Search The Royal Naval Division Service Records

The Royal Naval Division Service Records are extremely detailed and will give you a combination of the following information about your ancestor:

• Biographical information
• Name
• Date of birth
• Address
• Occupation
• Religion
• Name and address of next of kin
• Swimming ability
• Appearance
• Hair colour
• Eye colour
• Distinguishing marks, including tattoos and scars
• Height
• Chest size
• Complexion
• Service history
• Rank
• Service number
• Where stationed
• Wounds or illnesses
• Awards
• Disciplinary action

Each record includes images of the original service records that The National Archives holds. There will usually be two or three pages for each man, but many will have more.

The Royal Naval Division in World War One

The Royal Naval Division was formed in August 1914 and included recruits from the following:

• Royal Naval Reserve
• Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
• Royal Fleet Reserve
• Royal Navy
• Royal Marines
• Army
• The Royal Naval Division fought on land during WWI, seeing service at Antwerp in 1914, Gallipoli in 1915, Ancre in 1916 and Passchendaele in 1917.
• The National Archives holds microfiche copies of the Royal Naval Division Records of Service in the series ADM339. The original record cards are held at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Somerset.
• The records do not cover officers who transferred to the Royal Naval Division from the Royal Marines.

The records cover more than 50,000 officers and ratings who joined the Royal Naval Division or who passed through Crystal Palace when it was used as an initial training centre during the First World War.

The Royal Naval Division was formed of men from the Royal Navy and its reserve forces. It fought on land alongside the Army during World War One and suffered heavy casualties at Gallipoli and the Somme.