Finding out more about your WWII ancestors’ service in the British armed forces can be a hugely rewarding genealogical exercise. To follow is a summary including useful background information, key records to track down, helpful research steps to take, and ideas for further reading.
The introduction of conscription in WWII
Conscription was introduced in April 1939, when every man between the ages of 18 and 42 was required either to join the forces or be directed to do work of national importance. This was extended in May 1941 to include women between the ages of 18 and 30. Most men and women did not join the forces, however, but were assigned to work in factories and offices making munitions or working in the fields or down the mines.
The Royal Air Force was the service which men and women wanted to join as it was regarded as being the most exciting and romantic service. And of course ‘The Brylcreem Boys’ could always pull the best girls! The Royal Navy also had a good reputation. Less popular was the British Army, which was regarded as being rather stuffy and hidebound. However, if you wanted a life of adventure, you could always volunteer for the Special Air Service (SAS) and other irregular
Right: Identify your family members’ medals. Find examples of the 11 WW2 campaign medal ribbons at https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/go/guide-touk-medals (https://tinyurl.com/3kw4p6jt) – and click through for eligibility criteria units, although they were difficult to get into.
Tip: find further maps for Operation Overlord at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ Maps_of_Operation_Overlord or https://tinyurl.com/j9ve5s9f
In addition, embedded in British services, were units and ships from the dominions and occupied Europe, and men and women from Ireland and across the Empire enlisted in the British armed forces.
The tail & the teeth
For the first time most service personnel were part of units – often referred to
