There are several distinct types of will. Apart from the first type described below, the Army forms were designed to be filled in before the soldier was under orders for active service. The completed wills were mostly filed in a local military record office until requested by the War Office when a soldier died. See examples of formal, informal and nuncupative soldiers' wills.
- Informal will from pay book (Army Book 64), soldier's service record and pay book (Army Book 64) part I, or Soldier's Small Book. The most common kind of soldier's will: unwitnessed, written and signed by the soldier when under orders for active service, or during active service. He could write another will when issued with a new pay book, and if he died his most recent will would be retrieved from his pay book whenever possible. Known as a 'Short Form of Will'.
- Formal will from soldier's service record and pay book (Army Book 64) part I Witnessed will, written and signed by the soldier on Army Form B.243 (naming one beneficiary) or B.244 (more than one). Both types allowed for the naming of executor(s). During WW II these forms continued to be used, but a similar form, Army Form B.2089, was also introduced and was commonly used in Pay Books instead of B.243 and B.244.
- Formal will: Army forms B.243 and B.244. Witnessed will, written and signed by the soldier. A foolscap version of the Pay Book form, used in both World Wars.
- Formal will: Army form B.2089. Witnessed will, written and signed by the soldier, similar to B.243 and B.244. A foolscap version of the Pay Book form, used in WW II.
- Formal will: Army form W.3297. Witnessed will, written and signed by the soldier, for naming one or more beneficiaries but not executors. Usually on a half foolscap sheet, this type was much less common, but was used in both World Wars.
- 'Civil' wills - informal and formal. Either unwitnessed or witnessed wills, written on non-Army stationery. Some follow the wording of the Army forms, but many were probably written at home. Only a few appear to have been drafted by a lawyer.
- 'Nuncupative will'. If any of the above types of will was missing, the War Office accepted evidence from soldiers, family or friends concerning what a soldier had stated verbally concerning his wishes or had written in his will. This type was known as a 'nuncupative will'. Typically the documents consist of official forms and related correspondence.
- Letters. The other main form of evidence in lieu of a will was a letter from soldier in which he expressed a testamentary wish. The War Office classified such a letter as a 'nuncupative' will. This type of will was more common for WWI than WWII.
- Recorded wills. Some wills were withdrawn for recording in the Commissary Office or a sheriff court. Documents kept in place of them may consist of correspondence, receipts and a certified copy of the will. Relevant details may be found in the catalogue if the recording of a will has been identified. Others may be searched for in the annual index known as the 'Calendar of Confirmations'. For more advice on this go to our guide on wills and testaments.
