Good day all - Here is a recent email from National Archives reference searching for WW1 service records   Hope it helps -   Still looking for my grandfather's service record - hoping that his records will be one of the one recovered.     First World War Army Service Records. British Army Soldiers' Document from Pension Claims, First World War (catalogue reference series WO 364), containing service records of non-commissioned officers and other ranks who were discharged from the Army and claimed disability pensions for service in the First World War, are now available to download for a fee from www.ancestry.co.uk. You can access these images free on site at The National Archives in Kew. The majority of First World War records of service will be found however, in the Soldiers' Documents, First World War 'Burnt Documents' (catalogue reference WO363).  These are the 'burnt documents' that survived the bombing in 1940 and consist of about 20 to 25% of the original total.   Ancestry.co.uk has recently begun the process of digitising the surviving records by surname and A - N are now available to download for a fee at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/militaryhistory .  These images can also be accessed free onsite at The National Archives, Kew. We suggest that you look at the Information from Archives leaflet called First World War Army Service: Other Ranks, which is available online at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/ifa_m3_first_world_war_army_service_otherranks.pdf This leaflet will contain advice on the types of document that can be searched for this kind of information: each search is identified by a number. It also tells you how to use our paid search service. Please read it carefully: the leaflet should be helpful even if you decide not to use our paid search service. Once you have read this and identified the number/s of the search or searches you want from First World War Army Service: Other Ranks, you have three ways to proceed: 1. You can request a formal quotation for a paid search, by replying to this e-mail . Please make it clear which of the numbered searches described in the leaflet you want us to undertake, and make sure to include as much of the information requested in the leaflet as you can. We will then send you the quotation and your payment options. Do not send any payment until you have received our quotation. 2. You, or someone acting on your behalf, are welcome to visit us to do the research yourself. Our staff will give you advice free of charge. For visiting details, please go to http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/visit/. The only payment would be if you then wanted to buy copies from our Record Copying Department. You can take photographs of documents using your own digital camera, under certain rules. For details of both options go to http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/recordcopying/. 3. You can hire an independent researcher to carry out specific or wider-ranging research for you, both at The National Archives and in other relevant archives. For details, and for a list of independent researchers who conduct research at The National Archives, look at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/irlist/. The fee that you will pay for this service is a matter for yourself and the researcher: it may be significantly less than the fee that we would charge. We wish you every success in your research, but please be aware that the records in our custody are not always complete: they were not created or kept for research purposes, but for use by the government or law courts of the day. We cannot guarantee that you will find what you are looking for. If you need to respond to this email, please click on Reply to do so. It is very helpful for us for the text of the earlier emails to be included. For a new enquiry, please go to http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/contact/form/. Yours sincerely Linda Church E-Mail Duty Officer Contact Centre Team 020 8876 3444  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------