WW2 Research Sources

The Great War has numerous sources for researching servicmen M.I.Cs, Service Papers, Soldiers Died etc... to name but a few.What sources apply to the WW2 Researcher i can only think of the Army Roll of Honour and the Bomber Command War losses. Can anyone add any thing that might be available in the Future that may help Researching Servicemen.

 

Geoff's search engine.

This forum.

My Books

 

This is useful for sort through the various agencies a person might have worked with in the US military. HyperWar: Federal Records of WWII--Military Agencies

 

London Gazette

 

There is a 'Soldiers Died' equivalent: Naval & Military Press do a CD of The Army Roll of Honour 1939-45. What it would add to Geoff's site is unclear, though. Try your local library, there might be a copy within the county.

All the personal stuff you see for WW1 came into the public domain on the basis that most (now all) of the individuals are dead. Same logic as the release of census details after 100 years. I'm hoping I'm not history by the time the WW2 stuff come out...

 

All the personal stuff you see for WW1 came into the public domain on the basis that most (now all) of the individuals are dead. Same logic as the release of census details after 100 years. I'm hoping I'm not history by the time the WW2 stuff come out...

ive got a feeling things might come out sooner in years to come, there is a test case ongoing at the moment to try and get census details out sooner than 100 years. There was a national registration survey taken in 1939 - kinda like a census - and a campaigner has put in a FOI request to have it released sooner than 2039. It would certainly be very useful.

 

2039....Just in time for my retirement

 

The WW2 records, when they're eventually released, should be much more complete than for WW1 as there have been no large scale losses of documentation.

From what I've seen, much of the information is of the serviceman's medical history so it is understandable that it should not yet be released. One's Grandmother probably doesn't really need to know that Grandfather was treated for a sexually transmitted disease in 1945

 

unithistories has a database of all Arnhem officers, with plenty of info about them. It also has incomplete records for other officers too. I found it very useful for putting together a picture of the officers of my Granddads Battalion at Arnhem.

While we're on the subject of Arnhem, Pegasus Archive is very useful, and for all things airborne there is Para Data now too.

In terms of naval history, there navalhistory.net for casualties, sinkings, ships logs etc, and battleships and cruisers for photographs.

The International Red Cross have records of most POW's too. They're very prompt and helpful in my experience.

 

Some useful stuff in there. Regarding Geoffs search engine a very valuable tool but this only applies to war deaths.The reason i asked this question is that is there a lot of material untapped i.e is there M.I.Cs for WW2. What will be in Kew/ Ancestry in a few years time.

 

There is also the Times on line archive which dbf introduced be too

 

Access to Archives is a pretty big database of records held by all kinds of museums and archives around the UK, I believe its on the national archives website nowadays. Its not every document in every place, but not far from it. I've found some pretty obscure but useful documents on there.

 

There are also publications like the RUSI journal, and Janes Fighting Ships, Army and Navy lists too. My local Library - being Portsmouth - has those and more.

 

Access to Archives is a pretty big database of records held by all kinds of museums and archives around the UK, I believe its on the national archives website nowadays. Its not every document in every place, but not far from it. I've found some pretty obscure but useful documents on there.

Took me ages to find the Access to Archives (A2A) link on the NA/PRO site the other day, and I knew it was there. But the real point of this post is to say: County Record Offices/Archives. A lot of these are now getting their own searchable databases online, over and above A2A. Many regimental museums are depositing their documents in these to guarantee preservation and you might also find regimental association records or personal accounts. The Durham Record Office (DRO) is a good example.

 

Took me ages to find the Access to Archives (A2A) link on the NA/PRO site the other day, and I knew it was there. But the real point of this post is to say: County Record Offices/Archives. A lot of these are now getting their own searchable databases online, over and above A2A. Many regimental museums are depositing their documents in these to guarantee preservation and you might also find regimental association records or personal accounts. The Durham Record Office (DRO) is a good example.

They are indeed. Hampshire is a very good example too.

I gather A2A was a project led by the NA to try and get local archives holdings catalogued in one place, but the grant funding ran out and they had to bring it onto their own website to keep it going. There are a few military museums on there, I think the RLC have put a lot of their documents on A2A.

Regimental archives arent the most accessible of things at the best of times. An A2A style project for military museums and archives would be fantastic.

 

oh yes, the IWM has a sizeable collection of personal papers, from Field Marshal Montgomery down to privates, objects from tanks and planes to buttons, and an online searchable database of thousands of photographs.

Another interesting repository is the Liddell-Hart Centre for Military Archives at Kings College London. They've got the Liddell-Hart collection, Brooke's papers, John Hackett's, and many other important figures.