Information about access to service records of members of the  of Royal Navy, Women's Royal Naval Service, and the Royal Marines

The most frequently asked questions  which we receive are in relation to accessing service records, this page is aimed at providing a summary of the facilities, procedures and regulations concerning access to them.

Who holds which records?

For more information  from the UK National Archive on searching for the military records of members of the Royal Navy visit their page Some important information which contains a wide range of advice and directions on where to look. Also includes how to search for POW records from WW1 & WW2.  Visit the MoD web site for information about requests for other personal data and service record requests

The UK National Archive (formerly the Public Record Office)  holds the following records which  are available for online access:

• Royal Navy & Royal Marine commissioned & Warrant officers' service records 1756-1931 Search
• Royal Navy ratings before 1853 info on searching Pay for records - UK, Naval Officer and Rating Service Records, 1802-1919 from Ancestry.com
• Royal Navy Ratings service records (1853-1928) Search
• Royal Marines' service records (1842-1925) Search
• Royal Naval Reserve service records 1860-1908 Search
• Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve service records 1903-1922 Search
• Royal Naval Air Service Officers Search
• Royal Naval Air Service  Ratings Search
• Women's Royal Naval service records 1917-1919 Search
• Royal Naval Division service records 1914-1919 Search

These records are freely available for public access; however the National Archives does not have the manpower to perform searches. Enquirers are instead welcome to visit the archive and perform their own search, or hire an independent researcher - see the National Archive website for further details.

The National Archive (formerly the Public Record Office)  holds the following records which  are available for public access:

The reference BT 391 includes the T124X records which detail the sea service of merchant seamen who served on Royal Navy ships. The T124T records detail the sea service of merchant seamen who served on tugs. Information is contained in pouches and includes personal details such as name, age, rank, rating/grade and qualifications, together with details of the vessels on which the individual served. The pouches are presented in alphabetical order by the seaman's last name.

CLICK HERE  to open the National Archive catalogue page Registry of Shipping and Seamen: War of 1939-1945; Combined Office Merchant Navy Operations, Seamen's Pouches

Enter the name to search for as SURNAME, FIRST MIDDLE

These records are not digitised so they cannot be downloaded - they are copied upon request.

The MOD is the custodian of the records of service personnel  until they are opened to general public access at the National Archives. Subject to the payment of an administration fee of £30 per record and provision of a death certificate (except where death was in service), certain information can be provided from the records of service of Service personnel on request under the publication scheme.
The RN Disclosure Cell holds service records for Commissioned and non-commissioned officers (both RN and RM) from 1924 onwards. Information from these records can be requested under the MOD Publication Scheme.

DOWNLOAD, PRINT, COMPETE & RETURN THE RELEVANT FORMS TO THE ADDRESS ABOVE

For Next of Kin applicants:

Application part 1: Request for Service personnel details: next of kin form (v6)      PDF or DOC formats
Application part 2 : Request for Service personnel details: Royal Navy/Royal Marines part 2      PDF or DOC formats

For None Next of Kin applicants:

Application part 1: Request for Service personnel details: general enquirer's form (v6)       PDF  or DOC formats
Application part 2 : Request for Service personnel details: Royal Navy/Royal Marines part 2       PDF  or DOC formats

Send your completed forms to:

RN Disclosure Cell,

Room 48,

West Battery,
Whale Island,

Portsmouth,

Hampshire,

PO2 8DX

Accepted methods for payment of the fee:- Besides a cheque, other acceptable methods of payment are Postal Order, Banker’s Draft or International Money Order, made out to the value of 30 GBP and payable to ‘the MOD Accounting Officer’.

All questions or requests for more information  write to the above address or see Service records of deceased Service personnel on the MoD web site.

The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA98) provides access for living individuals (including foreign nationals) to personal data held about them by any organisation. The MOD does not currently charge for requests made under DPA98 although in certain circumstances, requests for unstructured manual data may attract a fee. DPA98 does not give private individuals access to personal data about other people or non-personal data.

To make a Subject Access Request (SAR) please download and complete DPA SAR Form 1694:

Application form: DPA SAR form 1694 (PDF)     PDF  or DOC formats

Please state clearly the information you require and send it, with the necessary proof of identification requested, to :

RN Disclosure Cell,

Room 48,

West Battery,
Whale Island,

Portsmouth,

Hampshire,

PO2 8DX

All questions or requests for more information write to the above address or see Obtaining information about yourself (Subject Access Requests) on the MoD web site.

All enquiries should be addressed to:

The Naval Secretary,
Ministry of Defence,
Victory Building,
HM Naval Base,
Portsmouth,
Hampshire PO1 3LS.

 Q   Who can request information held on service records?

 A   Anyone. Provided they have a valid reason - there are many reasons for requesting someone’s service record. Some of the more common reasons for requests are:
Proof of service for joining military associations or ex-services organisations.
Proof of service to enable welfare assistance from ex-service organisations.
Proof of occupancy of Married Quarters to qualify for local council housing.
Researching family trees or history.
Information held on service medical records.
 
 Q. Will I have to pay?
  A  Only if your request is for genealogical/family tree reasons.
 
 Q  As a former member of the Armed Forces can I obtain my own service record?
 A  Yes.  Requests from former Service personnel for his/her personal data held by the Ministry of Defence are processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998; such requests are called Subject Access Requests (SAR).
Click here for a downloadable copy of a Subject Access Request form. After completion it should be submitted to the address on the form. You will need to provide some form of ID, (e.g. a copy of a passport or recent utilities bill) which should accompany your completed SAR form.
 
 Q  Can I request a complete copy of my service record?
 A   Yes, write to the relevant record office listed above.
 
 Q  As the widow/widower or legal next of kin of an ex-serviceman can I obtain information held on my spouses/parents/relatives service record?
 A  Yes, but you will need to provide proof of death and of kinship. Write to the relevant record office listed above.
 
 Q  If I am not the widow/widower or legal next of kin of an ex-service person can I still obtain information about the service record of an ex-service person?
 A   Only if you can obtain a letter of consent from either the person the record belongs to or, if that person is deceased from the widow/widower or legal next of kin. Write to the relevant record office listed above.

Information contained on this page is drawn from

the
Ministry of Defence www.gov.uk/

the Veteran's Agency  www.veterans-uk.info/

and The National Archives www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Information last verified January 2017

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