On this page you will find information about:
- Ministry of Defence resources to contact service personnel.
- Using social media to find people.
- Searching for those who are not online
The Royal British Legion does not hold any historical records or have access to any service records or service numbers. Nor unfortunately, as a welfare support charity for the Armed Forces community, the Royal British Legion does not have the resources to offer dedicated research.
Finding service records
If you are looking for an ex-service person who is not online then you may be able to find them through their service records. These resources can also be used to find out more about the service deceased family members.
There are different ways that you can find and access an individual’s service records depending on when they served and what service they were part of. Our guidance below can help you to figure out where to begin that journey.
Contacting those who are currently serving
Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC)
If you are trying to contact someone who is currently serving this can be done through the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC). The service is for contacting service personnel when they are out of reach. This could be when they are deployed
or out on exercise for example.
If you want to contact someone in-service through the JCCC some useful information to have is:
- the individual's rank, name, service and unit
- service number
- date of birth, and
- details of the compassionate care.
Army Personnel Centre
The Army Personnel Centre discloses information about current serving and no longer serving officers and soldiers to the general public.
The service can be used by:
- family members
- third parties
- former personnel, and
- prospective employers.
Social media and online networks
Social media and online networking can be a quick and easy way to find people that you have lost touch with.
If you know someone’s full name, you may be able to search for them using social media websites such as Facebook.
Networks
like Facebook often have community groups for current and former bases, battalions, units, and ships. These groups may be a valuable resource to support your search.
Additionally, there are some Armed Forces online forums which may be helpful
to put you back in touch with your service friends.
Online resources
The websites below can help you trace people. However, the Royal British Legion cannot endorse any particular website.
- GOV.UK Family History - Provides links to various other resources that can help you trace family members.
- National Archives - Access to public records, censuses and medal index cards, in addition to guidance on researching military, family and local history.
- Find my Past - Provides records that can help you trace relatives who died on active service.
