Although the series of these records relating directly to the period of the First World War have been destroyed many who served in the war can be found amongst the cards for other periods. There is a series of records covering the period 1913 - 1941 and another for the period 1918 1921. These show a mans date and place of birth, Grade, ticket number. With the latter series there is a photograph also. Once a man is traced there is a second series of records that can be traced that have again the personal information on and often the ships numbers on which served along with dates. From these numbers one can ascertain the ships names.

These records show awards of the British War Medal and the Mercantile Marine War Medal. They show name, grade, year of birth, ticket number, medals awarded along with dates and usually home address.

If identified as being killed at sea during the war I can search for details of the circumstances of the loss of the ship or action in which died. Admiralty correspondence is quite extensive and one can often find reports of Merchant ships losses. There are also Board of Trade records relating to deaths at sea during the period which generally show where lost, whether killed, drowned etc. The age is also shown along with address.

If awarded a medal for gallantry or mentioned in despatches announcements were made in the London gazette. Some details are shown however the specific reason for the award was not published. Again Admiralty correspondence can reveal further information. Either recommendations for awards or mentions of individuals can can pinpoint the reason for such awards. Not all records have survived for this period.