Gunner Milligan's Tracer Card

This Tracer Card belonged to Terence Alan ‘Spike’ Milligan, best known as a legendary comedian and writer. During the Second World War, Milligan served as a signaller in D Battery (later 19 Battery), 56th Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery, under the name Gunner Milligan, service number 954024.

Tracer Cards were used by the British Army during WWII to track the movements of individual soldiers. About the size of a library index card, they allowed clerks to quickly answer the question: “Where is that soldier right now?” without searching through full service records—an essential time-saving tool during a war involving millions of personnel.

Unlike full service records, Tracer Cards weren’t designed to be permanent, and many have not survived. However, over 300,000 cards for non-commissioned officers and gunners still exist, offering valuable snapshots of individual service histories.

A typical Tracer Card includes a soldier’s name, enlistment date, and service number, but their most useful feature is the list of units the individual served with. Each time a soldier was reassigned, their previous unit was crossed out and the new one added—sometimes building a full record of movements across theatres of war. Temporary absences, such as for illness or injury, were also noted using a series of "X List" codes. For example, X List (2) meant the soldier had been admitted to hospital or evacuated for medical reasons beyond the Regimental Aid Post.

As working documents, Tracer Cards reflect the reality of wartime administration: they often include abbreviations, crossings-out, and rushed handwriting. When a card filled up, it was simply replaced with a new one. Despite their informal nature, these cards are now a vital research tool for those tracing the wartime paths of Royal Artillery soldiers, including, in this case, a future comedic icon.