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Available here are over 700,000 Royal Navy service records for ratings who entered the service between 1853 and 1928. Some of the records cover periods of service up to at least 1950. The original records are in four series at The National Archives: continuous service engagement books from 1853 to 1872, […]"/> <meta property="og:url" content="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/royal-navy-ratings-service-records-1853-1928/"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="The National Archives"/> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2022-05-23T09:54:37+00:00"/> <meta property="og:image" content="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420im_/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/copy1-404-37-hms-serpent-survicors-1.jpg"/> <meta property="og:image:width" content="170"/> <meta property="og:image:height" content="170"/> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg"/> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/> <meta name="twitter:label1" content="Est. reading time"/> <meta name="twitter:data1" content="6 minutes"/> <script 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href="/web/20230307064420/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/">Home</a> > </span> <span><span><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/">Help with your research</a></span> > <span><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/">Research guides</a></span> > <span class="breadcrumb_last" aria-current="page">Royal Navy ratings’ service records 1853-1928</span></span> </div> </div> </div>  <div class="row"> <div class="col starts-at-full ends-at-two-thirds box clr"> <h1 class="margin-none"><span><span>How to look for records of... </span></span> <span class="heading-constant pad-large">Royal Navy ratings’ service records 1853-1928</span></h1>  <div class="breather clr"> <h2 class="indicator no-print">How can I view the records covered in this guide?</h2> <div class="indicator" role="tablist" aria-label="How can I view the records review in this guide?" id="delivery-options-tablist"> <div class="item active"> <button role="tab" aria-selected="true" aria-controls="delivery-options-tablist" id="view-online" class="toggle-heading no-print all"> View Online </button> <div class="indicator-description clr" aria-labelledby="view-online" role="tabpanel" tabindex="0" aria-hidden="false"> <div class="breather"> <p>How many are online?</p> <ul role="presentation"><li aria-hidden="true">None</li><li aria-hidden="true">Some</li><li class="all-small">All</li></ul></div> </div> </div> <div class="item no-print"> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="delivery-options-tablist" class="toggle-heading none" id="order-copies"> Order copies </button> <div class="indicator-description clr" aria-labelledby="order-copies" role="tabpanel" tabindex="0" aria-hidden="true" style="display: none;"> <div class="breather"> <p>We do not provide copies of online records – please download to view</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="item no-print"> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="delivery-options-tablist" class="toggle-heading" id="visit-us"> Visit us in Kew </button> <div class="indicator-description clr" aria-labelledby="visit-us" role="tabpanel" tabindex="0" aria-hidden="true" style="display: none;"> <div class="breather"> <p><a href="/web/20230307064420/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/">Visit us in Kew</a> to see original documents or view online records for free</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="item no-print"> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="delivery-options-tablist" id="pay-research" class="toggle-heading"> Pay for research </button> <div class="indicator-description clr" aria-labelledby="pay-research" role="tabpanel" tabindex="0" aria-hidden="true" style="display: none;"> <div class="breather"> <p>Consider <a href="/web/20230307064420/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/paying-for-research/">paying for research</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="breather" id="research-guide-content"> <h2 class="sub-heading">What are these records?</h2> <p>Available here are over 700,000 Royal Navy service records for ratings who <strong>entered</strong> the service between 1853 and 1928. Some of the records cover periods of service up to at least 1950.</p> <p>The original records are in four series at The National Archives:</p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none"> <ul> <li>continuous service engagement books from 1853 to 1872, in series <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=C1848">ADM 139</a></li> <li>registers of seamen’s services from 1873 to 1924, in series <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/details?Uri=C1897">ADM 188</a></li> <li>registers of seamen’s services from 1925-1928, in series <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14731480">ADM 362</a></li> <li>continuous record (CR) cards from 1929-1950, in series <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14731481">ADM 363</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p>Please note, a rating must have <strong>enlisted before 1929</strong> in order to have a record within these series.</p> <h2>How do I search the records?</h2> <p>You can search and download the records in Discovery (<span class="research-guide-glossary-term" title="There will be a charge to view these records. Searching indexes is free. Viewing and downloading are free on site at The National Archives.">£</span>) by filling in the form below. You may find more than one record for an individual is their service spans a number of the series above.</p> <p>You don’t need to complete every field to find a record.