British Army Records & Regimental Histories
Discover your British military ancestor with these regimental histories. You will view an illustrated record of the 1st Battalion Royal Scots in the South African War, read despatches of the Lincolnshire Regiment from the First World War and explore the history of the Green Howards in the First World War. From the oldest regiment in the British Army, you can view an illustrated souvenir record of the City of London Imperial Volunteers, the CIV and the War and explore The Journal of the CIV in South Africa.
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Discover your British military ancestor with these regimental histories. You will view an illustrated record of the 1st Battalion Royal Scots in the South African War, read despatches of the Lincolnshire Regiment from the First World War and explore the history of the Green Howards in the First World War. From the oldest regiment in the British Army, you can view an illustrated souvenir record of the City of London Imperial Volunteers, the CIV and the War and explore The Journal of the CIV in South Africa.
Learn about these records
Each record is available in a PDF format. Use the previous and next buttons at the top of the page to browse through the publication. The PDF search experience can be different from searching transcribed records. Use our search tips below to get the most out of this collection.
To the left of the PDF, you will find the Transcription Box, which includes:
- Publication – the title of the publication
- Country
- Image number
- Image Count
Image number and image count – this will tell you where you are in the publication and help you to explore the publication further.
Regimental histories are an excellent resource for discovering more about your ancestor’s military career. You can discover where the regiment was stationed, read dispatches from the First World War and records of the deeds and achievements of the British Army.
This collection comprises of the following publications:
- The 1st Battalion Royal Scots in South Africa, 1899-1902 – edited by Captain J H Cuthbert. It is an illustrated record of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards during the South African War. So many of the officers carried cameras that it was decided that on the return of the battalion a collection of the photographs take should be made, and a selection from them should be brought out in book form.
- The CIV and the War - Illustrated Souvenir of the City of London Imperial Volunteers published by City Press. As quoted at the beginning of the publication, ‘The history of the City of London Imperial Volunteers for service in South Africa is of a very interesting character and well illustrates the loyal feeling that always animates the Corporation and the citizens in times of emergency.
- The Green Howards in The Great War - written by Colonel H C Wylly, CB and published in 1926. The publication includes the history of the Green Howards in the First World War, where they fought on almost every front, and the Third Afghan War of 1919.
- The History of the Lincolnshire Regiment 1914-1918 – edited by Major-General C R Simpson, CB. Colonel of the Regiment with a forward by The Earl of Yarborough, O.C. The works are compiled from war diaries, despatches, officers’ notes, and other sources
- The Journal of the CIV in South Africa - Written by Major General W H Mackinnon C.B., Commandant of the Corps and published in 1901. Major General Mackinnon begins his preface with the following; ‘Originally intended for private circulation only, the Journal was published at the request of many members of the Regiment.
It has been kept regularly from day to day, and the distances, &c., have been checked with the notes made by Staff and other Officers’.
Search tips
Searching through a PDF (Portable document format) is different from searching through fully transcribed record sets. Here are some tips to keep in mind while you search for your ancestors:
Direct Search
- The search feature uses direct search. It will search for the exact word or phrase you type in the search field. There are no name variants available through this format.
- All search results will bring you to the page on which your search word has been found and not to an individual transcript. You can then read through the page to find your result.
Name searches
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A name search will return results which have the search terms on the same page within the document. This means that searching for John Smith will return pages where the names 'John' and 'Smith' occur. For this reason your search may return the name William Smith or John Brown. By inserting quotations around the full name the search function will locate the terms together; for example, “John Smith.”
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To search for your ancestor by their name, write it as it would appear on the document. For example, if your relative was known as ‘Will’ it is likely that the name used for official records was ‘William.’
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If you are unable to find your relative on your first search you can try different name variations. A number of register books only use abbreviations for first names. For example, if your search is unsuccessful for William Smith, try W Smith or Wm Smith.
Perusing the PDF
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If you wish to read through the whole document you are searching, then order the results by page number. You can start from the beginning of the document and read through to the end using the next button above the image.
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Page numbers often correlate with the individual images of the documents rather than the page numbers used within the publication. Therefore page 1 starts with the cover page.