Request a FOI paid search of Ministry of Defence personnel records where the individual is presumed deceased

Use this form to submit a Freedom of Information (FOI) request for a Ministry of Defence (MOD) service personnel record where the individual is presumed to be deceased or was born more than 115 years ago.

If you are requesting your own record or acting on behalf of a service personnel member, please note that under FOI this is not possible, as the information would be considered exempt (Section 40 (1)). Instead you should use the form to request your own MOD personnel record or on behalf of a living data subject.

The records in this collection cover the time before, during and after an individual’s service in the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, where the individual has a date of birth before or during the year 1939.

The records include around 500,000 individuals who served in the First World War and the vast majority of service personnel from the Second World War. They include British subjects from the UK and overseas, as well as foreign nationals who served with British forces, for example, within the Aden Pioneer Corps or Libyan Arab Force.

These are personnel records, consequently by the very nature of their original purpose they contain a range of personal data, including medical information.

How it works

Step 1: Fill in the form below with details of the individual whose record you are requesting. Include proof of the individual’s death (if applicable) and your own contact details.

Step 2: On receipt of your form and the supporting valid proof, we will search for the record of the individual named in the form.

Step 3: You will receive a quote for the cost once our researchers have assessed your request and before you commit to the paid search itself.

The prices we charge are set out by the Fees Regulations under the Public Records Act (1958) and are based on recovering the costs of providing the services.

Step 4: Our team will contact you via email or post with the results of the search within 20 working days.

If we find a record of the individual(s) you have requested a search for, we will let you know:

  • what information we hold;
  • what information can be provided to you;
  • and how you can access this information (e.g. the record copying process).

Please note that in certain circumstances the review process may take longer and we will notify you of this, within the 20 working days.

Search details

Please provide us with information about the individual that you want us to search for. We will use this information to search our systems for the closed record.

Evidence of death (optional)

Suitable forms of evidence include an official or published obituary.

Maximum file size: 2MB. Files supported: .jpg, .png, .gif

Enter your details

Please provide your name and contact details so that we can send you the results of the search.

Please choose how you would like to be contacted (email or post)

We will ask you to provide these details on the next page.

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