Matthew Holden | Military Research Specialist

Matthew Holden is a leading authority on British military history and genealogy. With experience across many museums and heritage sites including the Imperial War Museum, the D-Day Story and Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum. A career dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of military heritage, he bridges the gap between archival records and the physical reality of the battlefield.

A published author and prolific researcher, Matthew has published several definitive books on military history and has worked directly with the British Army to produce official battlefield guides. His expertise is rooted in a forensic approach to primary source research, with a specialized focus on the administrative evolution of British Army record-keeping and the complex internal numbering systems used to track personnel throughout the 20th century.

Beyond the archives, Matthew is a veteran battlefield guide, having led tours across the globe, from the valleys of South Korea to the trenches of the Western Front. This "boots on the ground" experience allows him to provide a unique, forensic perspective on military records that few other researchers can offer.

The latest work is of course the creation of the tool, found on this site, which has been designed to help neophyte researchers understand where to start looking in terms of finding out about the service of a British soldier in WWI or WWII.