New military records available to search

2-3 minute read

By Alex Cox | November 8, 2019

Learn more about the lives of your WW1 and WW2 ancestors.

Britain, The Great War, I Was There

Learn about the Great War from those who experienced it first-hand. The Great War: I Was There is a magazine that was first published in 1938. Edited by Sir John Hammerton, its 51 editions ran from 29 September 1938 to 19 September 1939 and are available to view in PDF format.

The magazine was a weekly periodical, available on Thursdays, which aimed to capture the undying memories of the 1914-1918 war. It contained excerpts from other sources but mainly consisted first-hand accounts and previously unpublished images.

The series eventually ended due to the start of WWII. The cover of issue 51 states: "In view of the outbreak of the 'European War' subscribers to "I Was There" will not be surprised to learn that the publishers have decided not to proceed with the issue of the proposed New Series.”

Burma Star Association Membership Forms

Did your military ancestor serve in the Burma campaign of World War 2? Search over 53,000 membership forms of the Burma Star Association, to become a full member of the Association, an ex-Serviceman, ex-Servicewoman or Nurse must have been awarded the Burma Campaign Star for service in Burma during World War 2 for the necessary qualifying period or the Pacific Star with Burma Clasp.

The Association is Tri-Service and for members of The Merchant Navy who hold the Burma Star with permanent representatives from the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and Royal British Legion on the National Council.

Each records includes both a transcript and an image of the original form. Transcripts will reveal your ancestors application year, ship/unit, status and residence while images will provide you with your ancestors rank, service number, address and signature.

Dekho, Burma Star Association

Search over 4,000 records to find out if your World War 2 became a member of the Burma Star Association. Dekho! Is the journal of the Burma Star Association, it is published three times a year. It informs members of the Association who are unable to get out and meet their comrades with information about events that are going on in the Burma Star Association. These editions run from 1951 to 2018.

The Burma Star Association was officially founded on the 26 February 1951 with 2,000 members. The aims of the Association board were, and still are, to promote the comradeship experienced during the bitter fighting in the jungles and hostile terrain of Burma, and to relieve the subsequent need, hardship and distress that veterans of the Burma Campaign of the 1939-45 War and/or their widows/widowers and may be suffering.

British & Irish Newspaper Update

This week we have added over 115,000 new pages and five new titles; the Musselburgh News, Coatbridge Leader, Fifeshire Journal, Port-Glasgow Express and Blairgowrie Advertiser.

We have updated twelve of our existing Scottish titles this week, with highlights including the 26,378 pages we have added to the North British Daily Mail, spanning the years 1849 to 1894. Other significant updates include those to the Wishaw Press, with 17,552 pages covering the later half of the twentieth century.