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Search courts martial and desertion records
If your British Army ancestors were tried for an offence, follow Richard Holt’s advice to…
If an ancestor in the army committed offences under military law, they may have been tried at a court martial. These courts could be held at home or overseas and produced a number of records including papers, proceedings and registers. Soldiers deserting was also a big problem, so these cases were often reported in newspapers.
Access Ancestry’s 1806-1930 registers
To start, read this guide from the National Archives explaining the different types of courts martial: www.snipca.com/54276. Some of the registers from these in the WO 68, WO 92 and WO 213 collections have been digitised. See what’s available online at www.snipca.com/54277.