Admiralty: Royal Navy, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and Women's...

ADM 340

c.1880-c.1960

This series contains files and record-of-service cards, detailing the service of officers in the Royal Navy, the Royal Naval Reserve, the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS).

The Admiralty had traditionally recorded such information in books and registers, such as will be found in earlier ADM series. This new format - cards and files - was introduced early in the twentieth century for all officers then serving, including therefore some with service dating back to circa 1880 (and possibly earlier still in a few cases).

Duplicated and additional information on many of the male officers whose records appear in this series will therefore be found among the books and registers in the earlier ADM series as listed, ADM 240 especially.

Duplicated and additional information on some of the female officers (i.e. WRNS) whose records appear in this series may be found in the two series containing WRNS First World War officers' service records - ADM 318 and ADM 321.

Whereas so often an entry in a book or register would relate to only one period of an officer's service, the introduction of the individual record card/file brought in the concept of a single continuous record spanning the length of the officer's service. Some records in this series therefore detail service through both World Wars and into the 1950s.

Please Note: Electronic images of ADM 340/1-150 are available online.

Records accruing to this series will be in chronological batches according to the year-of-birth of the officers concerned. The first accruals are of officers born prior to 1 January 1900, arranged alphabetically by surname.

Service Records 1741-1897 ADM 11

Service Records etc. 1673-1960 ADM 6

Service Records 1756-1954 ADM 196

Service Records, Royal Naval Division, World War 1 ADM 339

Service Records, WRNS, World War 1 ADM 318

Service Records 1802-1919 ADM 29

Service Records RNVR 1894-1922 ADM 337

Service Records, RNR 1862-1960 ADM 240

Appointments Registers, WRNS, World War 1 ADM 321

Public Record(s)

English

456 files and cards

Available in digital format unless otherwise stated

from 2003 Ministry of Defence

Series is accruing

Details of naval officers' service had traditionally been recorded in books and registers. A record-of-service card was introduced, probably around the outbreak of the First World War, for officers in the Royal Naval Reserve. This concept, of a physically separate record for each officer, did not take long to become standard within the Admiralty.

The Ministry of Defence subsequently decided that the most convenient arrangement, in its archive, of these individual records of former naval officers would be by date of birth, regardless of the arm of service. The records in this series are therefore a mixture of officers with service in each of - the Royal Navy, the Royal Naval Reserve, the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and the Women's Royal Naval Service.