What is the Forces War Records website?

The Forces War Record website is a relatively new website and is a sister site to Forces Reunited which many will have heard of. At the present time there are over 4 million British Armed Forces records covering a time period from 1350 to the Falklands War. The site is the only location online where you can find these records all in the one place.

What can you find on the Forces War Records website?

The present offerings are

• Army Roll of Honour
• British Prisoners of War
• Soldiers Died in the Great War
• De Ruvignys Roll of Honour
• Boar War Casualties
• Men at the Battle of Waterloo
• Indian Mutiny Records
• Crimean War Records
• Napoleonic War Records
• WW1 Records
• WW2 Records
• WW2 Naval Losses
• Commonwealth War Graves
• Medal Rolls
• Falklands War Records
• Royal Marine Database
• Individual Battle Data
• Fighter & Bomber Command Losses
• RFC/RAF Lists
• Shot at Dawn Database

There are also plans to add a section called Library where scanned publications some over a 100 years old will be available for research. Also information on uniforms, vehicles etc. will be coming online at a later date.

Searching is by name and once a record of interest is found then the result is cross matched with information about the Regiment, Base or Ship that the person served with. This background information can lead onto further research and understanding of the life of your ancestor.

Searches can be saved and pages bookmarked.

Where Can I Access the Forces War Records website?

The site is a subscription site with options for 3, 6 and 12 month terms. Searches can be undertaken prior to subscribing which will indicate if there are any records of interest for that surname. Free searches for P.O.W’s and Medieval Soldiers are also available. The site can be access at https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk

Many genealogists are keen to find out more than just names and dates, finding an ancestor who has served in the Armed Services can lead the family historian to some fascinating documents revealing information not know to the family and not available elsewhere. This is where the strength of the Forces War Records website comes in, to have all these records at your fingertips complete with the background information is a great asset. The site owners have identified a gap in the genealogy market and filled it well, I am sure Forces War Records will become the standard site for military research for family historians and those interested in military history.

 Image: St Peter upon Cornhill, Cornhill, London EC3 – WWI memorial window by Hugh Easton, near to London, City of London, Great Britain. Photographer John Salmon Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike license 2.0