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Air Ministry

 Organization

Found in 42 Collections and/or Records:

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 File

Official: War and Air: WSC's minutes., 01 Jan 1920 - 29 Apr 1920

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 16/51A-B
Scope and Contents Includes carbon copies of minutes (and telegrams) from WSC to various individuals including: Secretary [War Office, Sir Reginald Brade]; 1st Lord Peel [Under-Secretary of State for War]; Chief of Imperial General Staff [General Sir Henry Wilson]; Sir Herbert Creedy; Deputy Chief of Imperial General Staff [Major-General Charles Harington]; Chief of the Air Staff [Air-Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard]; Major-General Fabian Ware; [David Lloyd George]; Andrew Bonar Law [Lord Privy Seal]; Director of...
Dates: 01 Jan 1920 - 29 Apr 1920
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 Sub-Series

Parliamentary and Civil Aviation papers, 1923 - 1931

 Sub-Series
Reference Code: GBR/0014/THRS I/15
Scope and Contents From the Series:

Includes: letters to AS; correspondence with the Churchill family; Parliamentary correspondence; Air Ministry correspondence; Liberal Party correspondence; constituency correspondence.

Dates: 1923 - 1931
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: With the exception of the fire-damaged material in section VI, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge. Individual closures of files are indicated in the catalogue.
 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: Defence: Correspondence etc., 09 Feb 1920 - 28 Dec 1936

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 2/267
Scope and Contents Correspondents include: Frederick Beaumont-Nesbitt [Military Attache, Paris, France] on WSC's visit to see French military manoeuvres at Aix-en-Provence and the Maginot Line (2); "George L" [1st Lord Lloyd of Dolobran]; Alan Herbert, introducing Major-General Sir Percy Hobart [Inspector, Royal Tank Corps, and Commander, Tank Brigade] (2); Desmond Morton on subjects including meeting the representative of the Spanish Nationalists, the Marques del Moral, Communist atrocities in Spain, the...
Dates: 09 Feb 1920 - 28 Dec 1936
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Public and Political: General: Royal Navy and Fleet Air Arm., 11 Feb 1936 - 21 Dec 1936

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 2/272
Scope and Contents Correspondents include: 1st Lord Lloyd [of Dolobran, President of the Navy League] on WSC speaking to the League (2); Sir John Thornycroft [President and Director, J I Thornycroft and Company Limited] on his firm's designs for an aircraft carrier and anti-submarine craft and cuts in the shipbuilding industry (with a description of the anti-submarine craft); Maitland Boucher [former member of the Naval Air Division] on meeting WSC about the Fleet Air Arm (3); Vice-Admiral Sir Reginald...
Dates: 11 Feb 1936 - 21 Dec 1936
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Speeches: House of Commons: Speech notes and source material., 03 Mar 1919 - 15 Dec 1919

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 9/57
Scope and Contents Speech notes for WSC's statement (3 March) on army estimates, demobilisation, the formation of a regular army, British forces in Russia and the enforcing of peace terms on Germany. Published: Complete Speeches III pp 2674 - 2692.Speech notes for WSC's statement (29 May) on using the army for strike-breaking and sending volunteer forces to Russia. Source material includes a note on the current situation of Admiral Alexander Kolchak [leader of anti-Bolshevik forces], and extracts from a...
Dates: 03 Mar 1919 - 15 Dec 1919
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Speeches: House of Commons: speech notes and source material., 22 May 1935 - 24 Oct 1935

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 9/113
Scope and Contents Brief notes for WSC's speech (22 May) on a speech by Adolf Hitler, and comparing German and British military strength. Published: Complete Speeches VI pp 5610-7.Rough notes for WSC's speech (31 May) entitled "Deepening and Darkening Danger" on Germany's threat and influence in Europe. Published: Complete Speeches VI pp 5624-7.Notes for WSC's speech (5 June) on his continued doubts about the Government of India Bill, the role of the Indian Princes and Civil Service in the scheme, and...
Dates: 22 May 1935 - 24 Oct 1935
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Speeches: House of Commons: speech notes and source material., 05 May 1938 - 25 May 1938

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 9/129A-B
Scope and Contents Notes for WSC's speech (5 May) on the Eire bill, Britain abandoning rights it had under the 1921 Treaty, and the role of [Eamon] De Valera [Prime Minister of Ireland]. Also includes relevant extract from Hansard. Published: Complete Speeches VI pp 5948-55.Notes for WSC's speech (25 May) entitled "A private execution" on the replacement of 1st Lord Swinton [earlier Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister and Sir Philip Lloyd-Greame] as Secretary of State for Air, the state of air defence, and setting up a...
Dates: 05 May 1938 - 25 May 1938
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Speeches: House of Commons: Speech notes and typescript., 11 Mar 1920 - 15 Dec 1920

