Finding service personnel, ex-service personnel, friends and relatives

On this page you will find information about:

• Ministry of Defence resources to contact service personnel.
• Using social media to find people.
• Searching for those who are not online.

Finding service records

If you are looking for an ex-service person who is not online then you may be able to find them through their service records. These resources can also be used to find out more about the time in service of deceased family members.

There are different ways that you can find and access an individual’s service records depending on when they served and what service they were part of. Our guidance below can help you to figure out where to begin that journey.

• Search for individuals who served before 1920 on the RBL Knowledge Base website. 
• Find individuals who served after 1920 on the RBL Knowledge Base website.

Social media and online networks

Social media and online networking can be a quick and easy way to find people that you have lost touch with.

If you know someone’s full name, you may be able to search for them using social media websites such as Facebook.

Networks like Facebook often have community groups for current and former bases, battalions, units, and ships. These groups may be a valuable resource to support your search.

Additionally, there are some Armed Forces online forums which may be helpful to put you back in touch with your service friends.