INTRODUCTION (and research advice) - please read

[Garen]

This section is for anyone who has a query about an individual soldier or sailor who saw all or part of their service within the Victorian era as covered by the forum (1837-1902).

When asking a question, it would be helpful if you could include as much information as you already have (in brief, no essays please) so that time is not wasted uncovering details you already know. Start with just two or three specific questions to begin with, if you can. Names and dates are always important starting points!

With a diverse range of interests within the Victorian Wars Forum, and a variety of resources available to our different members, hopefully someone can help you with your query - or you may have an answer for someone yourself.

Please remember that sometimes quite a lot of time can be spent searching for even a simple detail - so be patient. If you think your query may have been overlooked, you're welcome to bump your thread every now and then - new members may have joined with different expertise and/or resources.

Research: useful links:

How to obtain a soldier's service record
The easiest starting point for records of a soldier's career is the incomplete collection of Soldiers' Documents (attestation and discharge papers) in WO 97. They cover discharges from the army for the period 1760 to 1913, and are often an excellent source, providing place of birth, age on enlistment, details of appearance and, from 1883 next of kin. For officers have a look here.

Note: As of March 2010 these have started to go up online at the Find My Past website. You can search the index for free but there is a charge to view the actual scanned documents.

Muster Rolls
Muster rolls and pay lists give the enlistment date, movements and discharge date of all soldiers in the British Army. They can be used to trace the service of soldiers who were not discharged to pension. However, to trace a man's movements by way of the musters, you do have to know his regiment.

[jastapl]

Very helpful. Thank you for the information.

[daisybee]

This is very helpful ..my search is on.

[Keithj]

I presume when you say that muster rolls can be used to trace a man's movements who did not receive a pension that does not mean that if your man did get a pension he won't be found there? I'm just wondering whether pensioned soldiers were weeded out. A couple of questions:

Does the content of the rolls vary much between regiments?
What does a typical entry for a soldier look like and at what intervals would he appear?

Keith

[SWB]

Keith,

Muster rolls are pay lists - so every man is there, where money is concerned the Army don't lose men.

They are a standard format and were compiled quarterly. They simply show how many days in each month "muster" a man was on duty, in hospital and in gaol as they would effect the amount of pay he would get and where the stoppages (for food, board and clothing) were made. When on campaign they also show sometimes if a man was on detached duty from the main body of the regiment.

The muster also contains lists of regular deductions (paid to relatives mostly), fines (mostly drunkeness), recruits, men transferred in, men discharged and cause (i.e. killed in action).

As with all research material they can provide nuggets of gold or simply dusty details of life.

Please note pay and stoppages varied over the Victorian period and have been discussed in various threads on this Forum.

Regards
Meurig

[Keithj]

Thanks, Meurig. The next time I go to Kew my main focus will be on the Anti Aircraft Sections in Salonika in WW1 - where my Grandfather served from 1917-1918 - but I've been pointed at the muster rolls and wondered how much time to set aside. With luck, I could photograph quite a lot of the rolls in not too long a time.

Keith