Overseas Clearing Wing other ranks service records

WO 459

[1939-1963]

This series consists of a small selection of service records for men and women who served in a variety of British Army units during the Second World War. Most of these individuals were born overseas and who were also discharged overseas.

The units to which the individuals belonged include the following:

-Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS)

-Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Service

-Women's Territorial Service (East Africa)

Ceylon Auxiliary Pioneer Battalion

-Ceylon Artillery

-Royal Artillery (Hong Kong and Singapore)

-East African Army Medical Corps

-West African Frontier Force

-West Indian Regiment

-Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps

-Royal Army Service Corps (RASC)

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME)

-East African Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

-Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC)

-Royal Corps of Transport

-Intelligence Corps

-General Service Corps

-Cyprus Regiment Royal Engineers

-Mauritius Regiment

-Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC)

-Kenya Regiment

-Libyan Arab Force

-Royal Pioneer Corps

-Army Catering Corps

-Gibraltar Regiment

-Caribbean Regiment

-Royal Malta Artillery.

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 unit and surname, however for some of this series are out of order.

Public Record(s)

English

472 file(s)

Open unless otherwise stated

Ministry of Defence From 2024

Open Document, Open Description

These records were originally administered by the overseas clearing wing of the Royal Artillery Record Office, Foots Cray, Kent. The overseas clearing wing was responsible for the administration of soldiers whose record offices were overseas while they were in the United Kingdom 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.