Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/Historical SOLDIER essay
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The notability guidance previously provided by the WP:SOLDIER essay has been deprecated as a result of this discussion. It is no longer considered by WikiProject Military history to be useful guidance on the notability of military people, and its use in deletion discussions is actively discouraged by the project. Deletion discussions regarding biographical articles should refer to WP:BIO.
Former notability guideline[edit]
In general, an individual is presumed to be notable if they have received significant coverage in multiple verifiable independent, reliable sources.
It is usually safe to presume that individuals will have sufficient coverage to qualify if they:
- Were awarded their nation's highest award for valour,[1] or were awarded their nation's second-highest award for valour (such as the Navy Cross) multiple times; or
- Held a rank considered to be a flag, general or air officer, or their historical equivalents; or
- Held the top-level military command position of their nation's armed forces (such as Chief of the General Staff), or of a department thereof (such as Chief of Army Staff); or
- Played an important role in a significant military event such as a major battle or campaign; or
- Commanded a substantial body of troops in combat (e.g. a capital ship, an army division or higher, a Commonwealth air group, United States air wing, Soviet/Russian aviation division, or other historical air formation of equivalent size, generally two levels above a squadron); or
- Made a material contribution to military science that is indisputably attributed to them; or
- Were the undisputed inventor of a form of military technology which significantly changed the nature of or conduct of war; or
- Were recognized by their peers as an authoritative source on military matters/writing.
Conversely, any person who is only mentioned in genealogical records or family histories, or is traceable only through primary documents, is not notable. Likewise, those who are only mentioned in passing in reliable secondary sources should not be considered notable for the purposes of a stand-alone article, although, depending upon the circumstances, they may warrant mention within an existing article or list. In determining this, the breadth of coverage should be considered. If, for instance, there is enough information in reliable sources to include details about a person's birth, personal life, education and military career, then they most likely warrant a stand-alone article. If this information is not available, then inclusion in a parent article or list is probably the best approach rather than a stand-alone article. As with all other editorial decisions, consensus should be sought where there is uncertainty in this regard.
It is important to note that a person who does not meet the criteria mentioned above is not necessarily non-notable (conversely, a person who meets these criteria is not necessarily notable, if no significant coverage can be found); ultimately, this determination must be made based on the availability of significant coverage in independent, secondary sources. For example, Teddy Sheean, despite having only received a relatively low-level military decoration immediately after his death in 1942, was notable prior to being belatedly awarded the Victoria Cross in 2020, per the guidance set out in the WP:GNG due to the level of coverage he received in reliable sources.
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ What constitutes the "highest" award has been the subject of debate on Wikipedia. Some awards, such as the Légion d'Honneur and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, are/were bestowed in different grades and/or have civil and military versions. For the purpose of this notability guide it is considered that only the highest military grade of such awards is likely to result in significant coverage to confer notability, although the case of recipients of lower grades needs to be considered carefully as some will potentially have this coverage also, while even some recipients of the highest grade may not. A discussion regarding awards with multiple grades can be found here.