</p> <p>Bear in mind:</p> <ul> <li>the date of birth was not always recorded, so try leaving this out if you don’t get any results</li> <li>a small number of records are not searchable by name. For more information see ‘Why can’t I find what I’m looking for?’ below</li> <li>some official service numbers contain letters and numbers – when searching it is easier to enter the number only</li> </ul> <p>Where there is no date of the birth in the original document, the record description will give the date range for this collection.</p> <div class="research-guide-form"> <form action="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r" id="dolSearch" method="get" name="searchform5532" role="search" aria-label="A guided search of the records"> <fieldset> <legend>Details of individual:</legend> <div class="field-row"> <label for="firstname">First name</label> <input id="firstname" class="inlineSearch" name="_fn"> </div> <div class="field-row"> <label for="lastname">Last name</label> <input id="lastname" class="inlineSearch" name="_ln"> </div> <div class="field-row"> <label for="servicenumber">Service number</label> <input id="servicenumber" class="inlineSearch" name="_no"> </div> <div class="field-row"> <label for="Placeofbirth">Place of birth</label> <input id="Placeofbirth" class="inlineSearch" name="_pl"/> </div> </fieldset> <fieldset> <legend>Date (YYYY):</legend> <div class="field-row"> <label for="fromDate">From</label> <input id="fromDate" class="inlineSearch" name="_sd"> </div> <div class="field-row"> <label for="toDate">To</label> <input id="toDate" class="inlineSearch" name="_ed"> </div> </fieldset> <div class="button-holder"> <input class="submit" type="submit" value="Search"> </div> <input type="hidden" name="discoveryCustomSearch" value="true"/> <input id="Hidden1" name="_ser" type="hidden" value="ADM 139"/> <input id="Hidden2" name="_ser" type="hidden" value="ADM 188"/> <input id="Hidden3" name="_ser" type="hidden" value="ADM 363"/> <input id="Hidden4" name="_ser" type="hidden" value="ADM 362"/> <input id="Hidden5" name="_col" type="hidden" value="200"/> <input id="Hidden7" name="_hb" type="hidden" value="tna"/> </form> </div> <p>You may find more than one search result for an individual. Depending on how long they served, you many find records in the following combinations of series:</p> <ul> <li>ADM 139 and ADM 188</li> <li>ADM 188 and ADM 363</li> <li>ADM 362 and ADM 363</li> </ul> <p>Some may have two records of service within series ADM 188. If there are two records within ADM 188 we have linked these together, so both are attached to the same download.</p> <p>In ADM 188 records you can find the continuous service (CS) number in the ‘date and period of CS engagement’ box, usually in the top left hand corner. This indicates they will also have a record in ADM 139.</p> <h2>What information do the records contain?</h2> <p>The information in these records can include:</p> <ul> <li>year of birth (you might also find the day and month)</li> <li>town and country of birth</li> <li>names of ships served on, with dates of joining and discharge from each ship</li> <li>period of time actually served</li> <li>any engagements not completed and the reason for this</li> <li>service numbers – known as continuous service (CS) numbers up to 1872, and official numbers (ON) from 1873 onwards</li> </ul> <p>From 1892 you can find greater detail in the records, including:</p> <ul> <li>occupation</li> <li>good conduct badges issued (if any)</li> <li>notes made about character and ability</li> <li>physical appearance, such as hair and eye colour, height and tattoos</li> <li>wounds suffered (if any)</li> <li>date of death (if occurred in service)</li> <li>you may also find a cross reference to the ‘new register’. This will be to one of the Continuation books in ADM 188/83-90</li> </ul> <p>The continuous service engagement books, from series ADM 139, may also reveal:</p> <ul> <li>details of any service in the merchant navy</li> <li>official numbers (which can be traced to records of service in the later registers of seamen’s services)</li> </ul> <h3>What else can I learn from<span style="font-weight: normal !msorm"> the record</span>?</h3> <p>A record may indicate that the rating was promoted to warrant officer (for example, gunner, boatswain, carpenter or artificer engineer). You can find <a href="/web/20230307064420/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/royal-navy-warrant-officers/">warrant officers’ service records</a> in <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/details?Uri=C1905">ADM 196</a>.</p> <p>If an ADM 363 record shows that the rating re-entered at a date after 1928, with a new official number, then you may find their record is still held by the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ministry of Defence</a>.</p> <p>If the service numbers is prefixed with the letter ‘F’ this means the rating served in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) during the First World War or with The Fleet Air Arm after 1920.</p> <p>If you find a Y-prefixed official number, the rating may have volunteered for service in the Royal Navy but was allocated a <a href="/web/20230307064420/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/royal-naval-volunteer-reserve-service-records-1903-1922">Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve </a>without necessarily being called up.</p> <p>From January 1894 service numbers were assigned according to a rating’s branch of service. Consult the table below to find which sets of service numbers were assigned to the respective branches of service:</p> <table class="dolGuidance"> <tbody> <tr class="titleRow"> <th scope="col" width="30%">Service numbers issued 1894-1907</th> <th scope="col" width="30%">Service numbers issued 1908-1923</th> <th scope="col" width="40%">Branch of service numbers assigned to</th> </tr> <tr> <td>178001-240500</td> <td>J 1 – J 110000</td> <td>Seamen and Communications ratings</td> </tr> <tr> <td>268001-273000</td> <td>M 1 – M 38000</td> <td>Engine Room Artificers</td> </tr> <tr> <td>276001-313000</td> <td>K 1 – K 63500</td> <td>Stokers</td> </tr> <tr> <td>340001-348000</td> <td>M 1 – M 38000</td> <td>Artisans and Miscellaneous</td> </tr> <tr> <td>350001-352000</td> <td>M 1 – M 38000</td> <td>Sick Berth Staff and Ship’s Police</td> </tr> <tr> <td>353001-366450</td> <td>L 1 – L 15000</td> <td>Officer’s stewards, Officer’s cooks and Boy servants</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <h2>What do the records look like?