Military Service Appeal Tribunal Records Go Online

National Records of Scotland has made records of Military Service Appeal Tribunal Records available on ScotlandsPeople. The records contain thousands of cases of men who appealed against their compulsory call-up for military service following the introduction of conscription in 1916. The reasons ranged from ill health, personal or family hardship and conscientious objection to claims for exemption because their work was important to the national interest.

 The records added to ScotlandsPeople, the Scottish Government’s official genealogy website, are mainly from the Lothian and Peebles Appeal Tribunal and were kept as a sample, while some additional records of the Ross, Cromarty and Sutherland (Lewis Section) Appeal Tribunal survived by accident. Further details and stories from these archives can be found on the ScotlandsPeople website.

Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said:

 “These powerful online records are an important part of our history and demonstrate the challenges thousands of Scottish men and their families faced during the First World War. I encourage people to learn more about this important period and to contribute any information they have to piece together a fuller picture of what life was like for our men.”

Tim Ellis, Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland, said:

“We are privileged to be commemorating the First World War centenary by making available this special series of records. The documents will be invaluable to family historians researching their ancestors and the lives recorded also reveal a poignant picture of life on the home front and beyond.”

For more information about these documents see our Military Service Appeal Tribunals record guide.