Search British Army, Royal Engineers 1900-1949

Each record includes an image of the original tracer card or cards. Most men have one card but some have multiple cards with text on the face and reverse.

The amount of information listed varies, but the records include the man’s first name/s, last name and army number. Many men also have their date of enlistment and or date of birth included.

Tracer cards can be hugely complex, and the information on them is usually in abbreviated format.

Service records for men who served with the Royal Engineers, and indeed with all corps from 1920, are still with the MoD. Tracer cards essentially provide a headline summary of service through which a man's movements can be tracked. Second World War diaries can be accessed at the National Archives but have have not been digitised at the time of writing.

Also refer to the Royal Engineers Journals 1939-1945 which are also published on Findmypast - see the link on this page.

Coy - Company; DOC - Docks Operating Company; E&M Coy - Electrical & Mechanical Company; EAC - Equipment & Assembly Company (REME); F Coy - Fortress Company; FPKS / FPS - Field Park Squadron; GC Coy - General Construction Company; L of C - Lines of Communication; OCTU - Officer Cadet Training Unit; OS - Ordnance Survey; RESR - Royal Engineers Special Reserve / Supplementary Reserve; SW - Static Workshop (REME)