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 9/60
Scope and Contents Speech notes for WSC's statement (11 March) on the union of the Air and War Ministries, and building up the RAF. Published: Complete Speeches III pp 2965 - 2974.Speech notes and typescript for WSC's statement (23 June) on the need for forces in the Middle East, the situation in the Caucasus, the Crimea [Soviet Union] and Constantinople [later Istanbul, Turkey], and the need for more Territorial and regular army recruitment.Speech notes and typescript for WSC's statement (23 June) on army...
Dates: 11 Mar 1920 - 15 Dec 1920
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 File

Speeches: speech notes and source material., 31 May 1937 - 20 Nov 1937

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 9/126
Scope and Contents Notes for WSC's speech (31 May, Caxton Hall [Westminster, Conservative Party meeting]), moving the motion for Neville Chamberlain's [Prime Minister] election to the Conservative Party leadership and praising his achievements as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Published: Complete Speeches VI pp 5856-7.Notes for WSC's speech (11 June, [London] Australia Club Dinner) proposing a toast to the Prime Minister of Australia, Joseph Lyons, and commenting on naval security in the Far East and Singapore....
Dates: 31 May 1937 - 20 Nov 1937
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 20 Jan 1941 - 21 Jan 1941

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/258A/92
Scope and Contents

Minute from "J.R.C." [John Colville, Prime Minister's Private Secretary] to WSC attaching a minute from "F.A.L." [F A Lindemann, later 1st Lord Cherwell, Prime Minister's Personal Assistant] to WSC on his suggested draft for a note WSC intends to send to the Secretary of State for Air [Sir Archibald Sinclair, later 1st Lord Thurso] about Air Ministry statistics [see CHAR 20/258A/93]. [Copy; given running number 213A].

Dates: 20 Jan 1941 - 21 Jan 1941
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 29 Jun 1945

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/194B/152
Scope and Contents

Letter from WSC to 7th Lord Londonderry [earlier Lord Castlereagh] thanking him for his letter, informing him that the statement to which he refers was checked beforehand by the Air Ministry, and commenting that: "The small scale of our Air Force before the War and the slow manner in which it was built up are stories which must be investigated by history." [carbon].

Dates: 29 Jun 1945
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 21 Sep 1939

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 19/2A/38-39
Scope and Contents

Letter from Sir Kingsley Wood [Secretary of State for Air] (Air Ministry) to WSC explaining Air Ministry policy on anti-aircraft responses to hostile activity and allowing authority in this matter to rest with the Commander-in-Chief, Fighter Command [Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding].

Dates: 21 Sep 1939
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open.
 Unknown

(Untitled), 08 Feb 1919

 Unknown
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 16/1/45-50
Scope and Contents

Copy of a letter from WSC to [Walter] Long [later Lord Long, First Lord of the Admiralty] marked "most secret" on subjects including: his intentions toward the Royal Air Force and the Army; the independence of the Air Force and Air Ministry; proposals to enhance the the character of the air force with unique ranks and titles; organisation of the Air Council and proposed appointments.Carbon typescript signed with initials.

Dates: 08 Feb 1919
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 16 Feb 1942 - 25 Feb 1942

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/60/1-27
Scope and Contents Letter from Francis Brown [Private Secretary to WSC] to Bernard Sendall [Principal Private Secretary to Minister of Information, Brendan Bracken] enclosing drafts of a memorandum on the role of Minister of Defence and the directing of the war by WSC, for use by Bracken, annotated; also includes notes on Chiefs of Staff meetings and also notes on Defence Administration by 4th Lord Salisbury [earlier Lord Cranborne], with covering letter, note by John Martin [Private Secretary to WSC] and...
Dates: 16 Feb 1942 - 25 Feb 1942
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 02 Jun 1940 - 30 Jun 1940

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/13/3
Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, June 1940.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence]; members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; the Chiefs of Staff; F A Lindemann [later 1st Lord Cherwell] and Desmond Morton [Prime Minister's Personal Assistants].Subjects covered by the minutes include: the evacuation and reconstitution of the British Expeditionary Force;...
Dates: 02 Jun 1940 - 30 Jun 1940
Conditions Governing Access: Open
 Item

(Untitled), 10 May 1940

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/11/17-18
Scope and Contents

Letter from King George VI to WSC advising him to reconsider his choice of [1st] Lord Beaverbrook [earlier Sir Max Aitken] for Aircraft Production in the Air Ministry; feels there will be repercussions, especially in Canada where the Air Training Scheme will take place. [manuscript].

Dates: 10 May 1940
Conditions Governing Access: From the File: Open
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Armed forces 25
Air warfare 24
Communism 12
Foreign policy 12
Russia (nation) 12