Please note that our research enquiry service is closed until March 2026.
We are currently re-configuring our store rooms so we do not have any staff capacity to do research.
The Regiment traces its history back to 1702, and in its 290 years of existence served all over the world and in most of the major conflicts. The Museum therefore has a wealth of information available to researchers and the general public.
Please note that research takes a lot of time and therefore we have to charge a fee of £45 for all enquiries; even if we cannot find anything we have still had to search through multiple sources. We will not start any research without payment.
Our normal turn-around time is approximately 8 weeks, so please be patient. Please note that in many cases a negative result takes longer to establish than readily available information.
The 37th Regiment of Foot (1702-1881)
The 67th Regiment of Foot (1758-1881)
The Hampshire Regiment (1881-1946)
The Royal Hampshire Regiment (1946-1992)
We also hold some documents and photos relating to the Hampshire Carabiniers Yeomanry.
If you are researching your local War Memorial please contact us directly on enquiries@royalhampshireregiment.org .
We are able to answer questions on individuals, battles, casualties, Regimental History etc.
We hold copies of War Diaries for all battalions for the First World War and hold copies of our Regimental Journal which was published monthly or bi-annually between 1903 and 1992 and often contained lists of deaths, wounding and sickness, as well as promotions, medals awarded and sports teams.
If your relative served with the Hampshire Regiment (1881-1946) or Royal Hampshire Regiment (1946-1992) we can probably give you a good idea as to where he was serving and so fill in some of the gaps that you may have in the story. We may not hold all the records but we can point you in the right direction and should be able to give an indication as to what the man was doing.
Earlier records are trickier, as we do not have a lot of holdings. Over the years archive material has been deposited in a variety of other archives and libraries, so we have less of a chance of finding them. If you have a Service Record this can help us a lot.
Completed Research Enquiries will be sent to you the same way the request was received.
WE DO NOT HOLD SERVICE RECORDS (please see below). Please note: we cannot answer any 1939-1992 service inquiries without the Service Record.
The National Archives holds all Service Records from before 1963 for soldiers and before 1920 for officers. All service records post 1963 are held by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Apply for a copy here: https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-records-of-service/apply-for-the-records-of-a-deceased-serviceperson
Any surviving records of the Hampshire Militia can be found at Hampshire Archives and Local Studies. Please click here to go to their website: https://www.hants.gov.uk/librariesandarchives/archives
For information on other regiments please see the Army Museums Ogilby Trust website: www.armymuseums.org.uk
If your inquiry is regarding a soldier who died whilst in service during the First or Second World War a good place to start is the website of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. This database gives basic details of all those who were killed or died in these conflicts, and can help particularly if you are unsure as to the soldier’s Regiment. www.cwgc.org
To start a Research Inquiry, please click here and ensure the topic you wish us to research is entered in the ADDITIONAL INFORMATION box. If you prefer, you can pay the donation then email us separately with your order number to enquiries@royalhampshireregiment.org.
Tell us everything you already know, including birth date, known locations born or lived etc. Often the more civilian information we have, the easier it is to find someone’s military details. It would also be a waste of time for us and a disappointment for you if we supply information you knew but failed to tell us. Please err on the side of telling us too much rather than too little.
We can also be contacted by post at the address below but your enquiry must be accompanied by a cheque for £46 (£45 research fee + £1 postage), cheques payable to ‘The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum’. This can be refunded if it is clear from the outset that we will be unable to help.
The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum
Serle’s House
Southgate Street
Winchester
Hampshire
SO23 9EG
We do not accept research inquiries by telephone as we are unable to answer them while on the telephone. Enquiries sent by email will not be answered without payment as we have such little staff time to work on them.
Here are two examples of some of the research we have carried out on behalf of visitors to the Museum.
