The Soldiers’ Effects Registers rank as one of the most important and complete remaining records sets from WW1. These registers were created pre-war by the Effect’s branch of the War Office to record the monetary effects of deceased and insane soldiers. At the outbreak of war it was decided that the Effect’s Branch would continue their role and, with a massive expansion in staff, they continued their work.
The use of the Soldiers’ Effects Registers for War Gratuity payments came about presumably because they provided a central register of estates and the Effect’s Branch had a ready supply of experienced staff.
A similar set of registers would once have existed in respect of those men who were discharged by the Army to show wages and War Gratuity. These registers were administered by the Regimental Paymaster‘s for each unit however it is not apparent if any of these registers still survive and thus they make the surviving Soldiers’ Effects Registers even more important.