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Home | Museums | Cameronians’ museum collections

Cameronians Research Guide

Cameronians Research Guide

Where can I get service records?

Please note: we do not hold service records at the Museum.

The service records of soldiers whose service ended before 1921 are generally held by the National Archives:

The National Archives
Ruskin Avenue
Kew
Richmond
Surrey, TW9 4DU
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

However, please be aware that more than half the service records for the years 1914 to 1920 were destroyed in a German raid in 1940, meaning that there is around a 40% chance of finding a service record for this period from the 2.8 million remaining records.

You can also now find many more records available on the Ancestry and Find My Past websites, such as medal rolls and pension records, both of which provide specific information on the individual soldier, such as battalion.

What about service records before WW1?

For soldiers whose service ended before WW1, the National Archives has muster rolls, pay lists, campaign records, pension records and medal rolls. Many military records held at the National Archives can be viewed online through subscription sites such as Ancestry, Fold3 and Find My Past.

The National Archives site has a number of useful guides on their vast archives: Help with your research - the National Archives.

What about service records after WW1?

To obtain service records for soldiers whose service ended after 1921, you need to apply to the Ministry of Defence via the Army Personnel Centre:

Army Personnel Centre (APC)
Tel: 0345 600 9663
Website: Requests for personal data and service records: a detailed guide - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Where can I get more information on soldiers who died on active service?

To research soldiers who dies in the First and Second World Wars, a useful resource is the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website: The Commonwealth War Graves Commission | CWGC.

The website of the Scottish National War Memorial contains a searchable database of all Scottish casualties in the First and Second World Wars, as well as post-1945 conflicts: Scottish National War Memorial (snwm.org).

For soldiers who died in the First World War and were either born or lived in Glasgow, the Evening Times Roll of Honour is a useful resource. The information was taken from obituaries published in the Evening Times newspaper, many of which were accompanied by photographs. However, any information that appeared was dependent on what the family provided, so not every local soldier will appear. A searchable index gives the details of which issue of the newspaper the obituary appeared in, along with page number and column details, and can be found on the Glasgow City Council website: Evening Times Roll of Honour — Glasgow Life.

For other areas, local newspapers can also be a valuable resource to find obituaries and photographs. The Digital Newspaper Archive can be accessed with a Find My Past subscription.

For information on soldiers who died in service since 1945, the Armed Services Roll of Honour can be searched at: Search the Armed Forces Memorial roll of honour - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

How do I find out about medals or citations?

The National Archives hold numerous rolls for campaign medals awarded to British service personnel. Consult the National Archives online research guides for more information: Research guides - The National Archives.

To find out more information on medals, the London Gazette may also provide details of gallantry awards and honours: Notices | All Notices | The Gazette.

Newspapers from the area where a soldier normally lived are a valuable resource as they will often contain information on medals awarded, including the reason for it being awarded and sometimes an accompanying photograph.

Where can I find out about prisoners of war?

The National Archives is a good place to start for information on prisoners of war. For prisoners up to and including the First World War, try the research guide: British and Commonwealth prisoners of the First World War and previous wars - The National Archives.

For prisoners of war from the Second World War to 1953, see the research guide: British and Commonwealth prisoners of the Second World War and the Korean War - The National Archives.

The International Red Cross also holds records on all soldiers taken as POWs. You can find information about WW1 prisoners of war in the free downloadable publication: The International Prisoners-of-War Agency: The ICRC in World War One | International Committee of the Red Cross.

Do you have photographs of my relative?

It is unlikely we will be able to supply photographs of a soldier. We have a large number of photographs in the collection, however many of these contain individuals who are unnamed, and the majority of named photographs depict officers. We do not have portrait style photographs of all Cameronian soldiers who enlisted.

If your relative died in the First or Second World Wars, it is possible that his details and a photograph appeared in a local newspaper. This information and any photographs would have been provided by a soldiers family, not the regiment, therefore we do not have any records relating to this. An excellent resource for Glasgow based soldiers in WW1 is the Evening Times Roll of Honour (see above).

What resources does the Museum have that I can check?

Primary sources

War diaries

These are a daily record of a Battalion's activities while on war-time operations. These cover most field-service Battalions in both the First and Second World Wars, Kurdistan in 1923, Palestine in 1936, and the Malayan Emergency.

Personal diaries of soldiers and officers

These mainly cover the First and Second World Wars. Digitisation and transcription of these important records is an ongoing project, made possible by the dedicated work of our volunteers.

Enlistment books covering the 1920s and 1930s

These have been photographed and indexed and can be searched on site or by staff.

Army Lists

Annual lists of all officers serving in the British Army, indexed by personal name and by regiment. The earliest Army List is for 1740 but the series (to the 1st Battalion's disbandment in 1968) is incomplete.

Officers' card index

An index of all officers who served in the Regiment from 1689 - 1968, giving a brief outline of their military service. This is taken mainly from the Army Lists.

