From medieval (1066-1547) times armies were raised locally and only when needed, but the availability of troops and weapons was regularly checked. This led to muster rolls being produced, like the 1542/3 muster roll for Shrewsbury. All males are listed in age groups and so the records can contain people who were too young to appear in tax records.

In 1757 Parliament ordered that militia regiments be revived and counties and parishes, under the authority of the Lord Lieutenant, became responsible for raising the militia. Parish constables supplied lists of men eligible for service and from these the right numbers of men were selected by ballot for three years service. Account books exist which list payments to the families of militia men.

The militia ballot system ended in 1829. However, voluntary enrolment in the militia continued and became more closely linked to the regular army. The records of the Shropshire Regiments held by the Shropshire Regimental Museums include archives of four separate regiments, including the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. There are complete war diaries for World War I (1914-1918) and some for World War II (1939-1945). There are also copies of medal rolls and rolls of honour. In some cases there are photos of war graves.