Infantry record offices?

[Lincspoacher]

I often try to find elusive material from the wo 363 burnt records when I can get free access like this week and I often find copies of communication with various INFANTRY RECORD OFFICES that seem to have been regional sources of records for serviceman from the places where they originally recruited? Did these repositories exist and what became of their archives assuming they weren't all later collected together then lost in the ww2 bombings in London?

[Bordercollie]

Yes each Infantry Record Office was responsible for maintaining records for several regiments.  These records were subsequently archived and many were lost during WW2 bombing in London. They became the WO363 series deposited at the National Archives.  This page from the 1914 Army List shows the offices and their responsibilities.

[Lincspoacher]

Just as I feared then they spent the time to disperse and duplicate the records when the old army bureaucracy would have proved useful to us future researchers!

[Keith_history_buff]

This old thread has them written out. I am so glad I bookmarked this before the search engine went for a burton.

 

[Keith_history_buff]

As I understand it, the records of men who were discharged and no longer performing Active Service, thus unlikely to need updating, were sent to the warehouse at Arnside Street. The records of men still serving from 1920 onwards were kept at the Infantry Record Office. These are now in the custody of the Army Personnel Centre.

 

The Silver War Badge rolls are not regiment-based, but are compiled by the respective Infantry Record Office. Each sheet will be regiment-specific, though.