Occupation and Military Record Sheet

Who this is for

What one person did for a living, and any service they gave, in date order. The top table holds the occupations with where and for whom; the lower one holds service by force or unit, service number, dates, rank and the source for each.

Family historians who have found an ancestor described differently in every record and want the working life laid out on one page, and anyone tracing a relative's service through the paperwork it left behind.

What this helps you track

• Every occupation recorded for the person, with the date and the record that says so
• Where and for whom they worked, as far as the records say
• Each period of service with the force or unit, service number and rank
• The source for every line, so a change of trade or rank can be checked
• The working life in order, which often explains a move or a gap

How to use it

1. Write the person's name and life dates at the top.
2. Go through the records you hold — certificates, census returns, directories, letters — and give each occupation mentioned its own line with the date and the source. Copy the description exactly as written.
3. Add the employer or place where a record gives one. A firm's name is a lead to its own records, if they survive.
4. For service, write the force or unit and the service number exactly as the record gives them, then the dates, the rank and the source. Note where you found the record so it can be asked for again.
5. Where a record for that force is held, and who is permitted to see it, differ from country to country and by period; check with the holding archive rather than assuming.
6. Keep the sheet in the person's folder with the ancestor profile, and save the browser version in your own browser.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

The same person is a labourer in one record and a carter in the next. Which is right?

Both, probably, at different dates — or the same job described by different clerks. Give each description its own line with its date and source, and let the sequence show the working life rather than choosing one word.

What if I do not have a service number?

Leave it blank and write what you do have — a unit, a rank, a date, a medal, a family story. Many searches begin with less. The column is there so the number is kept once found.

Does the sheet tell me where service records are held?

No. That depends on the country, the force and the period, and on what survived. The source column records where you found each line; the archive and record office visit planner helps with the trip.

Can it be used for other kinds of service?

Yes — police, fire, merchant navy, nursing, civil service or anything with a unit, a number and a rank. The column headings are general on purpose.