The two main official British sources of information, documentation and photographic material on British involvement in the two World Wars and in other 20th century conflicts are:

THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES (TNA)
Ruskin Avenue
Kew
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 4DU
Tel: 0044 (0)20 8876 3444
E-mail: enquiry@nationalarchives.gov.uk

Official British Government war papers are kept here. These include the Armed Forces’ operational records, in particular the War Diaries, journals maintained by all British units and formations of battalion size and above which contain daily records of the events in which they were involved - often of interest to researchers. Service personnel records are not kept at the NTA; for reasons of privacy they are only available to next of kin.

and

IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM (IWM)
Lambeth Road
London        
SE1 6HZ
Tel: 0044 (0)20 74165000  
Fax: 0044 (0)20 74165374


The Museum, founded in 1917, illustrates and records all aspects of the two world wars and other military operations involving Britain and the Commonwealth from 1914 to the present day.

The staff at the TNA and IWM are happy to offer general advice about their records but are unable to undertake research for the public. If your research is complex, you may have to visit the TNA or IWM in person to consult their records; however, it is worth first visiting their websites and/or writing to them (in English) for advice. Another alternative is to pay a fee to a professional researcher based in UK to carry out research for you; updated lists of researchers are available from the TNA.

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For photographic material on the two world wars and other major conflicts of the 20th century, the Imperial War Museum Photo Archive is an enormously rich source of material with over 6,000,000 images. Its coverage is international in scope and also illustrates the impact of war on civilians:

THE PHOTOGRAPH ARCHIVE
IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM
All Saints Annexe
Austral Street
London SE11 4SL

Visit appointments: 0044 (0)20 7416 5333
(visitors' room open by appointment 10am - 5pm);
General collection enquiries: 0044 (0)20 7416 5338 (tel); 0044 (0)20 7416 5355 (fax);
Order enquiries tel: 0044 (0)20 7416 5336 or 5464
E-mail: photos@iwm.org.uk

For photographic material regarding World War II only, the Air Photo Archive at Keele University houses a collection of World War II reconnaissance photos of Western Europe and the North shores of the Mediterranean (1939-45).

AIR PHOTO ARCHIVE
Air Photo Manager
Keele University
Keele
Staffs  ST5 5BG
Tel/Fax: 0044 (0)1782 583502
E-mail: a.r.williams@keele.ac.uk

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Historical information specific to the British Army, including potted Regimental Histories, can be found on the British Army website.

Information and documentation regarding five centuries of history of the British Army can also be found at:

THE NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM
Royal Hospital Road
London
SW3 4HT
Tel: 0044 (0)20 7416 5000
Fax: 0044 (0)20 7823 6573

A list of, and links to, all British Army regimental and corps museums, together with instructions on how to go about tracing former Army personnel, can be found on the Army Museums Ogilby Trust.

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Historical information specific to the Royal Navy can be found on the Royal Navy website.

The Royal Navy also replies to historical enquiries from the public if they are sent (in English) by post to:

ROYAL NAVY
Naval Historical Branch
24 Store PP20
Main Road
HM Naval Base Portsmouth
Hants PO1 3LU

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Historical information specific to the Royal Air Force may be found at on the Royal Air Force History website pages.

The Royal Air Force also replies to historical enquiries from the public if they are sent (in English) by post to:

ROYAL AIR FORCE
The Air Historical Branch
Building 266
RAF Bentley Priory
Stanmore
Middlesex HA7 3HH

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Information on the whereabouts of the tombs of British and Commonwealth service personnel who lost their lives fighting in Italy in World Wars I and II is available from:

COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION (CWGC)
Viale F. T. Marinetti, 221
00143 Roma RM
Italy
Tel: (0039) 06 5099911
Fax: (0039) 06 50524593
E-mail: cwgcwma@cwgc.org


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For information in Italian on the history of the Italian Army and on the world wars in Italy, the Italian Army Library in Rome is open to the public at certain times on weekdays:

BIBLIOTECA MILITARE CENTRALE
Palazzo Esercito
Via XX Settembre 123
00187 Roma RM
Tel: (0039) 06 4825545