Genealogy Chat

Please can anyone help advise me on the best way of finding information at the National Archives, Kew? I would ideally like to hear from anyone who has searched military records for officers serving in the British Army in India around the mid 19th Century. I have made one visit to the NA but was unable to find the information I ideally needed. Thank you Spencer

Have you put the name in the search box on the National Archives web site. I got my Grtx4 grandads army records,he served from 1825-1839, by ordering them on line from that site Shirley

Have you an idea when he was discharged?

William Thomas Davis born 1849 in India was the son of William Thomas Davis RSM Royal Horse Artillery F Troop (this is what it states on the birth entry of 1849) and his wife Emily. I am trying to find out more information about TW Davis senior, who I believe was born in England and went to India in 1841. Information passed down from the family says that he arrived in India in 1841 with the royal Horse Artillery and saw service in the Indian Mutiny (which I think was 1854ish). When we went to Kew we found a discharge papers for a Thomas Davis but it had him down as a Gunner. When you look on the NA website a Thomas Davis appears in the discharge papers from 1820 something to 1851 but I don't think this is him becuase of the rank and the fact that it was a discharge before the Indian Mutiny.

Im not sure that a RSM is a commissioned rank, I think its the same a Warrant officer, which is a non commissioned rank. what series did you check at Kew.

I can't remember to be honest as it was last autumn time and I have only just started getting back into it again. I thought that an RSM would have been an officer but you probably know more than I do. Where does that leave us then with records at Kew, if he was not an officer? It is quite frustrating with that fact we know his regiment and F Troop etc. I suppose if we had a more unusual name then Davis it would help :)

Heres the ranks http://www.army.mod.uk/atr/hq_itg/information_pack/rank.htm

You need to work out when would have been discharged, and then start with the WO97 range.....but you need to work out a period when he would have been discharged because WO97 is split up and each section is organised in a different way.

Heres some links for you http://www.army.mod.uk/3rha/dbty.htm gives you information and history of the regiment Chances are he was discharged 1855-1872 Soldiers discharged 1855-1872 You need to know beforehand the regiment in which your man served, to find a soldier discharged in this period. If you know where a soldier was serving at a particular time , you can try to identify his regiment from the Monthly Army Lists or from the Monthly Returns (WO 17 and WO 73 ) which show where regiments were stationed: you may also be able to find the regiment from the Medal Rolls in WO 100 . Once you know the regiment, look in the 1855-1872 section of the WO 97 class list (WO 97/1272 -WO 97/1721 ), under the appropriate regiment. Some discharge papers may have been misfiled, and are now in a single alphabetic sequence in WO 97/6355 -WO 97/6383 . Lastly there is a help guide on the NA site http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/militaryhistory/army/step4.htm

Thank you for your help. I remember looking through a couple of boxes while we were there but I thought to myself there must be more papers than this here to look through. If he had a child in 1849 - I can't think he would have been discharged that soon after that. Is WO97 divided into years i.e 1820-1850, 1850-1870 etc? Will every man who served in the army at that time have a discharge record, which can be found at Kew? Is it a case of it has to be there somewhere?

You need to check this range as well WO 69 If you go to the help pages I gave you the link to, it says about the WO 69 range. Im afraid I have never used this series so I have no idea how its organised. WO 97 is divided by years yes If he had a career in the army the chances are you will find something somewhere i.e on the muster rolls, medal rolls or perhaps his pension papers.

I seem to remember that Royal Horse Artillery are simply filed with Royal Artillery so order WO97/1317 DISCHARGE 1855 - 1872. RSM is non commissioned officer so will be in with ordinary soldiers. Jan

Spencer, can you get to a W H Smiths? I was nosing about in there today at the genealogy magazines, two of the current ones have articles about British forces in India, they might be of help to you. Duncan

Thank you everyone for you help and advice. Is there anyone who is going up to Kew soon , who could possibly have a look for me? It is difficult to get time off to get to Kew and I would I would really appreciate it if anyone could have a look for me if they are going to Kew to do some research. Thank you again Spencer