Secondary sources

Regimental histories

The four volumes of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Regimental History, all of which are now out of print.

Battalion histories

Mainly covering 1914 - 18, these record the war history of individual Battalions in greater detail than the Regimental history.

The Covenanter regimental magazine

All issues from its inception in 1921 to the last issue in 2008.

Rolls of Honour

Published Rolls of Honour for The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in the First and Second World Wars.

How can I make an enquiry and what information do I need?

Enquirers wishing to make an appointment to consult any of the above sources or with a query about The Cameronians (SR) please contact:

Museum Research
South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture
Low Parks Museum
129 Muir Street
Hamilton, ML3 6BJ
Phone: 01698 452382
Email: museumresearch@southlanarkshireleisure.co.uk

If you do wish to make an enquiry to us: 

  • Complete all sections of the enquiry form and submit by post, email or in person.
  • Include as much information as you can, particularly the battalion, dates of service and regimental number.
  • Err on the side of caution by telling us what you already know so that we do not duplicate any information.
  • Be as specific as possible about what you would like us to try and find for you.

Enquiries are subject to charges. Research will only be undertaken once payment is received.

Where else can I look for information?

The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) website, created and maintained by the former Regimental Trustees: The Cameronians Scottish Rifles - Regimental Museum and History.

Our Cameronians Collection Website and Blog contains many articles on the Regiment, its soldiers and the museum collection: Cameronian blog (apps-1and1.net).

You can explore our digitised museum collections using our Online Collections Browser: Online collection - South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (slleisureandculture.co.uk).

The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Friends and Family Association has a page on Facebook.

For military history in general:

Imperial War Museum
Lambeth Road
London  SE1 6HZ
Tel: 0207 416 5320
Website: Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk)

National Army Museum
Royal Hospital Road
Chelsea
London  SW3 4HT
Tel: 0207 7730 0717

Army Museums Ogilby Trust - general site for army museums and ancestor research: Army Museums Ogilby Trust.

Are there any books on the Cameronians?

Regimental history (general)

This table contains author, title and publisher information for publications on Battalion Regimental history
Author Title Publisher
Johnston, S H F The History of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) 26th and 90th Vol. 1 1689 - 1910 Gale and Polden
Aldershot, 1957
Story, Colonel H H History of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Vol. 2 1910 - 1933 Hazel, Watson and Viney
Aylsebury and Slough, 1961
Barclay, Brigadier C N The History of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Vol. 3 1933 - 1946 Sifton and Praed
London, 1971
Baynes, John The History of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Vol. 4 The Close of the Empire 1948 - 1968 Cassell
London, 1971
Wylly, Col. H C A Short History of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Gale and Polden
Aldershot, 1924
Royle, Trevor The Cameronians: A Concise History Mainstream Publishing, 2009

Battalion histories

This table contains author, title and publisher information for publications on Battalion histories
Author Title Publisher
Ed. Martin, Major D The Fifth Battalion The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) 1914 - 1919 Jackson, Son & Co.
Glasgow, 1936
Shaw, Capt. G 6th (Lanarkshire) Battalion The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) History of the Regiment and the Battalion 1689 - 1936 Printed by The Hamilton Advertiser, 1936
Foreword by Nason, Lt-Col., C F and Forbes, Lt.- 7th Battalion The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) with the British Liberation Army in Europe 1944 - 1945 Published circa 1945 (map dated 45)
Findlay, Col. J M With the 8th Scottish Rifles 1914 - 1919 Blackie
London, Glasgow, Bombay, 1926
Foreword by Burnett-Stuart, J T The Tenth Battalion The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) A record and a memorial 1914 - 1918 Printed for private circulation by The Edinburgh Press
Edinburgh, 1923

The 26th Cameronian Regiment

This table contains author, title and publisher information for publications on the 26th Cameronian Regiment
Author Title Publisher
Carter, T (ed) Historical Record of the Twenty-sixth or Cameronian Regiment Byfield, Stanford & Co.
London, 1867

The 90th Perthshire Light Infantry

This table contains author, title and publisher information for publications on the 90th Perthshire Light Infantry
Author Title Publisher
Delavoye, Alex M The Life of Lord Lynedoch Richardson & Co.
London, 1880
Delavoye, Alex M Records of the 90th Regiment (Perthshire Light Infantry) Richardson & Co.
London, 1880
Reid, D A
Tullibardine
Memories of the Crimean War, A Military History of Perthshire Vol. 1  
Grant, Philip A Peer Among Princes: The Life of Thomas Graham, Victor of Barrosa, Hero of the Peninsular War Pen and Sword Military
Yorkshire, 2019

 

If you need this information in another language or format, please contact us to discuss how we can best meet your needs.

Telephone 01698 476262, textphone 18001 01698 476262 or email: customer.services@southlanarkshireleisure.co.uk

SLLC accept no responsibility for the content of any external website, linked from this document.

© South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Trust 2021
Last updated 10/03/2021


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