Auxiliary Territorial Service (Palestine) and other ranks service records

WO 447

[1939-63]

This series consists predominantly of service records of women (not officers) who served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) as part of the British Army during the Second World War. Many of these women were born in Central Europe and, after having emigrated to Palestine, joined the service there during the war.

The series also contains a smaller number of service records of men (not officers) who served in units of the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC), Royal Pioneer Corps, and General Service Corps. The vast majority of whom were born in Central Europe, had been originally interned as 'enemy aliens' and/or had resided in Palestine, and were subsequently permitted to join the British armed forces.

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.

Most pieces appear to have been organised by service number, however for some of this series are out of order

For Infantry Over Age Other Ranks see WO 423

For soldier's service records relating to the Royal Artillery see WO 428

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

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

For soldiers' service records pre-1914 see WO 97

For First World War soldiers' documents WO 364

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

Public Record(s)

English

file(s)

Open unless otherwise stated

From 2024 Ministry of Defence

Open Document, Open Description

Topics

Internment

Army

Europe and Russia

Conflict

Middle East

Armed Forces (General Administration)

Operations, battles and campaigns

Sex and gender

This series is accruing

The service records for individuals in these units were originally administered by Middle East Land Forces Command and held at the Pay and Record Office, Cyprus. This Record Office provided a location for the administration of service (as well as other) records to a number of units recruited and/or administered in the Middle East and Mediterranean during and immediately after the Second World War.

In 1959, instructions were issued relating to records held overseas in various records offices across former United Kingdom territories. Records of locally enlisted personnel were offered for ultimate custody to the Colonial Governments concerned. Those which were not accepted, or included personnel of British origin, were transferred to record offices in the United Kingdom and, ultimately, to Ministry of Defence custody.