Great War's front line goes online

Published on Friday 23 February 2007 01:23

DETAILED army records of British soldiers who fought in the First World War can be viewed online from today.

For the first time, the public will be able to find out personal details such as hair and eye colour, height and weight, as well as regiment numbers, service histories, postings, next of kin and military career histories.

The National Archives, in partnership with the website ancestry.co.uk has launched the first part of a process which will see more than 2.5 million records available on the internet by the end of 2008.

Nearly five million soldiers from Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales fought in the First World War. But about 60 per cent of their service and pension records were destroyed during a German bombing raid on the War Office in September 1940.

The surviving records, many badly damaged, were conserved by the National Archives and make up the two collections to be made available online.

The pension records relate to soldiers discharged on account of sickness or injuries sustained during the war, and include medical information relating to the disability for which a pension was granted.

Drew McFarlane-Slack, from Ballachulish, an independent Highland councillor, had traced his great-uncle James McCheyne, who was killed in the battle of Passchendaele in 1917.

Records show that Mr McCheyne, born in Galtway, Dumfries and Galloway, on 18 January, 1890, lied about his age to join the King's Own Scottish Borderers as a private in 1906.

An advance look at the archive reveals that Pte McCheyne, who enlisted in Dundee, had dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a fair complexion. He was 5ft 4in tall, weighed 150lb and gave his religion as Presbyterian.

"This is very exciting. It is almost like looking at your ancestors in the face. I don't have any photographs of my great-uncle, but even if I did they would have been in black and white," said Mr McFarlane-Slack.

He added: "All of us are trying to locate ourselves in the world and come face to face with the people behind the records."

Tony Robinson, the television presenter and spokesman for ancestry.co.uk, said:

"As a resource this is a huge breakthrough. Genealogy has become immensely popular in this country, and for many people these records will provide a missing link.

"It is vital that the histories of these men are preserved and we can all learn about their stories, so future generations do not lose sight of what happened."

The archives will be posted online in stages, to be completed by the end of 2008. The first batch of records covers surnames beginning with A and B.