UK, London Gazette WWII Military Notices 1939-1945

This collection contains issues of the London Gazette during WWII years 1939-1945, with an index of the names of service members found in the Military Notice sections or supplements of the newspaper.
The notice of awards or mentions were published often with the story behind why they received the award or commendation. Other notices include personnel lists for various military units, reports of people leaving the service due to illness, and notices of appointments and promotions in rank. The collection includes images of the original documents.

Historical Background

The London Gazette traces its origins back to King Charles II’s move from London to Oxford during the plague of 1665. The Gazette became the authoritative source of government and other news and is Britain’s oldest continuously published newspaper. Over time, along with providing notice of changes to laws and policies, the Gazette expanded its contents to include

- Dispatches from the Admiralty and War Office,
- Military appointments and promotions,
- Civil service notices,
- Names of people granted British citizenship,
- Notices about deceased people’s estates,
- Notices of bankruptcies,
- Notices of medals and meritorious actions,
- Recipients of the Order of the British Empire and other honors lists,
- Legal name changes.

Records in this collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Rank
• Regimental number
• Occupation
• Military dates of service
• Commendation dates
• Regiment
• Unit

The records in this collection can be used to verify that your ancestor served in a particular regiment or unit during the Second World War. The records also may confirm when your ancestor received a promotion or a commendation. Collection in context

The military notices in this collection were created by the London Gazette based on information provided by the British armed forces. The original documents are held by the London Gazette.
The Gazette is London's oldest newspaper with its first publication in 1666. It is the official newspaper of the British government and the Crown. Throughout its history, the Gazette was famous for publishing military notices, especially reports about commendations for soldiers who committed brave acts in battle. Soldiers who had their names published in the newspaper were said to have been "gazetted."