Search british nationals armed forces marriages 1796-2005
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The armed forces records include the registrations of British armed forces (including serving members who were not British nationals) posted overseas. This index also includes some regimental registers and chaplains' returns for army marriages which took place in the British Isles, for example, at barracks and garrisons.
These records are fully name indexed which makes finding your ancestors' armed forces marriages so much simpler. Previously you had to search for both spouses separately and match them up yourself as the records were not name-indexed. Now, not only can you perform just one search, we will actually match up your ancestors' marriage records, providing you with one definite marriage match, or a list of possible matches.
Find out more about these records in our knowledge base.
Can't find who you're looking for? Click the 'search tips' tab above for helpful advice on searching these records.
Search tips
Your search will return a list of individual names and how many credits you will use to view each record.
Viewing the results will incur a cost of five credits for each of the individual entries, unless you have a subscription.
How to search the records
You must enter a last name in the first person search; entering a first name is optional. In the spouse search fields, you can enter a first name, last name, both or neither. You can also search by the region in which you believe the marriage took place.
If you know both partners' names:
Enter both partners' names in the search box. When you click 'search', we will connect both partners, which means you will only have to search once, not twice.
Tip: It is best to start with minimal information and then narrow your search by clicking the link marked 'redefine your search'.
If you don't know both partners' names:
Searching for one partner will find a list of all the possible matches. View a record to see the list of each person's possible spouse matches.
If there are over 2,000 entries, you will be asked to refine your search.
How your results will be presented
If you enter spouse details in your search, your results will include a 'Matched' column. There are three levels of match:
= definite marriage match. We have found a pre-matched record that matches the spouse details entered.
= the record matches the search criteria entered. For example, the main person and spouse searched for appear on the same page but they have not been pre-matched. This will generally be the case for pre-1912 records where pre-matching is not normally possible.
= this is essentially the same as but the people matched are of the same gender. For example, if you search for a Yates marrying a Taylor, if Robert Taylor and Mark Yates are found on the same page, this will be given a matching.
Your search results will tell you the following details of the marriage: place, country, year of registration, page number, spouse's last name (if after 1912) and the record source, e.g., GRO Marriages Abroad Indices (1995 to 2005).
If you can't find who you're looking for, following these simple steps could solve the problem:
- Try leaving the 'region' field blank to start with. Your ancestors may not have married in the region you think, so selecting this region will not lead you to your ancestors.
- Don't select a year range. The year you think your ancestors married may not be accurate, so not specifying a date span could produce the results you need.
- Always keep the 'Include variants' boxes ticked. Your ancestors' names may be spelled differently to how you think, so the variants search will provide you with results you may not otherwise have received.