TheGenealogist has boosted its military record collections with two significant additions.

First are records from the Worldwide Army Index for 1851, 1861 and 1871. Many thousands of men in the British Army were serving overseas in far-flung parts of the British empire in the mid 19th century. This index of names is compiled from the musters contained in the WO 10-11-12 Series of War Office Paylists, held at The National Archives. These records list all officers for 1851 and 1871 (officers were not mustered in all the paylists in 1861) and all 'other ranks' serving in the first quarter of 1851 and second quarters of 1861 and 1871, together with their regimental HQ location. The index can therefore prove useful if male ancestors are missing from census returns for these years.

More than 70,000 of these records have extra notes that can indicate whether a soldier was a recruit awaiting transfer to a regiment; detached from his regiment or attached to another; discharged; on leave; or had deserted or retired. Men identified as using aliases are also included. Many notes include a place of birth and former occupation.

Also included within the records are recruits, boy soldiers, bandsmen and civilians working in the armed forces as clerks, pension recruiters, teachers and other roles behind the scenes. Colonial regiments, which invariably included British subjects, are also featured.

The site has also added further editions to its collection of issues of The Illustrated War News. These consist of 3,368 pages from 6 September 1916 to 10 April 1918 – the site already has issues from 1914-1916.

This was a weekly magazine published by The Illustrated London News and Sketch Ltd and contained illustrated reports related entirely to the war. It claimed to have the largest number of artist-correspondants reporting on the progress of the war until it ceased publication in 1918.