Personal service records: countries other than Australia

Sometimes Australians served with the forces of another country. In these cases the service records will be held by the relevant organisation in that country.

Canada

Personnel Records Unit
National Archives of Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa Ontario K1A ON3
CANADA

First World War attestation papers are available online from the National Archives of Canada website.

New Zealand

Pre-1920 records

Archives New Zealand
PO Box 12050
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Website: archives.govt.nz
Email: general.enquiries@dia.govt.nz

War (Archives New Zealand Reference Guide 3)

Post-1920 records

Personnel Archives and Medals
Private Bag 905
UPPER HUTT
NEW ZEALAND
Email: nzdf.pam@nzdf.mil.nz
Website: Military personnel and medals

Details of New Zealanders who have died in conflicts from South Africa (Boer War) to East Timor can be found on the Cenotaph database. The Cenotaph Database is primarily a roll of honour of those who died as a result of war service, but also includes some personnel who have died since. 

South Africa

1881–1902

SA Defence Force Archives
Private Bag X615
Pretoria
SOUTH AFRICA 0001

The SA Defence Force Archives are not open to the public, but you may write to obtain information.

First and Second World Wars

Documentation Service Directorate
Private Bag X 289
Pretoria
SOUTH AFRICA 0001

You need permission from the person concerned or from the eldest living relative to obtain information from these records.

United States

National Archives & Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20408
USA

Useful resources for researching your relative's military service

• Researching your relatives military service
• Requesting veterans' service records
• Rootsweb frequently asked questions on First World War

United Kingdom

The National Archives provides guidance on researching people, including army, navy, and air personnel, marines, prisoners of war, and merchant seamen.

Post-1920

Ministry of Defence Veterans’ Agency provides addresses to contact for post-1920 records for each service.

Pre-1920 records

The National Archives
Kew
Richmond
Surrey TW9 4DU
UNITED KINGDOM
Phone: +44 (0) 20 8876 3444
Email: enquiry@nationalarchives.gov.uk

Merchant Navy

Royal Museums Greenwich produce research guides to assist with research into the Merchant Navy.

Germany

Military personal records from 1867 - 1945 and from 1955 are held at Das Bundesarchiv (Federal Archive) in Freiburg, Germany.

Please note that Das Bundesarchiv may respond to enquiries in German. If you are unable to read or write German you may need to employ a translator. Das Bundesarchiv maintains lists of regional research agencies who may be employed to undertake research at the archive on your behalf.

Bundesarchiv
Wiesentalstraße 10
79115 Freiburg
GERMANY
Phone: 0761/47817-0
Fax: 0761/47817-900
E-Mail: militaerarchiv@bundesarchiv.de
Website: http://www.bundesarchiv.de/index.html.en

Useful resources for researching your relative’s military service with German armed forces:

• Das Bundesarchiv: Personal Archives/Genealogy
• Addresses for information and research on Second World War German soldiers, units and those missing or killed in action
• How to find information on German soldiers from World War I and World War II

Other countries

Some other countries are listed on the contacts page of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs World War 2 nominal roll database.

Enquiries concerning a veteran of another country’s armed forces may be directed to the embassy or consulate of that country. Addresses can be found in the telephone directory.

First World War additional resources for records information:

Christina K. Schaefer, The Great War: a guide to the service records of all the world’s fighting men and volunteers (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing, 1998). (Research Centre Reading Room R940.3 S)