Findmypast possibly overloaded with people trying to get free access

Further to my post yesterday, I have now found it impossible to get access to findmypast.co.uk. The possibility of free access for three hours tonight has possibly overloaded their system.

I'd keep trying, but I'd rather watch England lose at football...:-)

Findmypast available free while England play in the World Cup

I'm really conflicted about this, since I should traditionally want England to go out of the World Cup early. But if this offer continues for every game, I may want them to be successful.

Findmypast.co.uk, the home of the Chelsea Pension Records, have announced the following:

Whenever England play a match, you'll be able to access all our records for free!*

What you need to know about this fantastic offer:

- When England play, you don't pay: 30 minutes before each England game kicks off, all the records on findmypast.co.uk will be free to view for 3 hours

- You can view original images and transcriptions of all our records for free including birth, marriage and death records 1538-2006, census records including the 1911 census and our Chelsea Pensioners British Army Service Records 1760-1913 - to name just a few

- Normally you would need a subscription or PayAsYouGo credits to view our records - some of which normally cost 30 credits each - so to be able to see them for free is a rare opportunity

- Keep an eye on our blog for a competition question to enter during each England match. You'll need to answer all the questions correctly for a chance to win, so make sure you don't miss any. The prize is a goodie bag containing a digital camera, vouchers for a year's Full subscription plus much more

All you need to do to make use of this unique offer is register on findmypast.co.uk as you'll need to sign in to view the records. Visit our World Cup page for more information.

*All records available using our Full subscription (including the 1911 Census) will be free: Living Relatives searches and Memorial scrolls are not included.

So, people of Scotland...get stuck in!

100,000 new Chelsea Pensioner records now on findmypast.co.uk

Latest news from findmypast.co.uk:

We’ve just added 96,434 records and 437,825 images for the period 1855-1872 to our Chelsea Pensioners British Army Service Records collection on findmypast.co.uk.

This new batch of records brings the total amount of Chelsea Pensioners records and images on findmypast.co.uk to 506,870 records and 3,196,935 images.

Here’s a reminder of the records you can find on the site and which are still to come:

Date range	Approx no. of records	Approx no. of images	When available
WO97 1855-1872	96,434	437,825	Now
WO97 1873-1882	97,515	540,423	Now
WO97 1883-1900	312,921	2,218,687	Now
WO97 1760-1854	184,000	1.2 million	By July 2010
WO97 1901-1913	303,000	2.1 million	By August 2010
WO96 1806-1915	500,000	3.5 million	By Sept 2011

The connection with ‘Chelsea Pensioners’ is that the pensions were administered through The Royal Hospital at Chelsea. The great majority of pensioned soldiers were out-pensioners and did not reside at the Hospital itself.

Many other military records provide information about officer-class soldiers; however, these records relate to other ranks. This makes it more likely that you will be able to find details about your ancestors.

Remember that these records are free to search, like all the records on findmypast.co.uk. Even if you don’t think that any of your ancestors could have been a Chelsea Pensioner, give searching the records a go - your ancestor may have only served in the army for a short time before they were pensioned out.

Why are the Chelsea Pensioners records so special?

The sheer amount of information these records provide sets them apart. It’s possible to build up a picture of your ancestor by reading these records - they are the next best thing to a photograph. The records contain detailed descriptions of a soldier’s physical appearance and any distinguishing features like tattoos or scars.

There are usually six or seven records per soldier. Most of the service records note all of the regiments in which a soldier served, with both start and end dates, ranks attained, and the total service rendered, in years and days, in each rank and regiment. Service in either the East or West Indies is noted separately.

The reason for the soldier’s discharge (illness, wounds or end of service) is given, as are remarks on general conduct while in the service and the soldier’s civilian occupation. The form is dated and signed by both the soldier and commanding officer. These records are among the most popular at The National Archives as family historians and genealogists have realised how valuable they are.

To give you an example of how valuable these records are to those researching Scottish soldiers, here are some figures of how many entries there are per regiment:

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) - 91st & 93rd Foot: 1990 entries

Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) - 42nd & 73rd Foot: 1498 entries

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) - 26th Foot & 90th Light Infantry: 1016 entries

Gordon Highlanders - 75th & 92nd Foot: 1551 entries

Highland Light Infantry - 71st & 74th Foot: 1512 entries

King's Own Scottish Borderers - 25th Foot: 1137 entries

Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders - 79th Foot: 973 entries

Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) - 1st Foot: 1214 entries

Royal Scots Fusiliers - 21st Foot: 1167 entries

Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) - 72nd & 78th Foot: 1545 entries

And remember - there's more to come!

Now, if someone from findmypast is reading, I'd be happy to give a review of their website in return for a free subscription...:-)