The National Archives, in partnership with Forces War Records, the leading military family history website from Ancestry®, has launched a digital collection of Royal Flying Corps and successors: World War One Gallantry Award Medal Index Cards. 

The collection contains almost 12,000 cards and are a mixture of handwritten and typed records, and include a rare ‘Mentioned in Despatches’ cards that consist of members of the armed forces who were mentioned in an official report by a superior officer and sent to the high command. This mention is considered a commendation for a noteworthy act or service of gallantry.

“This collection is such an important one for Forces War Records and our community” shared Ancestry’s Military Genealogist, Simon Pearce, “because it offers a fascinating insight into the bravery and dedication to duty of those who served with the aerial forces during WWI. The war accelerated huge advances in technology and aerial warfare, and our ancestors were at the forefront of these developments. Perhaps you’ll discover a family member who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross or the Military Medal for their actions, or maybe they gained an award from one of Britain’s allies.”

Head of Modern Collections at The National Archives, Dr William Butler,  said “this is such a fascinating collection and one which will no doubt be of great interest to those looking to uncover more about their family history, and those wishing to better understand the activities of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force during the First World War.”