Prisoners of War
INFORMATION ON SERIES OF DOCUMENTS
Series
Prisoner of War Records
Title
Selected records relating to Prisoners of War from many different nationalities
from the time of the first Jacobite Rising in 1715, to the '45, through The
Napoleonic Era, to the Crimea, the Boer Wars, up to and including the First and
Second World Wars.
Structure
Size/Scope
The records have been chosen for the details they contain about prisoners of
war, with most containing some sort of nominal roll. The details on these lists
can range from a minimum of name, number and regiment (as in many of the
Stalag Luft lists) through to the detailed listings provided in ADM 103 which give
details of the prisoners’ height, complexion and distinguishing marks.
Those which aren’t composed of nominal rolls are usually reports, such as the
interview reports in WO 161, or record cards.
Approximately 800,000 images in total detailing the experiences of nearly 2
million individual POWs across 3 centuries.
Selected pieces from the following series:
18th Century State Papers (SP) – Jacobites
ADM 103 – Registers of Prisoners of War 1755-1831 (French, American,
Spanish Prisoners hosed in Prison Ships and Depots)
AO 11 – Lists of French Prisoners taken during Napoleonic Wars
WO 28 – Lists of Russian Prisoners taken during Crimean War
MT 23 and WO 108 – Boer Prisoners of War from South African Conflicts
HO 144 – Internment Lists (enemy Aliens in London 1915-1918)
FO 383/ADM 1/AIR 1 – myriad lists of British POWs interned and incarcerated in
camps in Bulgaria, Germany, Turkey, Switzerland, German East Africa
FO 383/CO 693 – Merchant Seamen and Fishermen detained as POWs
WO 161 - Interview Reports with British POW's following repatriation
AIR 20/AIR 40 – POWs listed in Stalag Luft; escape and evasion reports
FO 371 – British POW escapees in unoccupied France and Spain; escape and
evasion reports
Physical Format
and Condition
A full list of series and pieces will be provided at Supplier Meetings
The vast majority of these records are only found in their original format, with the
majority of these composed of loose leaf, A4 files or volumes (FO 383) but
notable exceptions include the registers in ADM 103 (c. 2 x A3 spreads) and the
record cards in WO 345 (c. A5 cards).
A few of the series featured are already available in a digital format. WO 161 and
HO 396 are available as digital microfilm. Bidders will have the option of
digitising these from original.
Research Guides
Records of Internees
Whilst The National Archives endeavours to ensure that the information is correct, in no event shall The National Archives be
responsible for any loss or damage of any kind arising out of access to or reliance on or use of any information. This document is
intended to provide guidance only and it is recommended that personal research of the records be undertaken
Prisoners of War
Series
Prisoner of War Records
British Prisoners of War 1790-1919
Possible areas
for indexing
Prisoners of War in British Hands
Information throughout the series will differ but all comprise a combination of the
following: Full Name; Regimental Number; Regiment; Dates of Incarceration;
Place of Incarceration; Names and Addresses of next of kin
Whilst The National Archives endeavours to ensure that the information is correct, in no event shall The National Archives be
responsible for any loss or damage of any kind arising out of access to or reliance on or use of any information. This document is
intended to provide guidance only and it is recommended that personal research of the records be undertaken