Useful resources for First World War researchers

If you're researching the First World War, the following museums, archives, websites and databases may be helpful.

General

Imperial War Museum
iwm.org.uk
Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ
mail@iwm.org.uk
020 7416 5320

The Museum of the Order of St John
museumstjohn.org.uk
St John’s Gate, St John’s Lane, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 4DA
museum@sja.org.uk
020 7324 4005

The National Archives
nationalarchives.gov.uk
Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond-upon-Thames, Surrey TW9 4DU
enquiry@nationalarchives.gov.uk
020 8876 3444

National Army Museum
nam.ac.uk
Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HT
info@nam.ac.uk
020 7730 0717

Wellcome Collection
wellcomecollection.org
183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE
info@wellcomecollection.org
020 7611 2222

Leeds University Library Liddle Collection
library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections/collection/723
University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT
specialcollections@library.leeds.ac.uk
0113 343 5663

Prisoners of war

Archives Division and Research Service of the International Committee of the Red Cross
icrc.org
19 Avenue de la Paix, Geneva CH-1202, Switzerland
archives@icrc.org

Nursing

The Museum of Military Medicine
museumofmilitarymedicine.org.uk
Keogh Barracks, Ash Vale, Aldershot, GU12 5RQ
armymedicalmuseum@btinternet.com
01252 523176

Royal College of Nursing Archives
rcn.org.uk/library/archives
20 Cavendish Square, London, W1G ORN
rcn.library@rcn.org.uk
0345 337 3368

Commonwealth War Graves Commission
cwgc.org
2 Marlow Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 7DX
01628 634 221

Hospitals

Hospital Records Database (Wellcome Trust/National Archives)
nationalarchives.gov.uk/hospitalrecords
This database provides information on the existence and location of the records of UK hospitals. There are currently over 2,800 entries, compiled by the Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine. However, please be aware that British Red Cross hospitals are very sparsely represented, as they were temporary establishments and not part of the existing hospital system.

English Heritage Archive Services
english-heritage.org.uk
The Engine House, Fire Fly Avenue, Swindon SN2 2EH
archive@english-heritage.org.uk
01793 414600

National Trust properties
Contact the relevant property for information about their collections. Contact details can be found on the National Trust website: nationaltrust.org.uk or telephone 0844 800 1895.

London Metropolitan Archives
40 Northampton Road, Clerkenwell, EC1R 0HB
ask.lma@cityoflondon.gov.uk
020 7332 3820

Local archive services: The National Archives Directory contains contact details for record repositories across the United Kingdom: discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/find-an-archive.

Useful websites

Books

‘Tracing your Prisoner of War Ancestors, The First World War: A guide for family historians’ by Sarah Paterson (London: Imperial War Museum, 2012).

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