Museum
Family History
We do not hold service records for people who served with the Royal Artillery. Service records post-1920 are held by the MoD: www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records
If you know which unit your ancestor was with (Battery, Regiment/Brigade) then we may have further information on the unit’s activities. The following records which we hold are available on-line via www.findmypast.co.uk They are both for Other Ranks rather than Officers:
- Attestation Ledgers (1880-1942). Enlistment records of soldiers joining the Royal Artillery
Please be aware that the records do not catalogue all soldiers who enlisted. They give more information for the years before 1929; they are less detailed for later years.
- Casualty Cards (1939-1947). Created for soldiers who died during the War.
These research guides at The National Archives are a useful source for Family History:
- www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/british-army-soldiers-up-to-1913/
- www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/british-army-soldiers-after-1913/
Records at the Royal Artillery Museum Archive
Following our move from Woolwich to Larkhill in Wiltshire, please be aware that a large portion of our collection is in deep storage, and is not accessible. We are therefore not able to answer some questions. We will be transferring more records here over time. The records to which we currently have access are at the bottom of this message. In the meantime it might be worth seeing if the following organisations can help you:
- The National Archives – www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/contact-us/make-a-records-and-research-enquiry/
- The National Army Museum – www.nam.ac.uk/collections/enquiries
- The Royal Armouries – https://royalarmouries.org/contact-us/
- Imperial War Museum – http://www.iwm.org.uk/research/research-facilities
The following are now at the Archive & Library at Larkhill:
- Battery Digests of Service (peace-time details of the activities of individual Batteries, c.1890-1939)
- Annual Historical Returns (as with the Digests of Service, but c.1945 onwards)
- Part of the WWI War Diary collection ·
- Part of the ‘MD’ collection (personal papers of former Gunners)
- Part of the ‘AL’ collection (photos and photograph albums)
- Gun Handbooks
- Gun Training Pamphlets
- Gunner Magazine (c. 1919)
- Royal Artillery Journal (c.1860 )
- Royal Artillery News (1899-1970)
- Royal Artillery Distribution List (1868-1938)
- Regimental ‘Blue’ Officers’ Lists (early copies, from 1904)
- WWII Tracer Cards (on microfilm)
- Establishment Lists
We look forward to seeing and hearing from you!