</h2> <p>The early two examples here are from the record of George Smith, who first served on HMS Victory.</p> <p>The form in the first image shows that he volunteered on 10 June 1853 and gives his birth date as 1 December 1838, along with a description of his appearance.</p> <div class="img-popup"> <div id="attachment_71044" style="width: 442px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-71044" decoding="async" class="wp-image-71044 size-medium" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420im_/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cs11-432x720.jpg" alt="" width="432" height="720" srcset="/web/20230307064420im_/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cs11-432x720.jpg 432w, /web/20230307064420im_/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cs11.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px"/><p id="caption-attachment-71044" class="wp-caption-text">Royal Navy service record of George Smith</p></div> </div> <div class="img-popup"> <p>The second image shows the separate forms that were signed by boys, agreeing to serve ten years once they turn 18, and by men, agreeing to serve a fixed number of years.</p> <div id="attachment_71045" style="width: 442px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-71045" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-71045 size-medium" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420im_/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cs21-432x720.jpg" alt="" width="432" height="720" srcset="/web/20230307064420im_/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cs21-432x720.jpg 432w, /web/20230307064420im_/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cs21.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px"/><p id="caption-attachment-71045" class="wp-caption-text">Certificate for boys</p></div> <p>The third image is a later example. It’s a pre-printed form, with the details listed in headed columns.</p> </div> <div id="attachment_48727" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-48727" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-48727 size-full" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420im_/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/rn-early-example1-1.jpg" alt="Pre-printed form for John James Phillips" width="600" height="384"/><p id="caption-attachment-48727" class="wp-caption-text">Pre-printed form</p></div> <p>This final image is an example of the later records in ADM 363. This image shows the first page only.</p> <div id="attachment_71046" style="width: 585px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-71046" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-71046 size-medium" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420im_/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/adm-363-1-1-1-01-575x720.jpg" alt="" width="575" height="720" srcset="/web/20230307064420im_/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/adm-363-1-1-1-01-575x720.jpg 575w, /web/20230307064420im_/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/adm-363-1-1-1-01.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px"/><p id="caption-attachment-71046" class="wp-caption-text">First page of a service record for Alfred Henry Conway (ADM 363/1/1)</p></div> <h2>Why can’t I find what I’m looking for?</h2> <p>If you are looking for records of ratings who served with armoured cars in Russia, 1915-1917; these are in <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=C3670324">ADM 116/1717</a>. They are original documents and must be viewed at The National Archives at Kew.</p> <p>The record may be amongst the ADM 188 pieces which are not searchable by name. These are the service records for ratings issued with CS numbers 1–40,000. You can find them within the following pieces:</p> <p><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/details/C517555">ADM 188/1</a>: 1–10000, including A and B suffix<br/> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/details/C517556">ADM 188/2</a>: 10001–20000, including A and B suffix<br/> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/details/C517557">ADM 188/3</a>: 20001–30000, including A and B suffix<br/> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/details/C517558">ADM 188/4</a>: 30001–40000, including A and B suffix</p> <p>You can download these free of charge, but you will need to scroll through them to find an individual entry.</p> <p>Try searching the<span class="apple-converted-space"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307064420/https://royalnavyrecordsww1.rmg.co.uk/">Royal Navy First World War Lives at Sea</a> database by name, service number and numerous other criteria. </span>As of June 2021, the database contains 32,000 records and is continually being updated. Once completed (scheduled for November 2022), it will contain information relating to all the Royal Navy officers and ratings that served in the First World War. <span class="apple-converted-space">The database is being compiled largely from records held at The National Archives and there is no charge for access. It is a joint project between The National Archives, The National Maritime Museum and the Crew List Index Project with the help of a global team of volunteers.</span></p> <p>If the rating joined in 1929 or after, their service record will still be with the Ministry of Defence. 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