You can now explore over 25,000 Pensions Appeal Tribunals case files for Scotland, searchable online for the first time.
These records document the fight for a war pension faced by First World War veterans and their families after the conflict had ended.
The records are a rare survival, as no equivalent records exist for England and Wales from this period.
Read our tips to get the most out of your search.
Where to start
Search by surname, forename, address, country, service branch, military unit or service number.
You don’t need to fill in every field: start with just a name and add more details if you get too many results.
Try different search fields
If a name search doesn’t turn anything up, try searching by address instead.
You can enter all or part of an address, so "High" would find both "59 High Street, Peebles" and "Bellefield Farm, High Blantyre".
If you know a service number, this can also help narrow things down, particularly for common surnames. Try using an asterisk (*) as a wildcard. A search for *4652 would return results matching 4652, S/4652, 144652, etc.
Watch out for name variations
Names were recorded exactly as given at the time. Spelling, nicknames or abbreviated first names could affect your results.
If your first search doesn’t find who you’re looking for, try using the "Fuzzy matching" or "Phonetic matching" search tools. These allow for slight spelling variations or alternative spellings that sound the same.
Understand the files
Each case file includes a decision page, showing whether or not the appeal succeeded. If the form is pink, the appeal was turned down. This happened in around 70% of cases.
The file may also include a summary of the evidence called a précis, along with additional reports or letters.
Look out for personal statements
Many files include statements in the applicant’s own words or from a widow, parent or other family member supporting their case.
These personal accounts can offer a rare, moving glimpse into an ancestor’s own experience of war and its aftermath.
Be prepared for difficult details
Case files can include detailed medical information, and some use historical language that is no longer acceptable today.
This can include now-outdated descriptions of physical and mental health conditions, intellectual disability, nationality and ethnicity.
Check for further records
If you don’t find what you're looking for here, we hold several other military records:
- Soldiers’ and airmen’s wills
- Military Service Appeals Tribunal records
- Scottish Women’s Land Army employment records
The National Archives holds further military records, including those relating to England and Wales.