British Army Service Explorer Tool

Search British Army service numbers or explore regiments, battalions and corps from the First and Second World Wars.

Start with a service number — or explore by unit

🡇 Start your search below 🡇

What Information Can the Army Service Explorer Tool Reveal?

The Army Service Explorer Tool is designed to build a historical profile of a British Army soldier or unit, helping researchers move beyond a simple service number or regiment name. Depending on the search performed and the surviving historical evidence, the Explorer tool generates a combination of research cards that provide context, interpretation and guidance for further investigation.

Each search is unique. A WWI service number search may produce different information to a WWII regiment search, but together the Explorer tool can reveal:

Summary Card

Identifies the most likely battalion, regiment or corps linked to your search, providing the foundation for understanding a soldier's military service and guiding the next stage of historical research.

Confidence Indicator

Explains how strongly the available historical evidence supports the result, helping researchers distinguish between highly reliable interpretations and those that should be treated more cautiously.

Probable Enlistment Period

Estimates when a soldier most likely enlisted using historical numbering patterns, allowing military service to be placed within the wider context of the war.

Recruitment Hotspots

Highlights the principal recruitment areas associated with a battalion, regiment or corps, helping researchers connect military service with the communities from which soldiers were recruited.

Signature Battles

Showcases some of the major battles, campaigns and theatres of war associated with the identified unit, providing valuable operational context for a soldier's wartime experience.

Casualty Toll

Displays the scale of casualties suffered by a battalion, regiment or corps, helping researchers understand the risks faced by soldiers serving within that particular unit.

Outbreak Information

Shows where a First World War battalion was serving when war began, or explains when, where and on which date it was formed if it did not exist before the start of WWI.

Enlistment Number Ranges

Displays the approximate Army service number ranges used by individual battalions or regiments, helping place a soldier's enlistment within the correct historical timeframe.

Potential Campaign Medals

Identifies the campaign medals that may have been awarded based on the operational theatres associated with the regiment or corps, providing useful guidance for further medal research.

This tool is a compass, not a map

The Army Service Explorer tool uses historical numbering patterns to guide research. It highlights likely enlistment periods, units and service clues to help researchers identify where to begin.

British Army numbering systems were not always perfectly sequential. Wartime transfers, renumbering schemes and administrative changes mean results should be treated as informed research guides rather than definitive answers.

Always confirm findings using primary records such as service records, medal rolls, casualty lists and war diaries.

British Army Regiments & Corps Currently Supported

The Army Service Explorer Tool currently supports almost 200 British Army battalions, regiments and corps across the First and Second World Wars. Expand the sections below to explore the units currently covered. Linked regiments include dedicated Technical Hubs with additional historical context and research guidance.

WWI Scottish Infantry Regiments

All Scottish Regiments

WWI North East England Regiments

All North East England Regiments

WWI North West England Regiments

All North West England Regiments

WWI Midland Regiments

All Midlands Regiments

WWI London Regiments

All London Regiments

WWI South East England Regiments

All South East England Regiments

WWI West Country Regiments

All West Country Regiments

WWI Wales & Borders Regiments

All Wales & Borders Regiments

WWI Island of Ireland Regiments

All Island of Ireland Regiments

WWII Foot Guards

WWII Celtic Infantry

Scottish Regiments

Welsh Regiments

Irish Regiments

  • Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
  • Royal Ulster Rifles
  • Royal Irish Fusiliers

WWII Northern Infantry Regiments

WWII Midlands & West Infantry

WWII South East Infantry Regiments

WWII Armoured, Reconnaissance & general Units

WWII Support, Medical and Logistic Units
  • Royal Army Medical Corps
  • Army Dental Corps
  • Army Pay Corps
  • Military Police
  • Army Catering Corps
  • Army Physical Training Corps
  • Royal Army Veterinary Corps
  • Military Provost Staff Corps
  • Army Education Corps
  • Band of the Royal Military College
  • Small Arms School Corps
  • Indian Local Enlistments
  • Non-Combatant Corps

Explore the Evidence Behind the Tool

Every estimate produced by the Explorer is supported by documented historical research. Visit the Technical Hub to discover the evidence, interpretation methods and historical sources that underpin the Explorer's results.

Frequently Asked Questions

What information can the Army Service Explorer Tool reveal?

The Army Service Explorer builds a historical profile using a series of research cards. Depending on the search performed and the surviving historical evidence, results may include likely battalions, regiments or corps, enlistment periods, recruitment hotspots, signature battles, casualty statistics, campaign medals, confidence assessments and guidance for further research.

Why do different searches return different information?

The information displayed depends on both the search performed and the historical records available. A WWI service number search will produce different research cards to a WWII regiment search because they use different numbering systems, records and interpretation methods. The Explorer only displays information that can be supported by the available evidence.

What does the confidence indicator mean?

The confidence indicator shows how strongly the available historical evidence supports the suggested result. Some Army service numbers can only belong to a single battalion or regiment, while others were reused, overlap with different numbering systems or have limited surviving evidence. The confidence indicator helps researchers understand the strength of each interpretation.

Can the Army Service Explorer identify every British Army soldier?

No. The Army Service Explorer is a compass, not a map. It uses historical numbering patterns and surviving records to guide research, but cannot account for every transfer, administrative anomaly or missing record. Wherever possible, results should be confirmed using primary sources such as service records, medal rolls, casualty lists and war diaries.

Which British Army regiments and corps are currently supported?

The Army Service Explorer currently supports almost 200 battalions, regiments and corps across the First and Second World Wars. The coverage lists above show every unit currently available, with links to dedicated Technical Hubs where additional historical context and research guidance are available. New units are added regularly as research continues.

Which conflicts are currently supported?

The Army Service Explorer currently supports British Army research for the First World War (1914–1918) and Second World War (1939–1945). These periods contain the most comprehensive service number evidence and form the foundation of the Explorer's interpretation models.

Development is ongoing, with future updates expected to expand coverage into post-1945 British Army numbering systems. Longer-term plans also include selected pre-First World War and inter-war numbering systems where sufficient historical evidence exists to support reliable interpretation.

Tracing the story behind the number

A service number can reveal far more than many people realise. Once you have identified likely units or enlistment periods, the next step is to trace the soldier’s full wartime story through surviving military records.