Find Ancestors in WW1 Red Cross Military Files

If you are searching for an ancestor who fought in World War One, the Red Cross Military Files are a valuable resource. During the war the Red Cross provided vital services for prisoners of war, and wounded or missing soldiers.

Hundreds of thousands of volunteers were engaged in the war effort under the Red Cross supervision and often this resulted in records being kept of the volunteers and soldiers. Not all Red Cross records in all countries have survived and in some countries the records were never made. However some countries’ files have been digitized and are available online.

My February article for Legacy Family News will no doubt interest many genealogists. I have compiled a brief history of the Red Cross Military Files and provided links to any that survive for United States, Canada, Australia and Great Britain.

Continue reading  Find Your Ancestor in WW1 Red Cross Military Files

WW1 Records Found in Red Cross Archives

Detective work by a British historian has unearthed information that could enable thousands to piece together their family histories.

Peter Barton had been commissioned by the Australian government to carry out research, following the discovery of a mass grave on World War I battlefield at Fromelles in France.

That trail led him to the Red Cross Museum in Geneva, and to the card indexes and registers compiled between 1914 and 1918. Details include whereabouts of prisoners, their condition or injuries at the time of capture, and the location of field burials.

Some of the records refer to other mass graves, with exact directions as to where they were dug, and the identities of the soldiers who were buried. Where possible, the registers include home addresses and next of kin.

The Red Cross is working to bring the archive to digitise the records and they hope to have the archive online by 2014. Read more about WW1 Records Found in Red Cross Archives

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For more Military Records see The Canadian Military Heritage Project