Regimental & Family History Research

We regret to advise that we are unable to provide a historical enquiry service of individual veterans. However; within the pages of the website are the documents which we use to provide this service. Our Archives staff are all unpaid volunteers, working on a ‘spare time’ basis, usually on Wednesday, between 10.30am and 2.30pm, though we cannot guarantee staff will be in attendance at any given time. We have no telephone contact.

In accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 the Regimental Archives does not hold any individual personal records or details of our regimental veterans. These may be obtained from the Army Personnel Centre (APC), at Kentigern House, Glasgow. The APC holds Officers’ and Soldiers’ records dating back to 1920. Some details may be available of Notable individuals relations to sports and Gallantry Awards.

If you require information of soldiers who served prior to 1920, you need to contact the National Archives, at Kew, in Surrey. Please note that approximately 60% of all personnel records were lost, or badly damaged, in the bombing of London, during World War Two.

Information that we hold in our archives relates solely to the historical records of service events of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment and its various Battalions.

Regimental Journals and Research books

A full set of our Regimental Journals, The IRON DUKE, is available to visiting researchers and family members, in our Library, at Bankfield Museum.  In addition all copies have been scanned and uploaded to the website, where they are available for free downloading as PDF format files, from the List of Iron Dukes Journals Page (except the two latest editions). Simply click on any of the Blue titled editions and they will automatically download to your PC, Tablet or Smart Phone. The latest editions are available to purchase, from the Association Office. See the Iron Duke Journal Page. 

Research Books and Regimental journals, from our various battalions, are available on the website, going back to the mid 1800’s. These are listed on the right side of this page, in the Navigation pane.

A book compiled by Scott Flaving, our head archivist, and the archives team has a list of all known Regimental recipients of Gallantry Medals and Civil Awards, is available to read in the regimental library. Regretfully it is currently too large to be uploaded to the website, plus we now have a number of additions to it.

The Regimental Association Office is a separate entity to the archives. It is open on Tuesday’s only, with no access to the archives repository.

For any enquiries, other than Historical research requests, the archives can be contacted by email at:- [email protected]

Please note:

The West Yorkshire Regiment is not the West Riding Regiment (Duke of Wellington’s Regiment). We do not hold any information about that regiment or veterans history. You will need to contact the York Army Museum.

The 49th (West Riding) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, composed of multiple military units from 1944-1945.  It is not the West Riding Regiment. You can download the timeline history of the Division from the British Military History website