Scope and Contents

Minute by Rear-Admiral Morgan Singer, Director of Naval Ordnance to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty on supply of respirators to the fleet.

Scope and Contents

Minute by Sir Arthur May, Medical Diector-General, Admiralty, on respirators supplied to the Fleet.

Scope and Contents

Papers by Captain C J B H Dresner (late Central India Horse) on aircraft design and proposed attack on Heligoland.

Scope and Contents

Admiralty Chief Censor intercepted message from Feibalman, Amsterdam to Exchange Telegraph Co., report in British air raid on the Belgian coast [typescript copy].

Scope and Contents

Letter from Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, 1st Sea Lord to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty on threatened German Zeppelin raid on London. Stating that there was no defence against an air raid on London except reprisals to be announced beforehand to the German Government, and complaining that the British Government had not taken sufficient steps to warn Germany. Asking to be relieved of his official position as the Admiralty would be responsible for the massacre.

Scope and Contents

Letter from Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, 1st Sea Lord to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, on superiority of German submarine design, blaming the former Controller of the Navy, Vice Admiral Charles Briggs, also on coastwise coal traffic and North Sea fishing.

Scope and Contents Letter from WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty to Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, 1st Sea Lord, on threatened German Zeppelin raid on London, and Fisher's proposal that German prisoners be killed in reprisal, stating that he would take his views to Cabinet , although he could not support them. Also commentng that he hoped that Fisher's threat to resign should not be taken seriously, although he had "made up his mind never to dissuade anyone..from resigning if they wish to do so" [handwritten...

Scope and Contents

Minute from Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, 1st Sea Lord, to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, opposing the forthcoming bombardment of Zebrugge.

Scope and Contents

Telegram from WSC to Minister of State, Middle East [Oliver Lyttelton, later 1st Lord Chandos] complaining about delays in unloading tanks and proceeding with operations; Air Chief Marshal Sir Wilfrid Freeman has corrected the alarmist view of Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder [Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Middle East] on enemy air superiority.

Scope and Contents

Telegram from WSC to Prime Minister of New Zealand [Peter Fraser] with comparisons of enemy and allied strength, agreed by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder [Air Officer Commanding in Chief, Middle East] and Air Chief Marshal Sir Wilfrid Freeman, anticipating large scale offensive.

Scope and Contents Letter from 1st Lord Hankey [Paymaster-General] to WSC enclosing memoranda on the use and techniques of Bomber Command and the dispersal of capital ships and their use against Japan, written before his resignation; forwarded to the Secretary of State for Air [Sir Archibald Sinclair, later 1st Lord Thurso] and Chief of Air Staff [Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Portal], the First Lord of the Admiralty [A V Alexander] and 1st Sea Lord [Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound]; with replies by...

Scope and Contents

Memorandum by Professor A V Hill [Member, War Cabinet Scientific Advisory Committee] on Science and the U-boat War addressed by the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee to all MP's; includes covering note by Edward Salt, Deputy Chairman, Parliamentary and Scientific Committee.

Scope and Contents

Copy of letter from George Sparrow to Major Sir Jocelyn Lucas on adapting the Mosquito aircraft as a torpedo bomber, forwarded by Lucas to Brigadier George Harvie-Watt [Parliamentary Private Secretary to WSC] with reply; plan rejected by Geoffrey Mander [Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Air].

Scope and Contents

Letter and memorandum from Christopher Mackintosh [Chairman and Managing Director of Sir Henry Lunn Limited] to Brigadier George Harvie-Watt [Parliamentary Private Secretary to WSC] on development of "E.S." materials and threats used by Ministry of Aircraft Production to obtain patent; includes letter from Ben Smith [Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Aircraft Production] to Harvie-Watt, explaining their position.

Scope and Contents

Correspondence between Henry Nimmo, Chief Engineering Inspector, Electricity Commission, John Martin [Private Secretary to WSC], Ronald Melville [Private Secretary to Secretary of State for Air], [?] Reginald Maudling [Assistant Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Air] and WSC on Nimmo's suggestion that German electricity generating stations would be prime targets for bombers.

Scope and Contents Extract from Hansard with summary of Parliamentary questions from Major Charles Taylor and others to WSC about co-operation between the Army and RAF in the Middle East, and in their training; also includes copy of letter from Admiral Sir [William] Reginald Hall to Taylor on the control of air power in Egypt, with letters from Taylor to Brigadier George Harvie-Watt [Parliamentary Private Secretary to WSC], enclosing Hall's letter, thanking WSC for answering his questions, asking if he could...

Scope and Contents Memoranda by 3rd Lord Tollemache, on subjects including: the defence of the Empire, on modernising the Imperial Defence Cabinet, the Ministry of Production and the Imperial General Staff; modern war on land, including the army, transport and supply; the Home Guard; the RAF; fuel supply co-ordination; improving the railways; army training; with covering letter from Tollemache to WSC including notes on supplying fighter aircraft to the Middle East and Far East and strategic islands in the...

Scope and Contents

Telegram from WSC to Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Middle East [Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore] sending congratulations on the defence of Tobruk, Libya, and commenting on the quantities of equipment being sent to him.

Scope and Contents

Telegram from Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Middle East [Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore] to WSC thanking him for his message of support to Libyan squadrons and expressing his confidence in RAF, Middle East.

Scope and Contents

Telegram from WSC to Air Officer Commanding in Chief Middle East, with request from Australian Prime Minister [Robert Menzies] for greater air support for Imperial troops in Greece.

Scope and Contents

Telegram from General Charles de Gaulle [Chief of the Free French] (Spears Mission, Brazzaville [Congo]) to WSC suggesting German-Italian troops may attack Southern Libya/Chad, then advance through Fort Lamy to French Cameroons and Nigeria; and advising building up the air defence of Central Africa.

Scope and Contents

Telegram from WSC to General Sir Archibald Wavell [Commander-in-Chief, Middle East] with intercepted information on a heavy German air attack on Crete [Greece].

Scope and Contents

Telegram from WSC to Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Middle East on plans to fly Hurricanes, Tomahawks and Fulmars via Malta for route to Middle East.

Scope and Contents

Telegram from Government of New Zealand to WSC commenting on inadequate artillery and digging equipment for troops on Crete [Greece]; referring to the British air force's attempts to defend with 6 Hurricanes against 800 enemy aircraft; and demanding greater resources or a review of plans.

Scope and Contents

Telegram from WSC to General Sir Archibald Wavell [Commander-in-Chief, Middle East] advising that Hurricanes will be sent from Malta; suggests revolt in Iraq should be crushed before it is exploited by Germany.