How do you find out what regiment your ancestor served in?
Researcher
Tue Oct 21 2025
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< 5 minutes read
Discovering an ancestor's regiment unlocks a wealth of potential discoveries, bringing you one step closer to understanding their wartime experiences.
How does knowing a regiment help genealogy research?
Trudging through the brutal mud of the Somme with rifles slung low. Standing shoulder to shoulder in the flickering light of dawn before an assault. In the dusty deserts of North Africa, enduring relentless heat while advancing across open ground. What did your ancestors' military story look like?
From the Scots Guards to the Dorset and Devonshire Regiment, uncovering which regiment your relative served with is one of the most rewarding steps in military family history research. Once you know the unit they served with, you can uncover detailed accounts of their movements, battles, and even personal experiences through surviving service records and unit war diaries.
Whether your relative fought in the First World War, the Second World War, or earlier British conflicts, there are now more ways than ever to identify their regiment and understand their story.
Search digitised military records
The best place to begin is with British military records available online. On Findmypast, vast collections of British Army service records, pension files, and medal index cards can reveal regimental details alongside rank, service number, and next of kin.
First World War ancestors
If your ancestor served in the First World War, look for them in the British Army Service Records (1914–1920) or Medal Rolls Index Cards (1914–1920). These documents often name the regiment, battalion, and sometimes even the theatre of war.
Second World War ancestors
If your relative served during the Second World War, full service records are still held by the Ministry of Defence (and sit in The National Archives in London). You can utilise other records, such as World War Two Casualty Lists, Medal Rolls, and Prisoner of War records, to identify their regiment. Local archives and family memorabilia - such as photographs, uniforms, or medals - can also offer important visual clues.
How to trace British Army soldiers with online records
When you begin your search, it's a good idea to focus on the information you already know - a name, an approximate birth year, or a place of residence.
If you know a service number, this can be particularly powerful. Regimental numbering systems were usually unique, allowing you to pinpoint which regiment - and sometimes which battalion - a soldier served in.
Even if you can't find a full service record, you might locate your ancestor in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database, which lists those who died in service, or The National Archives' online catalogue, which includes war diaries, medal rolls/rolls of honour, and correspondence.
Delve deeper with British regiment records
Each regiment of the British Army maintained its own war diaries and administrative papers. These unit war diaries, preserved at The National Archives and partially digitised on Findmypast, document daily events, movements, and battles.
If you can identify your First World War ancestor’s regiment, you can follow their footsteps across the Western Front, North Africa, or the Far East, understanding what they experienced and when.
Similarly, for Second World War soldiers, searching medal entitlements and post-war newspapers can help build a timeline of their service and achievements. Mentions in despatches, honours, and awards can reveal acts of bravery or distinguished conduct.
Preserve stories of military service
Once you’ve identified your ancestor’s regiment, add what you’ve learned to a family tree to ensure your discoveries are kept safe and sound.
You can delve deeper into their lives by linking regimental details with census entries, photographs and military honours to establish a fuller picture of who they were, not just as a soldier, but as a person. Searching for their regiment within digitised historical newspapers may reveal new information about their movements and the battles they were involved in.
By combining service records, regimental histories and local newspapers, you can trace the path of British Army soldiers from enlistment to discharge – and in doing so, bring their wartime story vividly to life.