6. Online Military Archives

The most frequently used French military records are military recruitment records (Registres matricules) which date back to the 19th century.

Here is the list of the Departmental Archives websites where you can expect to find free online military recruitment records (Registres matricules):

Following this list, you will find some other French websites which provide online archives of interest.

01 – Ain: http://www.archives-numerisees.ain.fr/

02 – Aisne: http://archives.aisne.fr/

03 – Allier: http://archives.allier.fr/

04 – Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (formerly Basses-Alpes): http://archivesenligne.archives04.fr/

05 – Hautes-Alpes: http://www.archives05.fr/

07 – Ardèche: http://archives.ardeche.fr/

08 – Ardennes: http://archives.cg08.fr/

09 – Ariège: http://archives.ariege.fr/

13 – Bouches-du-Rhône: http://www.archives13.fr/archives13/CG13/

14 – Calvados: http://www.archinoe.net/cg14v3/accueil.php

17 – Charente-Maritime (formerly Charente-Inférieure): http://charente-maritime.fr/CG17/jcms/cg17_47603/les-archives-en-ligne

18 – Cher: http://www.archives18.fr/

19 – Corrèze: www.archives.cg19.fr/

2A – Corse-du-Sud: http://www1.arkhenum.fr/ad_corsedusud_matricules/_app/index.php

21 – Côte-d’Or: http://www.archives.cotedor.fr/

22 – Côtes-d’Armor (formerly Côtes-du-Nord): http://archives.cotesdarmor.fr/

23 – Creuse: http://archives.creuse.fr/

24 – Dordogne: http://archives.cg24.fr/

25 – Doubs: http://www.doubs.fr/archives/

26 – Drôme: http://archives.ladrome.fr/

27 – Eure: http://archives.cg27.fr/

28 – Eure-et-Loir: http://www.archives28.fr/

29 – Finistère: http://www.archives-finistere.fr/

31 – Haute-Garonne: http://www.archives.cg31.fr/

32 – Gers: http://www.archives32.fr/

33 – Gironde: http://archives.cg33.fr/

35 – Ille-et-Vilaine: http://archives.ille-et-vilaine.fr/

37 – Indre-et-Loire: http://archives.cg37.fr/

38 – Isère: http://www.archives-isere.fr/

40 – Landes: http://archivesenligne.landes.org/

41 – Loir-et-Cher: http://www.culture41.fr/Archives-departementales

42 – Loire: http://www.loire.fr/jcms/ci_526798/archives-departementales

43 – Haute-Loire: http://www.archives43.fr/

44 – Loire-Atlantique: http://archives.loire-atlantique.fr/

46 – Lot: http://archives.lot.fr/

48 – Lozère: http://archives.lozere.fr/

49 – Maine-et-Loire: http://www.archives49.fr/

50 – Manche: http://archives.manche.fr/

52 – Haute-Marne: http://archives.haute-marne.fr/

53 – Mayenne: http://www.lamayenne.fr/fr/Archives53/

54 – Meurthe-et-Moselle: http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/

55 – Meuse: http://archives.meuse.fr/

56 – Morbihan: http://recherche.archives.morbihan.fr/

57 – Moselle: http://www.archives57.com/

58 – Nièvre: http://archives.cg58.fr/

59 – Nord: http://www.archivesdepartementales.lenord.fr/

60 – Oise: http://archives.oise.fr/

61 – Orne: http://archives.orne.fr/

62 – Pas-de-Calais: http://www.archivespasdecalais.fr/

63 – Puy-de-Dôme: http://www.archivesdepartementales.puydedome.fr/

65 – Hautes-Pyrénées: http://www.archivesenligne65.fr/

66 – Pyrénées-Orientales: http://archives.cg66.fr/

69 – Rhône: http://archives.rhone.fr/

71 – Saône-et-Loire: http://www.archives71.fr/

72 – Sarthe: http://www.archives.sarthe.com/

73 – Savoie: http://www.savoie-archives.fr/

74 – Haute-Savoie: http://archives.cg74.fr/

76 – Seine-Maritime (formerly Seine-Inférieure): http://www.archivesdepartementales76.net/

77 – Seine-et-Marne: http://archives.seine-et-marne.fr/

78 – Yvelines (formerly Seine-et-Oise): http://archives.yvelines.fr/

79 – Deux-Sèvres: http://archives.deux-sevres.com/

80 – Somme: http://archives.somme.fr/

81 – Tarn: http://archives.tarn.fr/

83 – Var: http://www.archives.var.fr/

84 – Vaucluse: http://archives.vaucluse.fr/

85 – Vendée: http://archives.vendee.fr/

86 – Vienne: http://www.archives-vienne.cg86.fr/

89 – Yonne: http://www.yonne-archives.fr/

90 – Territoire-de-Belfort: http://www.archives.cg90.fr/

OTHER ONLINE MILITARY ARCHIVES

Mémoire des Hommes – Mémoire des Hommes intends to provide the public with digitised documents and data from the archives and collections held by the Ministry of Defence. Available collections: World War I, World War II, Indochina War, Korean War, Algerian War, battles in Morocco and Tunisia, War graves, etc. http://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/

Légion d’Honneur – Recipients of the Legion of Honour since 1802, with the digitized archives for each of them. http://www.culture.gouv.fr/documentation/leonore/

Livres d’Or de la Première Guerre Mondiale – List of French soldiers who lost their lives during WWI, by town. https://www.siv.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr/siv/rechercheconsultation/recherche/ir/rechercheGeneraliste.action (Enter “livre d’or” in the “Recherche libre” field).

Prisoners of the First World War – Accounts, letters sent to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), notices of death and other historical records. http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/

Les Invalides – Louis XIV initiated the project known as L’Hôtel national des Invalides (The National Residence of the Invalids) by an order dated 24 November 1670, as a home and hospital for aged and unwell soldiers. Database containing 110.000 soldiers, from 1673 to 1796, with digitized archives. http://hoteldesinvalides.org/