Skip to main content

Royal Air Force

 Organization

Found in 15 Collections and/or Records:

 File

Official: War and Air: correspondence, mainly on demobilisation and the reorganisation of the Air Ministry., 01 Feb 1919 - 28 Feb 1919

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 16/4
Scope and Contents Correspondents include: King Manuel II on the "future of Portugal"; General Sir William Robertson [General Officer Commanding-in-Chief the Forces in Great Britain] (3); 1st Lord Milner [Secretary of State for the Colonies] on appointing neither Major-General Sir Hugh Trenchard or General Sir John Cowans as Governor of Nigeria (2); Andrew Bonar Law [Lord Privy Seal] passing on a copy of a letter from Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Lawson on a decline in his pay and position; Philip Kerr [later...
Dates: 01 Feb 1919 - 28 Feb 1919
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Official: War and Air: correspondence, much on the Russian campaign., 01 Apr 1919 - 30 Apr 1919

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 16/6
Scope and Contents Correspondents include: General Sir Ian Hamilton refuting press allegations; Walter Roch on the Dardanelles [Turkey] Inquiry; Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig [Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Forces in France and Flanders] (2); General Sir Henry Wilson [Chief of Imperial General Staff] on matters discussed at the Paris [France] Peace Conference (7); 1st Lord Milner [Secretary of State for the Colonies]; Colonel James Blair [Chief, British Military Mission in Siberia]; 1st Lord Haldane...
Dates: 01 Apr 1919 - 30 Apr 1919
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Official: War Cabinet: Chiefs of Staff Committee: weekly resumes., 01 Aug 1940 - 03 Oct 1940

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 23/6
Scope and Contents

Printed reviews of the naval, military and air situation, including: home waters; the Mediterranean; attacks on shipping; enemy shipping; minelaying; minesweeping; Germany; the Middle East; Africa; air defence; air attacks on Germany and Italy; enemy intelligence; the Balkans; home security; economic warfare; Italy; the North Sea; the United States; the Soviet Union.

Dates: 01 Aug 1940 - 03 Oct 1940
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Official: War Cabinet: Chiefs of Staff Committee: weekly resumes., 14 Nov 1940 - 26 Dec 1940

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 23/8
Scope and Contents

Printed reviews of the naval, military and air situation, including: home waters; the Mediterranean; enemy intelligence; shipping losses; enemy shipping; minelaying and minesweeping; Germany; the Balkans; the Middle East; air attacks on enemy territory; air attacks on Britain; Italy; Africa; air intelligence; home security.

Dates: 14 Nov 1940 - 26 Dec 1940
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Public and Political: General: Air Defence: Wing-Commander Anderson., 20 May 1936 - 24 Nov 1936

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 2/271
Scope and Contents Correspondence and notes from Wing-Commander Charles Anderson, Director of Training, Air Ministry, later commander of RAF Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, including: RAF personnel statistics; notes on training Air Observers; a memorandum on RAF training policy in general, including morale, the RAF's function, its readiness for war, reserves, funding, the dangers of over-specialization, the problems of rapid expansion, the shortage and increase in training schools, and specialised training;...
Dates: 20 May 1936 - 24 Nov 1936
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Public and Political: General: Air Defence: Wing Commander Anderson., 27 Jan 1937 - 07 Jul 1937

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 2/303
Scope and Contents Includes notes, memoranda and correspondence by and from Wing Commander Charles Anderson [former Director of Training, Air Ministry] and commander of RAF Hucknall [Nottinghamshire], including: Anderson on RAF intake, obsolete armaments and aircraft, poor facilities, the retirement of Air Chief Marshal Sir John Steel, the difficulties arising from expansion of the RAF, a mass flight over London, German war economics, and building up the RAF Reserve; correspondence and notes by Group Captain...
Dates: 27 Jan 1937 - 07 Jul 1937
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Public and Political: General: Air Defence: Wing Commander Anderson., 13 Dec 1937 - 17 Dec 1938

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 2/338
Scope and Contents Includes notes, memoranda and correspondence by and from Wing Commander Charles Anderson, Commander of No 1 Armaments Training Camp, including: notes on the employment of RAF officers; summaries and analyses of flying accidents, 1937; map of RAF stations and air commands in Britain; Air Ministry press summary; group orders on inquiries into damage to aircraft; RAF intelligence summaries, 1938; Squadron Leader Richard Atcherley, Senior Air Staff Officer, RAF Training Command, on training;...
Dates: 13 Dec 1937 - 17 Dec 1938
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Public and Political: General: Defence., 06 Nov 1936 - 20 Jan 1942

