand, please do not submit more than 5 applications every month.

Apply online

When you apply online for a British Army or Home Guard record, the MOD will check if they hold it. If they have it, they’ll send it to you. If they do not, you’ll be told to check The National Archives.

Start now

Apply by post

  1. Download and fill in a request for information form. If your request is for a Home Guards record, fill in the Home Guard form only.

  2. Download and fill in a search form. The form you need depends on which military service the person was in.

  3. Send both forms and any supporting documents (for example, a death certificate) to the address on the search form.

After you’ve applied

The relevant military service will confirm they’ve received your application. The search can take up to a year. You’ll be sent the records either by post or email depending on which service you applied to.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Related content