War Office: Infantry Other Ranks, 1921-1939

This series consists of service records of non-commissioned officers and other ranks (but not officers) who served in infantry regiments of the British Army after 1921, but who were discharged from the armed forces before the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, and who did not return to service after this time.

They include significant numbers of individuals who had served during the First World War but had continued their service after 1921.

The types of documents that are most commonly found within the service records comprising this series are:

• Attestation forms, which are the documents signed by the new recruit, or created upon transfer between units;
• Statement of service, which outline an individual's postings whilst in service;
• Discharge forms, which were issued when a soldier left the regiment;
• A variety of supporting correspondence.

Some pieces appear to have been organised according to surname or date of birth, however for large parts of this series there is no discernible order to the pieces.

For soldiers' service records pre-1914, see WO 97

For Women's Services in East Africa, Nurses and Other Ranks, see WO 427

For soldiers' service records relating to selected smaller corps during the Second World War period, see WO 421

For First World War soldiers' documents, see also WO 364

For soldiers' service records relating to the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), see WO 420

For First World War soldiers' documents, see WO 363

For Infantry Other Ranks and some Nurses in the Second World War and up to 1963, see also WO 423

For Infantry Other Ranks and some Nurses in the Second World War and up to 1963, see WO 422

From 2020 Ministry of Defence

Topics

Army

Conflict

Armed Forces (General Administration)

Operations, battles and campaigns

This collection of records includes those who served in infantry regiments and some support services of the British Army, but not those who served in Guards or Cavalry regiments, or those who served in the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, or women's services during the Second World War. These latter records were held by the War Office/Ministry of Defence separately for administrative purposes. In many cases, records were added to after the end of service.

A significant proportion of these records relate to individuals who served during the First World War, and continued in the armed forces once conscription had been extended beyond 1919. It also includes those who signed up for army service between 1921 and 1939, but who had been discharged before September 1939 and were not liable for a recall to service, usually because they no longer in the Army Reserve or because they had reached the upper age limit.