Research Material At National Archives Kew

[Kieron Hill]

Hi everyone,

The following information is held at the National Atchives at Kew
and was taken from there catalogue. As you can see the iformation held
there covers a wide spectrum and is available to the general public. As
I've said in the past I go down few times a year to have a nose, so if
anyone ever wants me to have a look at something specific for them
then the offer is there.

Regards
Kieron

Second World War: British Army Operations 1939-1945
Military Records Information 68
1. Introduction
This research guide is concerned only with records relating to military operations in which the British and Indian armies, and Allied, Dominion and Colonial troops under British command were involved. Records concerned with administration, supply, and research have, for the most part, been excluded, together with personnel records, which have not been transferred to The National Archives.

The information given below is not exhaustive. During the war the military, naval and air services were integrated to an extent unparalleled in peacetime or during earlier wars, and the process of integration was extended to encompass the civil government and Allied forces. Information about operations can, therefore, be found in records series which are primarily concerned with other aspects of the conduct of the war.

The Second World War: A Guide to Documents in the Public Record Office, J Cantwell (PRO handbook No.15, PRO, 1998) contains a general description of the wide range of war-time records preserved in the Public Record Office.

2. Official History and Narratives
A collection of narratives and reports of all kinds brought together by the Official Historians is in Historical Section Files (AL Series) (CAB 106 ). Confidential Editions of the Official Histories of the War, containing the document references omitted from the published editions, are to be found in Official Histories: Military (CAB 101 ). Further historical studies are preserved in a series of Monographs (WO 277 ).

Notes and papers of a 1947 course on the D-Day landings and ensuing campaigns are in WO 223 . The Medical Historians' Papers (WO 222 ) include many narratives of medical units in action.

3. High Command
Cabinet
The War Cabinet Minutes (CAB 65 ) and Memoranda (CAB 66 , CAB 67 , CAB 68 ), records of the Cabinet Committees concerned with defence (CAB 69 , CAB 70 , CAB 78 , CAB 83 , CAB 85 , CAB 92-98 ), records of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and its sub-committees (CAB 79 , CAB 80 , CAB 81 , CAB 82 ) and of the Combined Chiefs of Staff Committee and sub-committees (CAB 88 ) form the starting point for any study of military operations. The daily situation reports for the War Cabinet and the daily summaries of information prepared in the Central War Room are in War Cabinet: Daily Situation Reports (CAB 100 ) and Cabinet telegrams to overseas commands in War Cabinet: Telegrams (CAB 105 ).

Prime Minister
The Secretariat Files (CAB 120 ) contain information about the personal intervention of the Prime Minister of the day in operational matters. Similar papers are to be found in Prime Minister's Office: Operational Papers (PREM 3 ) and, to a lesser extent, in Confidential Papers (PREM 4 ).

War Office Councils and Committees
The class War Office Council and Army Council (WO 163 ) contains the minutes of these two bodies and their committees. The Inter-Services Security Board Minutes (WO 283 ) contain information on the co-ordination of operational security and the control of code names. Files of secret papers concerning defence issues, which were made available to commanders in chief visiting London, are in CAB 121 , records of the Special Secret Information Centre.

4. Headquarters Papers
The records of the military Headquarters of each theatre of operation, and of the forces under their command, are the most important sources of information on the planning and conduct of military operations. The series concerned are:

Description Catalogue reference
British Expeditionary Force in France 1939-1940 WO 197
North West Expeditionary Force in Norway 1940 WO 198
Home Forces WO 199
Middle East Forces WO 201
Military Missions WO 202
Far East Forces including ABDA and SEAC WO 203
Allied Forces in North Africa, Italy and France 1942-1945 WO 204
WO 228
21st Army Group in Northern Europe 1943-1945 WO 205
WO 229
SHAEF WO 219
WO 229
North African and Mediterranean Theatres: Maps WO 234
East Africa Command WO 276
Combined Operations DEFE 2

Allied Forces Headquarters: Microfilm (WO 228 ) and SHAEF and 21st Army Group: Microfilm (WO 229 ) are available in the Microfilm Reading Room.

