Research Help

Previously we helped individual enquirers, however the volume of requests means we are now unable to provide this service. Instead we have set out useful addresses to help you start your search for WW2 information. If you wish to approach us regarding the possible donation of WW2 material please go to Donate Material, If you have suggestions regarding our Research Help page, for example additional addresses which have proved useful in your own research, we would be delighted to hear from you.

For all British services the most useful initial contact is the Ministry of Defence at www.mod.uk Within the Ministry of Defence website are pages relating to the Veterans Agency, www.veteransagency.mod.uk and it is on these pages that the relevant details can be found for tracing the records of Army, Navy and Airforce service personnel.
Each service has a separate address to contact but it is clearly set out on the site. Here you can also find information regarding medals and where to apply for more help.

Other British naval sources.

As well as contacting the Ministry of Defence www.mod.uk other good sites for research purposes are:

• Royal Naval Museum www.royalnavalmuseum.org
• The Royal Naval Association www.Royal-Naval-Association.co.uk
• The Fleet Air Arm Archive 1939-1945 www.fleetairarmarchive.net
• The Royal Navy Submarine Museum www.rnsubmus.co.uk
• Royal Marines Museum www.royalmarinesmuseum.co.uk
• Merchant Navy Association www.mna.org.uk
• Naval-History.Net www.naval-history.net
• PORT, the Maritime Information Gateway, displays an on-line catalogue of maritime-related Internet resources at www.port.nmm.ac.uk

Other British Army sources

If you have the basic service history from the Ministry of Defence www.mod.uk and would like to know more, it is worth contacting individual Regimental Museums. A list is available at www.army.mod.uk
Another useful link here is the National Army Museum at www.national-army-museum.ac.uk which is the British Army's own museum or The Army Museums Ogilby Trust at www.armymuseums.org.uk

For those serving in the Indian Army official records are held in the British Library Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections www.bl.uk/collections/asiapacificafrica.html

For details of those held as Prisoners of War, enquiries should be directed to The Director, International Welfare Department, British Red Cross Society, 9 Grosvenor Crescent, London SW1X 7EJ

Other RAF sources

As well as contacting the Ministry of Defence www.mod.uk the main source of RAF records is the Air Historical Branch at www.raf.mod.uk/history/ahb.html The Air Historical Branch holds RAF casualty lists from 1939 onwards and an archive of operational documents.

The Royal Air Forces Association has a good website at www.rafa.org.uk with a newsletter which can be used to re-establish contact with old friends. For additional RAF information one good site is www.rafinfo.org.uk which hosts pages for the WAAF Association, Aircrew and Groundcrew Search, Royal Air Forces Ex-POW Association and the British and Commonwealth Air Unit Register. Another useful RAF site is www.bomber-command.info an informative site regarding Bomber Command during the Second World War

For other countries:

For US forces:
The US National Archives and Records Administration is at www.archives.gov
This national archive covers records for the US Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard.
Another recommended Website is www.normandyallies.org

For Canadian Personnel:
The most useful Websites for assistance are the Library and Archives Canada at www.collectionscanada.ca and Veterans Affairs Canada at www.vac-acc.gc.ca Veteran Affairs Canada also maintains a virtual war memorial and database at www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem

For Australian forces: the most useful Website is www.awm.gov.au the Australian War Memorial to research service and family history or find a name on the Roll of Honour. The Royal Australian Naval site is at www.navy.gov.au

The Royal New Zealand Naval Association is at www.rnzna.org.nz

For information regarding service personnel lost during the Second World War the most useful Website is that of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission www.cwgc.org
This informative site is a vital first step for those aiming to trace the whereabouts of graves as it provides a full register of all casualties of Commonwealth men and women who died during the two world wars.
For New Zealand graves contact Heritage Affairs, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, New Zealand on www.cultureandheritage.govt.nz which is a site linked to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A similar site for the German War Graves Commission is www.volksbund.de which is a public service organisation.

For UK family history enquiries The National Archives is at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk The National Archives catalogue can be searched online and the Website provides detailed information regarding access. The National Archives also holds copies of war diaries. Another useful link is the Family Records site at www.familyrecords.gov.uk which has a useful guide to starting your search.

Other useful sources for research are:

• Changi POW art www.changipowart.com
• The Imperial War Museum www.iwm.org.uk
• RAF Museum at Hendon www.rafmuseum.org.uk
• The National Maritime Museum at Greenwich www.nmm.ac.uk
• Bletchley Park www.bletchleypark.org.uk
• The Tank Museum www.tankmuseum.co.uk
• The Society for Army Research www.sahr.co.uk
• The Friends of War Memorials www.war-memorials.com
• Firepower, the museum of the Royal Artillery www.firepower.org.uk
• The Museum of Army Flying www.flying-museum.org.uk

For information regarding evacuees one good Website is www.evacuees.ndo.co.uk

To re-establish links with old friends try:

• MOD reunited at www.modreunited.com or
• Forces Reunited at www.forcesreunited.org.uk
• Lost comrades at www.LostComms.co.uk
• The Association of Liberation Children at www.liberationchildrenandwarbabies.org

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