How exactly to seek out documents of. Uk gallantry that is military

How to see the documents covered in this guide?

Just how many are online?

1. Why utilize this guide?

You want to find out whether a record of the award and why it was awarded exist, this guide will be of use if you know of an individual who received a British military medal or award for an act of bravery, gallantry or for meritorious service between 1854 and c1990 and. One of the many medals and honors included in the guide would be the:

For suggestions about civilian gallantry honors consult our Civilian gallantry medals guide. You will find split documents for the honor of campaign medals (granted solely for service) – see our Army that is british campaign service medals guide for suggestions about finding these.

2. The records of gallantry medals and honors

2.1 Public notices

Just about all gallantry honors to Uk nationals are publicly established when you look at the government that is official, the London Gazette. This announcement that is public usually the only record that endures of an prize. Notices additionally appeared, where appropriate, into the colonial or dominion gazettes.

2.2 suggestions and citations

A suggestion is a complete declaration, often given by a commanding officer, of why a medal must certanly be granted to someone.

A citation is a short statement that is official extracted from the suggestion, of why a medal ended up being granted.

Whether accurate documentation of the citation or a suggestion survives depends, mostly, from the kind of honor. Periodically citations are posted within the London Gazette not constantly during the date that is same the statement. A citation or suggestion may often endure into the solution record associated with the person.

2.3 Registers

For many medals you can find registers and listings of recipients addressing a particular war, 12 months or array of years.

3. How to locate documents

Learn the best place to search for documents of the medal that is particular consulting the dining dining table below. Listed here basic advice will additionally help you to get started:

3.1 on the web records

In some cases, to look at documents you need to find document recommendations and either purchase copies or check us out to look at the documents that are original individual. The next documents, nevertheless, can be looked at or downloaded on the web.

3.2 fundamental search methods for finding documents that are original

You should use our catalogue to look for documents. Re Search with all the title of the medal making use of the search that is advanced target the documents associated with particular record divisions for every single branch of this armed forces, the following.

3.3 Public notices and published citations

More often than not, the place that is best to start out may be the London Gazette, available from the Gazette internet site, though for several medals a citation wasn’t posted (begin to see the table below for medal-by-medal details). It is possible to search the Gazette by title, solution quantity, book date and kind of prize. You shall must know approximately if the prize ended up being announced or ‘gazetted’. There was clearly constantly a wait between your gallant deed, the award that is actual of medal, and book into the London Gazette. The Gazette indexes offered by The National Archives can help establish a night out together.

3.4 tips, registers and citations that are unpublished

Check posted sources, like those into the further reading part of this guide, prior to starting a seek out documents of recommendations or citations while they might provide precise document sources and additional information. The dining table below provides links into the record series many more likely to include informative data on specific honors.

3.5 dining dining Table of record sources for gallantry medals

Go through the London Gazette links to find the Gazette by title, solution quantity, book date and kind of honor. Click on the document show sources and search by title of medal. The records that are online be searched by title of receiver.

Footnotes: (1) guidelines in AIR 2 are arranged by old Air livejasmin videos Ministry file guide quantity, maybe not name. Contact the Ministry of Defence who could possibly provide you with the file reference.

Keep in mind medals granted because of the British Army weren’t granted solely to British Army soldiers – they are often granted to personnel from the other services that are armed. Throughout the 2nd World War, for instance, some people of the Royal Air Force received British Army prizes. The exact same will also apply to the Royal Navy and RAF, in order that, as an example, amount of airmen associated with Fleet Air Arm, a branch of this Royal Navy, received RAF prizes.

4. International awards to Britons and British honors to international servicemen and females (from 1854)

4.1 Notices

These honors are generally established within the London Gazette beneath the heading ‘Foreign Orders’.

For draft variations of London Gazette notices 1914-1928 browse WO 388 by guide. Some of those pre-publication notices are annotated. The documents in this series (WO 388) are arranged by nation. WO 388/6 to 15, including indexes in WO 388/8 to 15, can be obtained to download online (you can install the indexes cost-free).

4.2 Tips

Military honors exchanged between Uk and armies that are foreign 1946 onwards are searchable by title and honor when you look at the tips (WO 373) online. These can add those perhaps not showing up into the London Gazette.

4.3 Listings

Some lists can be found by you of international honors within FO 83 (before 1906) and FO 372 (after 1906). Select files containing these listings utilizing the Foreign workplace communication indexes during the National Archives. It’s thought that these listings aren’t comprehensive.

5. Regulations and policy files (from 1854)

Generally speaking, you are able to search our catalogue because of the name that is medal its abbreviation to see if you can find any policy files. There are numerous series that is specific document the laws regulating the honor of medals.

For policy files on medals, see series ADM 1 rule 85, ADM 116 rule 85, AIR 1, AIR 2, HO 45 rule 30, MT 9 code 6, T 300 and T 333 and WO 32 rule 50.

6. The design and make of medals (1805-1986)

Instructions for gallantry medals (especially when you look at the nineteenth century) can be combined with information on recipients and of the action that resulted in the award. Decide to try show MINT 16, MINT 20, MINT 24 and MINT 25. Search our catalogue with key words such as for instance ‘awards’ or ‘decorations’.

7. Replacing and medals that are claiming

Contact the Ministry of Defence for campaign as well as other medals released after 1939. Medals released before 1939 can no more be changed.

8. Further reading and other resources

Online learning resources

The Ministry of Defence’s british forces that are armed booklet, available from GOV.UK. Listings the medals awarded for service within the Uk military, followed closely by a picture for every medal.

Listings of Victoria Cross recipients announced when you look at the Gazette for the World that is first War 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918 and 1919.

Publications

Look at the National Archives’ bookshop for a variety of available magazines about british gallantry that is military. Most of the publications listed here are for sale in The nationwide Archives’ Library for assessment at our building in Kew.

Peter Edwards Abbott and John Michael Allen Tamplin, British Gallantry prizes (London, 1981)

Michael Maton, Honour The Recipents of international honors (Honiton: Token Publishing 2013)

William Spencer, Army Records for Family Historians (3nd edn, The nationwide Archives, 2008)