World War 1 History

Tracing DLI soldiers of the First World War

Not all records survive today for soldiers who served in The Durham Light Infantry (or any other Regiment or Corps) during the First World War or Great War (1914 - 1918). This makes the task of tracing a Great War soldier difficult but not impossible. The following notes may be of use in your search.

Your Family Records

Before you begin, you should try to discover if any of the soldier's documents or belongings have survived in your family - eg. cap badge or identity discs, pay book or discharge certificate or photographs of him in uniform. You should look especially for his medals, where you will find his name, rank, number and Regiment. eg: 275908 Private H. Osborne, The Durham Light Infantry. These family records will help you when you are looking for official records.

Records of Service (1914 - 1918)

Over 7,000,000 men and women served in the British Army during the First World War but, as many of their records were badly damaged by fire in 1940, today only 3,000,000 have survived. These surviving records are held at the The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU and you should contact the National Archives for help. The TNA's website has some very useful on-line guides.

Soldiers Who Died (1914 - 1918)

All DLI soldiers who died in action (killed, wounded, gassed) or of accident or disease will be found in the book 'Soldiers Died in the Great War. 1914-19', part 62, 'The Durham Light Infantry'. This book, arranged by battalion, gives only limited details - eg: 275908 Private Henry Osborne, 7th Battalion DLI, home: South Shields, enlisted: Sunderland, died of wounds 4.11.1917, France and Flanders.

Cemeteries and Memorials

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 2 Marlow Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 7DX (01628 - 634221) will be able to tell you where a soldier is commemorated or buried. Sometimes the CWGC also knows the soldier's age, next of kin and home address. eg: 275908 Private Henry Osborne, 7th (Pioneer) Battalion DLI, died of wounds (gas) 4.11.1917, age 24, son of Charles and Margaret Osborne of 6 Dixon Street, South Shields, buried at Dozingham Military Cemetery, Belgium.

Medal Rolls (1914 - 1918)

The Medal Rolls for Great War medals (1914 Star, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and Territorial Force War Medal) are held at The National Archive at Kew. These rolls may tell you when the soldier landed overseas, his date of discharge, any other Regiments in which he served, plus, of course, his full medal entitlement.

The Silver War Badge ('For King and Empire: Services Rendered') was issued from 1916 to soldiers discharged for disablement or ill-health. This badge has a unique number on the back and The National Archive holds a Roll of these numbers. This Roll can list a soldier's date of enlistment and discharge and the cause of discharge (wounds, gas, sickness, etc).

Absent Voters' Lists (1918)

In late 1918, County Durham produced lists of Absent Voters - servicemen not at their home addresses. Some of these lists are held at the Durham County Record office, County Hall, Aykley Heads, Durham (0191 3833253) and are available on microfilm to researchers, by appointment only.

These lists are divided into 11 Divisions (Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Blaydon, Chester le Street, Consett, Durham, Houghton le Spring, Jarrow, Seaham, Sedgefield and Spennymoor). Each division is sub-divided into Polling Districts and Parishes (eg: Durham Division, Auton Stile Polling District, Parish of Broom) with the names of the absent voters then listed - mostly in alphabetical order. So if you know the home address or even just the parish of a First World War soldier, it is possible to use these lists to trace him. For many soldiers this may be the only source of information. The Absent Voters' Lists usually give the full name, home address and service details for each soldier - eg: Morgan Sydney, 6 Aldin Grange Terrace, 16146 13th Battalion DLI.

Other surviving Absent Voters' Lists of 1918/19 are for Darlington (Darlington Town Hall), Gateshead (Gateshead Library), Hartlepool (Hartlepool Library) and Newcastle upon Tyne (Newcastle Central Library). The AVL's for South Shields, Stockton on Tees and Sunderland probably no longer survive.

The DLI Museum's Archive

The DLI Museum's archive has been transferred to the Durham County Record office, where it has been fully catalogued and made available on-line to researchers. Please contact the Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Aykley Heads, Durham City (0191-3833253) for further details.

The DLI Museum's WW1 Archive is extensive but unfortunately few documents actually mention soldiers by name. Some records like War Diaries, however, will give you the background to a soldier's service or provide the circumstances and location of a soldier's death.

War Diaries for the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 9th, 13th and 20th Battalions DLI

War Diaries usually only mention officers by name but they are very useful for giving the circumstances of a soldier's death or wounding, or the background details to a soldier's service. The original War Diaries are held in The National Archive at Kew.

Photographs and Photograph Albums

The DLI's Archive holds many photographs and photograph albums from the Great War. Some like the albums of 4 DLI and 20 DLI give the soldiers' names, but most contain only unnamed groups.

Medal Rolls

The DLI Museum's has a list (not complete) of awards and London Gazette references to the DLI during the Great War - from the Victoria Cross to Mention in Despatches. Unfortunately, very few citations for these awards have survived.

Local Newspapers (1914 - 1918)

Local newspapers during the First World War and especially before 1917 printed obituaries, medal awards, citations, letters home and even named photographs of local soldiers. You may find many details in these local newspapers that will not have survived elsewhere, for example where a soldier worked before he enlisted. Below is a location list for all the main local newspapers printed during the First World War. You should always make an appointment with these local history libraries or record offices to avoid disappointment, as most of these First World War newspapers may now only be read on microfilm.

'Auckland Chronicle' - Durham County Record Office (0191 3864411)
'Chester-le-Street Chronicle' - Gateshead Library (0191 4773478)
'Consett Guardian' - Durham County Record Office (0191 3864411)
'Darlington and Stockton Times' - Darlington Library (01325 469858)
'Durham Chronicle and County Gazette' - Durham County Record Office (0191 3864411)
'Durham County Advertiser' - Durham County Record Office (0191 3864411)
'Evening Chronicle' - Newcastle Central Library (0191 2610691)
'Illustrated Chronicle' - Newcastle Central Library (0191 2610691)
'Newcastle Daily Chronicle' - Newcastle Central Library (0191 2610691)
'Newcastle Journal' - Newcastle Central Library (0191 2610691)
'Newcastle Weekly Chronicle' - Newcastle Central Library (0191 2610691)
'North Mail' - Newcastle Central Library (0191 2610691)
'North Star' - Darlington Library (01325 469858)
'Northern Daily Mail and South Durham Herald' - Hartlepool Library (01429 263778)
'Northern Echo' - Darlington Library (01325 469858)
'Shields Daily Gazette' - South Tyneside Library (0191 4568841)
'Stanley News' - Durham County Record Office (0191 3864411)
'Sunderland Daily Echo' - Sunderland Library (0191 5141235)
'Teesdale Mercury' - Bowes Museum (01833 690 606) and 'Teesdale Mercury' (01833 637140)

DLI Book List 1914 - 1918

The following books are very useful, especially if you are looking for the background to a soldier's service. Most of these histories are long out of print but copies may be obtainable from your local library on inter-library loan. Please note that this is not a complete list of published books or articles on the DLI during the Great War.

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