The Museum

Research

The museum is an important resource for researchers with an interest in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry and the Light Infantry. We have a large library and archive, and a team of knowledgeable volunteers who can assist you either via email or in person.

 

We have a small number of research volunteers, who attend the museum on a Monday. Therefore please EMAIL your query to research@bodminkeep.org.uk and we will get back to you. 

Before you visit for research 

We are delighted to take on research enquiries for members of the public and other organisations, however to avoid disappointment we ask that you read and follow our enquiry guidelines before visiting.

If you are planning to visit, please note that our research team are not usually available without an appointment, and it is not usually possible to carry out research enquiries on the same day – to avoid disappointment please contact us in advance.

1. Contact the Museum by email or telephone (email is preferred). Please give us as much detail as possible; the more you can tell us the more likely we will be able to locate the records you are looking for. Don’t forget to include your contact details.

2. Make an appointment with a member of the research team.  Usually one of our research volunteers will be in touch after your initial enquiry to arrange a good time for you to visit.

3. Make a donation.  As a registered charity every donation is important to us.  In fact, research donations are essential for us to be able to maintain our research service. The suggested donation is £25. If you are a UK taxpayer, we would be grateful if you could also provide us with a completed Gift Aid Form – as a Charity, we can claim back up to 25% from HMRC.

For serving members of the military carrying out academic research, our service is free of charge.

Once you’ve made an enquiry, you are welcome to make a donation online – please click the DONATE ONLINE button below.  To make an enquiry, or to book a time to visit our library and archive in person, please email our research team.

 

Did you know that our small research team is made up entirely of dedicated volunteers? Without our volunteers and your kind donations we would be unable to run our research facility.

 

Further information and links to resources can be found further down this page.

 

RESOURCES

WHAT WE HAVE

 

  • Certain records relating to various battalions and campaigns from South Africa (Boer War), the First World War, the Second World War and National Service.
  • WW1 war diaries for the battalions of the DCLI who saw active service
  • Army lists from the 1760’s to 2005 (British and Indian Army officers)
  • WW1 & WW2 Discharge Books
  • An extensive library of military and historic texts
  • Various other sources
  • Photographs – please note that not all of our photographs are catalogued, and unfortunately not all subjects are named. Copies of photographs will incur a fee.
  • Enlistment records of most soldiers who joined during the Great War, and a few from the late 19th century
  • Roll of all officers and soldiers killed in the Great War, with details.

WHAT WE DO NOT HAVE

 

  • Complete records of individual soldiers.
  • Please note, pre-1920 records are held at the National Archives and post-1920 records are held at the Army Personnel Office in Glasgow.
  • The majority of personnel records for WW1, which were unfortunately destroyed in damage during the Blitz.
A sepia image of a private of the Great War surrounded by bight red knitted poppies
Regimental Historian Major Hugo White typing up research.
A letter to Lord Townsend

CASE STUDIES…

If you’d like to read the articles and case studies written by some of our volunteer Research Team members please visit our blog, or join our e-newsletter mailing list.

VISIT BLOG

 

 

WATERLOO CAMPAIGN

Are you researching the 32nd Cornwall Regiment of Foot or the Waterloo Campaign?  Find out about a new project to find and honour the soldiers of the 32nd of Foot who fought at Quatre Bras and Waterloo in 1815.

READ MORE

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Returned From the Front

Returned From the Front is an online resource which aims to catalogue battlefield crosses and grave markers across the country.  The database provides information on as many of the locations and as much detail as possible about the stories surrounding the people whose graves they marked and the people they left behind. View our listing by clicking the button below.

Website

Introductory Topic Papers

Army Music

A Brief Introduction to Music in the British Army

 

 

Medals

A Brief History of British Army Medals

 

 

 

Useful Links

Our supporters