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 2/371A-B
Scope and Contents Correspondents on defence issues include: Sir Thomas Inskip [Minister for Co-ordination of Defence, later 1st Lord Caldecote]; Harry Sellar, Private Secretary to Inskip (2); Leslie Hore-Belisha, Secretary of State for War, on subjects including the arming of the Guards Battalions; Sir Kingsley Wood, Secretary of State for Air, on showing WSC [air construction graphs]; 1st Lord Swinton [former Secretary of State for Air, earlier Philip Cunliffe-Lister and Philip Lloyd-Greame] on the formation...
Dates: 06 Nov 1936 - 20 Jan 1942
Conditions Governing Access: Open.
 File

Public and Political: General: Defence: Correspondence etc., 12 Jan 1936 - 27 Nov 1936

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 2/266A-B
Scope and Contents Correspondents include: Basil Liddell Hart [Military Correspondent to the Times] on the troop system used in India; "Harold R" [1st Lord Rothermere, earlier Sir Harold Harmsworth] on subjects including 1st Lord Weir's position in defence [as Adviser to the Air Ministry], the likely stop to any battleship programme, pilot training, the likelihood of a quick German victory against Britain and France, German contempt for the British Government, and the Government's refusal to discuss the...
Dates: 12 Jan 1936 - 27 Nov 1936
Conditions Governing Access: Open, (folio 93 opened as a 'sanitised' photocopy, original closed on advice of Cabinet Office).
 File

Public and Political: General: Defence: Memoranda etc., 14 Feb 1936 - 26 Oct 1936

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 2/268
Scope and Contents Includes: memorandum by Desmond Morton on subjects including German propaganda on French military aviation and the Soviet army, and notes [added to file in January 1996] on a speech by the Minister for Co-ordination of Defence [Sir Thomas Inskip, later 1st Lord Caldecote], rebutting Inskip's claims for military production; memorandum by Sir Philip Gibbs on the inefficient state of the RAF, and its need for expansion; press cuttings from the Figaro, with an article on the Anglo-French crisis...
Dates: 14 Feb 1936 - 26 Oct 1936
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Public and Political: General: Political: Correspondence T-Z., Nov 1947 - Dec 1948

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHUR 2/72A-B
Scope and Contents Correspondents include: Iain MacLeod, Conservative Parliamentary Secretariat, on the position of graduate teachers (2); Emanuel Shinwell, Secretary of State for War, (2) and Arthur Henderson [later Lord Rowley], Secretary of State for Air, (2) on recruitment for service auxiliaries and reserves; James Thomas [later 1st Lord Cilcennin, Vice- Chairman of Conservative and Unionist Party] (2); Colin Thornton-Kemsley (2); Reginald Maudling; 6th Lord De L'Isle and Dudley [earlier William Sidney,...
Dates: Nov 1947 - Dec 1948
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Public and Political: General: Political: Defence: miscellaneous correspondence and papers., Feb 1947 - Sep 1951

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHUR 2/36
Scope and Contents Correspondents include: A V Alexander [later Lord Alexander of Hillsborough], Minister of Defence [until February 1950] (3); George Ward; Antony Head (3); Arthur Henderson [later Lord Rowley, Secretary of State for Air]; 1st Lord Cherwell [earlier F A Lindemann] (2); Anthony Eden [later 1st Lord Avon]; David Hunt [Private Secretary to Prime Minister Clement Attlee] (2); Captain Alan Hillgarth [earlier Alan Evans] on Soviet forces in Europe and Soviet affairs (7); James Thomas [later 1st Lord...
Dates: Feb 1947 - Sep 1951
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 01 May 1945 - 31 May 1945

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/209/5
Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, May 1945. Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: senior civil servants, including Sir Edward Bridges [Secretary to the War Cabinet]; the Chief Whip [James Stuart]; members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence]; the Chiefs of Staff; "C" [Major General Sir Stewart Menzies, Head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service]....
Dates: 01 May 1945 - 31 May 1945
Conditions Governing Access: Open, except for minutes M 497/5 and C 42/5, which are closed on Cabinet Office instructions under S23 of the Freedom of Information Act. Review 2032.
 Item

(Untitled), 01 Jul 1943 - 31 Jul 1943

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/104/1
Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, July 1943.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence]; the Chiefs of Staff; senior civil servants, including Sir Edward Bridges [Secretary to the War Cabinet]; members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; "C" [Major General Sir Stewart Menzies, Head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service].Subjects covered by the minutes...
Dates: 01 Jul 1943 - 31 Jul 1943
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 Unknown

"War Cabinet: Chiefs of Staff Committee: Weekly Resume (no.56) of the naval, military and air situation from 12 noon September to 12 noon September 26th, 1940", 27 Sep 1940

 Unknown
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 23/6/86-99
Scope and Contents Summary of events including: attempted landing at Dakar by General [Charles] de Gaulle; U boat activity in the North Atlantic and shipping losses; operations by German raiders; information about the disposition of German and Italian troops; events in Greece, Yugoslavia [later Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia], Bulgaria, the Mediterranean and the Middle East; air attacks on Germany (including Berlin) and on invasion ports in France and...
Dates: 27 Sep 1940
Conditions Governing Access: Open