5. Unit War Diaries
All units and formations of battalion size and above, and smaller units operating independently, maintained a daily record of events, often with appendices of signals and orders. These War Diaries are arranged by Command, following the Order of Battle:

Description Catalogue reference
War Office Directorates WO 165
Home Forces WO 166
British Expeditionary Force WO 167
North-West Expeditionary Force WO 168
Middle East Forces WO 169
Central Mediterranean Forces WO 170
North-West Europe WO 171
South-East Asia Command WO 172
West Africa Forces WO 173
Madagascar WO 174
British North Africa Forces WO 175
Various smaller theatres WO 176
Medical services WO 177
Military Missions WO 178
Dominion Forces WO 179
GHQ Liaison Regiment* WO 215
Special Services WO 218
Ships Signals Sections* WO 257
Royal Marine Commandos DEFE 2

*These series include associated papers

6. War Office Directorates
While the Directorates were primarily concerned with administration, their records frequently include reports on actions and campaigns. They are to be found in the following classes:

Description Catalogue reference
Directorate of Military Operations and Intelligence WO 106
Quarter-Master General including exercises and plans, especially Combined Operations WO 107
Directorate of Military Operations: Appreciation files WO 190
Directorate of Military Operations: Collation files WO 193
Directorate of Artillery WO 196
Directorate of Military Intelligence including weekly Intelligence Summaries and Intelligence Reviews WO 208
Directorate of Military Training particularly lessons learned from operations WO 231
Directorate of Tactical Investigation particularly studies of individual operations WO 232
Directorate of Air WO 233
Directorate of Army Psychiatry WO 241
Directorate of Signals including Signal Plans and Instructions for operations WO 244
Directorate of Staff Duties WO 260
Directorate of Supplies and Transport WO 272
Engineer in Chief Papers including reports on planning and operations WO 227

7. Other Operational Records
Although mainly concerned with administration Registered Files (WO 32 ) include many reports of actions, especially in the cuts O (Overseas), 46 (Narratives of Operations) and 95 (Invasion). O and A Papers (WO 33 ) include a proportion on actions with the enemy. Combined Operations Headquarters Records (DEFE 2 ) cover all amphibious and some airborne operations. Records of airborne operations can also be found in Directorate of Air (WO 233 ) and Army Co-operation Command (AIR 39 ).

8. Orders Of Battle
Those of British and Dominion forces are mainly to be found in:

Description Catalogue reference
Orders of battle and organisation tables WO 212
Monthly Returns of the distribution of the Army WO 73

Those of Allied and enemy forces may be found in:

Description Catalogue reference
O and A Papers WO 33
Directorate of Military Intelligence and Operations WO 106
Directorate of Military Intelligence WO 208

Col H F Joslen, Orders of Battle in the Second World War (2 vols, HMSO, 1960) contains a guide by units and formations to the Orders of Battle of British and Dominion forces.

9. Other Sources
Private and Private Office papers contain some information about operations. The main series are:

Description Catalogue reference
Alexander Papers: those of Field-Marshal Earl Alexander of Tunis WO 214
Chief of the (Imperial) General Staff WO 216
Permanent Under Secretary WO 258
Secretary of State

[Paul Reed]

Thanks for flagging that up for all to see, especially those who have yet to make a visit to Kew. There is several lifetimes worth of material at TNA, as you can see from the above.

Last winter I went through a high percentage of war diaries of units which fought in Normandy. I was surprised, compared to WW1 diaries, at how detailed they were and that most were typed up. Many had very detailed appendicies, maps and even aerial photos. I am currently doing the same for Arnhem and turning up some first class material.

Now, whenever I am going out to a WW2 battlefield, I have a trawl through some diaries and each time it pays off; this May using material from units in 78th Division we were able to make sense of the positions on Snakeshead Ridge at Monte Cassino - even using copies of aerial photos commissioned by the Lancashire Fusiliers while they were up there.

Can't recommend TNA too highly.

[Kiwiwriter]

So I have to beg the question...how can I get my hands on some of that marvelous stuff?

[Paul Reed]

The only way to see some of it at present is to make a visit yourself of pay a researcher to copy material for you.

The are gradually putting WW1 war diaries on line (for a fee) and WW1 Medal Roll indexes, but nothing WW2 yet... although an index to WW2 award recommendations is planned for 2005.