MOD Polish Service Records: How to Apply in the UK
If a Polish relative served under British command during the Second World War, their service record may be held by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). The official GOV.UK route covers Polish service personnel who served under British command.
A MOD file is one part of a wider military history. Our Polish military research service identifies the relevant records, prepares or assesses archive enquiries and connects the findings with Polish sources in an English-language report.
Who this route is for
This route is relevant to Polish Army, Air Force or Navy personnel who served under British command during the Second World War. It is not a general search route for every person who served in a Polish formation.
If the service was in a different army, before the Second World War, in captivity, or outside British command, start with our broader guide to Polish military records.
What to prepare
- the person’s full name, including spelling variants;
- their date and place of birth;
- their service number, if known;
- the branch, unit, rank or approximate service dates;
- a digital death certificate where available.
We assess the available identity documents and the evidence needed for the relevant enquiry. A death certificate can affect how much information is released. Access restrictions and missing papers are recorded in the research findings.
What a service record may contain
- name, service number, rank and unit;
- date and place of birth;
- dates of joining and leaving the armed forces;
- units or postings recorded during the person’s career;
- details of good-conduct medals.
Survival and detail vary. The official guidance warns that some searches return little or no information and that medical or disciplinary information may be withheld.
Research packages and archive waiting times
Our military research packages cover professional research time, archive enquiries where appropriate, analysis and an English-language report. An archive reply is only one part of that work. Waiting times depend on the repository and can be lengthy; we explain the scope before archival research begins. Any external charges require your approval.
Starting your commissioned research
- Choose your military research package and describe the person and the question you want answered.
- Provide the names, birth details and service papers or photographs you already have.
- We confirm the research question and identify the relevant military and archival sources.
- Receive an English-language report explaining the records, searches and remaining gaps.
MOD or The National Archives: which route applies?
Polish forces under British command have a distinct service-record route. We establish the branch and service context before preparing an enquiry, rather than assuming that transfer rules for British Army or RAF files apply to a Polish record. The official sources below document that distinction.
A catalogue result for a unit, headquarters or the Polish Resettlement Corps is a different source from an individual’s personnel file. It can help establish the organisational setting, but it does not replace a service-record enquiry. If the branch or nature of service remains uncertain, explain that uncertainty instead of selecting a British regiment to make the form fit.
How we prepare a focused military investigation
- Confirm identity: we compare names, birth details and spelling changes against the surviving evidence.
- Establish service: we assess branch, unit, dates and military numbers, distinguishing a service number from a prisoner number.
- Assess the papers: we read identity documents, stamps and supporting records to establish which questions an archive enquiry can answer.
- Prepare the enquiry: we use the appropriate current procedure and identify any supporting documents or applicant action required.
- Explain the result: we record the sources checked, interpret the reply and identify further Polish, captivity or resettlement evidence where relevant.
Reading the MOD reply and choosing the next archive
Make a chronological list of the postings and administrative events actually shown. Copy abbreviations as written before expanding them. Keep a separate column for uncertain readings and for events known only from family accounts. The absence of a detail from the released pages does not establish that the event never happened.
A mention of Anders’ Army or the 2nd Polish Corps can guide the next search through Anders’ Army records. A camp reference calls for POW documentation. A PRC entry points towards resettlement records. Follow each clue as a separate question rather than assuming that one file covers the whole life.
A birthplace in the file may provide the next link to Poland. Preserve its original spelling and the date of the document, then identify the relevant locality before searching Polish birth records. A translated place name or approximate age needs checking against the original entry.
What if a search finds little or no information?
First distinguish three possibilities: no matching file was found, the requested material is held elsewhere, or some material was withheld. Read the reply carefully before commissioning another search. Check the identifiers you supplied, particularly a common surname, an uncertain birth date or a number taken from an unrelated document.
A unit history or list of decorations can supply context, but should not be substituted for evidence that your relative served in that unit or received that award. Keep the archive’s reply with your research notes, including a negative result; it records which route and identity details have already been tested.