Research Staffordshire Yeomanry
Are you researching your family history?
We have an extensive collection of books, corps histories, photographs, journals and records relating to the Staffordshire Yeomanry. We also have a small team of military researchers and historians on hand who can carry out historical research for you and who will be able to guide you to additional resources you might wish to access (e.g. national service records).
Help us to help you
If you are researching a family member who served in the Staffordshire Yeomanry and would like some assistance, the more information you can provide, the easier it will be for us to help you. Ideally we will need to know the full name of the soldier in question, year of birth, date of death, rank, years of service, regiment and whether they were awarded a gallantry medal.
Please do Contact Us to get in touch. Whether you have a research query or just some interesting information you wish to share, our volunteer team are always eager to hear from you.
Note however that we do not hold any service records. To find out about an individual’s personal service history you can visit The National Archives for The Great War (1914-1918) and earlier, and The Army Personnel Centre for World War Two and later (scroll down for links and further information).
Arranging access to the Museum Archive
You are welcome to make an appointment to access the archive at the Museum via the Contact Us page. Please be mindful we are a volunteer-run organisation so this will be subject to availability.
Research service fee
In order to cover the cost of looking after the archive facilities, staff time and meeting our volunteer researchers’ travel costs, etc., we request a minimum donation of £10 via PayPal on the Donations page before any research can be carried out. We will issue a receipt via email and in the event that we are unable to carry out any research for you, your donation can be returned on request.
Casualties in World War I & II
For soldiers who lost their lives during the two World Wars, grave or memorial details are available on-line from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at: www.cwgc.org.
A Gateway to the Past: click here to find out more about Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent’s cultural heritage.
The Great War (1914-1918) and earlier
The National Archives
Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU
Please note that approximately 60% of the 1914-18 service records were destroyed during the Blitz in 1940 which sadly could reduce your chances to locate a Great War soldier’s record.
Other records which you may find helpful are: pay lists, muster rolls, records of pensioners of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, medal rolls for campaigns between 1793 and 1904, Great War campaign medal index cards, Great War medal roll books in regimental or unit order and war diaries for WW1 and WW2.
1914-18 service records are also available online via www.ancestry.co.uk but a subscription charge is required.
The National Archives publishes useful guides for researchers such as Army Records: A Guide for Family Historians and First World War Army Service Records. These titles are available from the National Archives Online Bookshop.
Useful National Archives web sites:
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk (includes the on-line catalogue PROCAT)
www.1901census.com (1901 UK Census)
www.1911census.co.uk (1911 UK Census)
World War Two and later
The Army Personnel Centre
65 Brown Street, Glasgow G2 8EX
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) at the Army Personnel Centre holds all service records of soldiers who served after 1920 (including those who enlisted earlier and were in service at this date).
To request a service record, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records. Note that there is a non-refundable £30 administration fee for each record requested, even if little or no information is held. This fee is waived for a spouse, civil partner, or parent. It is essential that you quote the Regiment and Army number of the soldier concerned. The Army Personnel Centre has a vast number of enquiries to process so it may take a few weeks to receive a reply.