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The Chelsea Pensioners British Army Service records are not yet complete and, as of June 2010, findmypast.co.uk had added 1,033,845 out of 1,533,845 records.What are the Chelsea Pensioners British Army Service Records?
These records are of men pensioned out of the British Army 1760-1913. The connection with “Chelsea Pensioners” is that the pensions were administered through The Royal Hospital at Chelsea. The great majority of pensioned soldiers were “out-pensioners” and did not reside at the Hospital itself.
When the project is complete there will be around 9 million full colour images. The records are being scanned in the following order:
Date Range Approx no. of Records Approx no. of Images When Available WO97 1855-1872 96,434 437,825 Now WO97 1873-1882 97,515 540,423 Now WO97 1883-1900 312,921 2,218,606 Now WO97 1760-1854 185,087 1,005,640 Now WO97 1901-1913 341,888 1,928,868 Now WO96 1806-1915 500,000 3.5 million September 2011 Why are these records useful to the family historian?
These records provide rich detail and colour to your ancestors’ lives at a level that is difficult to find elsewhere. There are usually four or eight pages of detailed record per soldier whereas an individual only gets one line in, for example, a census record from the 1900s. As well as discovering details of the regiments in which they served, you will often find physical descriptions such as chest sizes (often tiny) and distinguishing marks such as tattoos. In the absence of photographs, these records are an essential tool for imagining what your ancestors looked like. You’ll also be able to see the individual’s signature. Discharge records may also give details of wives and children, medical history and disciplinary record.
Whereas many other military records provide information about officer class soldiers, these records include papers about ordinary soldiers of other ranks. This makes it more likely that you will be able to find details about your ancestors. If searching the censuses leads to a dead end, it is possible you can find who you are looking for here.
These records are among the most popular at The National Archives, as family historians and genealogists have realised how valuable they are.
What exactly will I be able to find out?
The Chelsea Pensioners British Army Service Records provide the soldier’s name, place of birth, regiment(s), year of discharge and dates of service within the British Army. They contain details which are largely unavailable elsewhere. These records are useful in finding out information about ancestors from England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and overseas. There are a good number of records from the Caribbean and India in particular. This is the first time these records have been scanned, transcribed and published online.
If they’re about pensions, do they just tell us about old soldiers?
No, soldiers were eligible for a pension after 12 years of service, and earlier if they were wounded, so relatively young men could be pensioned out. The term “pensioner” refers to a pension being paid to an ex-soldier, not that they are a resident pensioner at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Why can’t I find an entry?
The series generally does not contain the records of soldiers who died in service or who took an early discharge because these did not receive a pension. Some ex-soldiers re-enlisted at the start of the Great War in 1914 and their records are unlikely to be found in the Chelsea Pensioner series.
Timeline and Historical context
Here are some of the major conflicts in the period 1760-1913 that are covered by the same period as the Chelsea Pensioners British Army Service Records which may help you to find your ancestors:
- 1775: American War of Independence
- 1793-1802: British involvement in French Revolution
- 1795: British capture of Ceylon
- 1798: Irish Rebellion
- 1803-1815: Napoleonic Wars
- 1854-1856: The Crimean War
- 1857-1859: Indian Mutiny
- 1880-1881: The First Anglo-Boer War (also known as the “Transvaal War”)
- 1899-1902: The Second Anglo-Boer War
Glossary
Attestation papers - official papers written for a solider upon joining the Army.
Description Books - before the days of photography, the Army had to have a means of recognising soldiers, not least in the case of desertion or to prevent pension fraud. Description Books provided detailed physical descriptions of each solider and details of birthplace, trade service and enlistment.
Discharge papers - official papers written for a soldier upon leaving the Army.
The Royal Hospital Chelsea - a retirement home for the "Chelsea Pensioner" and administrative office for the British Army, founded in 1682 and opened in 1692 to look after wounded and disabled soldiers. Catered for "in-pensioners" but the large majority of soldiers pensioned out of the army were "out-pensioners" living at their own address but receiving a pension via The Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Kilmainham Hospital - a predecessor to The Royal Hospital Chelsea, catering for wounded and disabled soldiers from 1684.
Militia - a voluntary part-time force for home defence. The Militia Act of 1757 established Militia Regiments in all counties of England and Wales. The Yeomanry (cavalry) and the Volunteers were introduced later. In 1808 a further force, the Local Militia, was formed. By 1816 the Local Militia and the Volunteers had been dissolved. The Volunteer Force was revived in 1859. In 1907, the Yeomanry and the Volunteers combined as the Territorial Force, and in 1908 the Militia was revived as the Special Reserve.
WO96 - the reference number at The National Archives. "WO" stands for War Office. WO96 is War Office: Militia Attestation Papers 1806-1913. The records provide a key source of information for non-officer class soldiers. Records referring to non-officer class soldiers are very difficult to find elsewhere.
WO97 - the reference number at The National Archives. "WO" stands for War Office. WO97 is Royal Hospital Chelsea: Soldiers’ Service Documents 1760-1913. The records provide a key source of information for non-officer class soldiers. Records referring to non-officer class soldiers are very difficult to find elsewhere.
Groups of soldiers
- Squad: 9 - 13 soldiers
- Platoon: 20 - 42 soldiers
- Company: 70 - 200 soldiers
- Battalion: 300 - 1,300 soldiers, usually commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel
- Brigade: 3,000 - 5,000 soldiers, usually commanded by a Brigadier General, Brigadier or Colonel
- Division: 10,000 - 15,000 soldiers
- Corps: 20,000 - 45,000 soldiers
Ramsdale and variant surname entries extracted from WO97 (1873-1900):
Last Name First Names(s) Year of Birth Place of Birth Ramsdale Aaron 1884 Wigan, Lancashire Ramsdale Charles 1780 Leicester, Leicestershire Ramsdale Frank 1854 Chelmsford, Essex Ramsdale George Barnard 1875 Darlington, Durham Ramsdale James 1864 London, Surrey Ramsdale James ? Bolton, Lancashire Ramsdale John 1808 Bromsgrove, Worcestershire Ramsdale John Walker 1883 Atherton, Lancashire Ramsdale Moses 1787 Nottinghamshire Ramsdale Robert 1871 Oldham, Lancashire Ramsdale Robert ? Yorkshire Ramsdale Solomon 1871 Wednesbury, Staffordshire Ramsdale Stapleton 1886 Borobridge, Yorkshire Ramsdale Thomas ? Bolton, Lancashire Ramsdale William 1881 Larbert, Stirlingshire Ramsdale William 1859 Northallerton, Yorkshire Ramsdale William ? Leigh, Lancashire Ramsdale William Almond 1869 Darlington, Durham There are no entries under the variant surnames Ramsdal(l), Ramsdel(l), Romsdale or Ramsdaille.
First name(s) John Solomon Last name Ramsdale Ramsdale Calculated year of birth 1808 1871 Parish of birth Bromsgrove Wednesbury Town of birth Bromsgrove Wednesbury County of birth Worcestershire Staffordshire Age at attestation 18 22 years 9 months Attestation date 26 May 1826 28 July 1893 Discharge rank Private ? Discharge corps 1st (or The Royal) Regiment of Foot 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment Discharge soldier number 406 4265 National Archives reference WO97 / 235 / 47 WO97 / 3706 / 7