Introduction
This website attempts
to identify the dates and deployments of various British military units
prior to 1870
within Canada and elsewhere in the western hemisphere. The goal of this
site is to provide an overview of the British Army and
soldiers who
served in this region.
In general, the following Information is included for each unit:
Battalion level information is provided in some instances where regiments were deployed in part only. Similarly, company level information is included for units such as the Royal Artillery which were traditionally on "attached" assignment to infantry and other units. I have also constructed a table showing geographic distribution of regiments of foot by era to assist researchers. This site does not encompass detailed unit histories - particularly for eras or regions outside of the stated scope. Where possible, however, links to more detailed histories are provided. For details on the major military campaigns in book form, see the recommended reading list. For other websites related to this topic see the Sources page.Regimental or unit number
Documents exist for many soldiers who survived their service time and were discharged. They usually inclufe attestation and discharge papers which provide place of birth, age on enlistment, army service and details of appearance. This document group, from the UK National Archives is known as W0 97. The companion group WO 120 group provides summary information similar to that in group WO97. These files do not include general regimental documents such as muster rolls (WO 10 through 16) and pay lists.
You can use the UK National Archives Discovery to see if a specific name occurs within record group WO 97. It is helpful, but not necessary to know the regiment number or place of birth in order to limit the results returned. An overview of the various types of records available for British regiments can be seen at the GENUKI site.
Examples of the type of information available can be seen in the 1818 WO97 documents for Sgt.John Gibson and Pvt. William Pender and the 1818 WO120 document for Sgt. William Shea.
