War Office files at Library and Archives Canada

Since I have been looking for documentation on several Loyalist lines I decided to see what collections Library and Archives Canada has available on microfilm pertaining to the War Office (WO) files that come from The National Archives in Kew, England.

The first step was to go the Archives search page on the Library and Archives Canada web site. For the keywords I entered War Office and I also restricted the type of material to be Textual material. The first item on the search result list is

War Office fonds [textual record (chiefly microform), cartographic material, graphic material]
Great Britain. War Office. War Office. 1713-1940. Fonds.
MG13-WO, R14028-0-6-E.

If you click on that result you are brought to the page that describes what is in the War Office fonds. So what are in these fonds you ask? (You probably didn't but play along anyways). Click on the "32 lower level description(s)" link and a new search is automagically performed bringing up a list of all the War Office collections available at LAC.

It is important to note that the WO files that are available at LAC may not contain all the reels and documents from the collections housed at The National Archives. You need to read through the descriptions of each of the series to determine what is actually available. For example, the "WO 71. Judge Advocate General's Office. Courts Martial Proceedings" series consists of:

• Court martial of Henry Procter
• Court martial of Joseph Corriveaux
• Court martial of James Glenie

The following is a list of the various WO files:

• WO 1. In-Letters and Papers (1755-1800-1840-1855)
• WO 4. Secretary at War Out-Letters (1757-1853)
• WO 6. Secretary of State, Out-Letters (1837-1858)
• WO 10. Muster Books and Pay Lists, Artillery (1814)
• WO 12. Muster Books and Pay Lists, General (1759-1839)
• WO 13. Muster Books and Pay Lists, Militia and Volunteers (1837-1850)
• WO 17. Monthly Returns (1758-1865)
• WO 24. Establishments (1783-1789)
• WO 25. Registers, Various (1756-[ca.1940])
• WO 26. Miscellany Books (1757)
• WO 28. Headquarters Records (1775-1856)
• WO 32. Registered Papers, General Series (1848-1913)
• WO 33. Reports and Miscellaneous Papers (1862-1885)
• WO 34. Amherst Papers (1749-1784)
• WO 36. American Rebellion Entry Books (1773-1799)
• WO 40. Selected Unnumbered Papers (1787-1814)
• WO 42. Certificates of Birth, etc. (1776-1881)
• WO 44. Ordnance Office In-Letters (1788-1856)
• WO 50. Ordnance Office Bill Books, Series I (1775-1778)
• WO 55. Ordnance Office Miscellanea (1740-1863)
• WO 57. Commissariat Department In-Letters (1811-1815)
• WO 58. Commissariat Department Out-Letters (1809-1920)
• WO 62. Commissariat Department Miscellanea (1809-1814)
• WO 67. Depot Description Books (1803-1892)
• WO 71. Judge Advocate General's Office. Courts Martial Proceedings (1763-1814)
• WO 73. Monthly Returns, Distributions of the Army (1861-1906)
• WO 80. Murray Papers (1815-1846)
• WO 97. Royal Hospital Chelsea Soldiers' Documents (1760-1882)
• WO 100. Campaign Medals (1884-1889)
• WO 106. Directorate of Military Operations and Intelligence (1896-1910) 
• WO 120. Royal Hospital Chelsea Regimental Registers (1713-1868)

Some of these collections have been indexed and/or digitized by Ancestry and Findmypast. If the collection you are looking for isn't at Library and Archives Canada then check out my post on "Searching for WO, ADM & AO collections".

Additionally, some of the collections have been digitized as part of the collaboration between Canadiana.org and Library and Archives Canada. If you go to the Heritage site on Canadiana.org and search for "War Office" (use the quotes) various collections may be found such as "Great Britain. War Office : campaign medals (WO 100)".