OPEN SOURCE INFORMATION FOR LAND AND PROPERTY MATTERS IN THE UK

Transcription

1 OPEN SOURCE INFORMATION FOR LAND AND PROPERTY MATTERS IN THE UK CONTENTS GENERAL SOURCES The National Archives Local Official Sources Secondary Sources The Internet Further Reading and Land History-Focussed Websites ANNEX A The National Archives A Guide to Some Relevant Classes GENERAL SOURCES 1. The National Archives (TNA) 1 The National Archives is the repository for those government department documents selected for permanent preservation. TNA has a searchable catalogue at This can be utilised to search for information on specific sites, where files have been selected for permanent preservation and refer in the title to that specific site. TNA also holds a variety of other files that may be of some assistance in clarifying details regarding sites, such as the various committee papers dealing with reviews of the estate, training lands etc. As part of the catalogue section of the website, the TNA has a number of Research Guides, which cover a wide variety of subjects relating to their holdings. These include guides to a variety of topics, both civilian and military, regarding the First and Second World Wars. The Guides relating to Requisitioned Land, Contaminated Land, Military Maps of the Second World War and Maps in the National Archives may be of specific interest to enquirers. The Monograph series of WWII, which can be helpful in providing background on sites and their use (particularly for the specialist corps), can also be found at TNA (WO:277). The TNA does not hold a large amount of material regarding the deployment of US Forces in the UK, although some general files on this subject are available. If any detailed advice is required regarding the potential stationing of the American Army or the United States Army Air Force, it is suggested that contact should be made with the Air Force Historical Research Agency (Address: AFHRA-CC, 600 Chennault Circle, Maxwell AFB, AL website: xxxxx@xxxxxxx.xx.xxx) or for the 1 Please see attached at Annex A, a list of some examples of files and file series which may be of assistance. 1

2 Army researchers should seek the advice of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) at 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD (Website: 2. Local Official Sources Local sources are often of great importance in the research undertaken by authors of specialist books on land matters. Considerable correspondence was undertaken between government departments and local councils regarding the acquisition, use and disposal of sites and it may be worthwhile contacting local government offices for information they retain on this. Records relating to an area, including records of local authorities and records of government departments that were disposed of locally, may be found at local record offices. Disposal of MoD lands may also have taken in the provision of suitable accommodation for housing associations, which might retain details of the site prior to acquisition. Local libraries and museums may retain collections of material regarding the military and governmental associations of the area, records and histories of area during wartime etc. Whilst TNA is the primary holder of material generated by central government, it should be borne in mind that the constituent parts of the UK have their own archives. These may include material from periods prior to the formation of the United Kingdom or material which, for one reason or another, has been deposited locally For instance the National Archives of Scotland ( highlights the following with regard to barracks: NAS ref. E28: Treasury vouchers relating to garrisons, 17th century; NAS ref. E37: Building works carried out at Stirling, Edinburgh and the Bass, (see also the NAS publication 'Accounts of the Masters of Work') NAS ref. E886: King's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer's Office War Department papers covering the 18th and 19th centuries; NAS ref. MW: Ministry of Works files contain information on Edinburgh and Stirling Castles and arrangements for military occupation of a number of properties during the war. It is possible that a search on their catalogue may produce other relevant, locally held information held in Scotland. It is possible that material may also be held in The National Archives of Ireland ( or the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland ( 3. Secondary Sources Local history societies may have carried out research into the military history of a given area, the history of the area during wartime and/or into the use of specific sites. Research is also undertaken by local authors and by authors with a specialist interest, and the resulting work published as a 2

3 book or pamphlet see, for example, the extensive book on the camps on Salisbury Plain, Plain Soldiering, and the large number of works covering the construction and use coastal fortifications. Regimental/Corps journals can be a useful source of information on specific sites, particularly for coverage of the opening and closing or for notes relating to specific units based there. Regimental/Corps histories (such as those of the RAOC/RCT) can be more generally helpful, having effective indexes and background details regarding their use. The Official Histories of the US Army in WWII covering Europe also make some reference to their sites and provide maps showing where their main depots were etc The Ministry of Munitions Official History is very useful for information on specific factory sites and listings of those used during WWI. It is published and in the public domain. The British Library has a catalogue on the internet which can be searched for references to works written about an area (see It would also be worthwhile checking for periodicals and monographs relating to the construction of sites through the Royal Institute of British Architecture (RIBA), which has a catalogue on the website ( 4. The Internet Secondary reference materials and, occasionally, primary source documents may be available on the internet. It will also be of assistance in locating relevant local resources (such as libraries, local government offices, local record offices etc) and national information sources (such as The British Library). It is worthwhile attempting a search on a site through available search engines, as this may take you to a specific webpage already compiled on the site or lead you into other areas of research not previously considered. There are also various environmental sites, e.g. which may be of help. 5. Further Reading and Land History-Focussed Websites N.B.: This list is provided as an example of the type of material available in open source and is in no way exhaustive. Additional books on this subject may be found in local libraries or at bookshops and may be listed on relevant websites. MOD is not responsible for the content of the non-official sites or publications listed below. 3

4 1. Commercially available sources relating to underground and Cold War facilities include: Cold War: Building for Nuclear Confrontation by Wayne D Cocroft and Roger J C Thomas (English Heritage, 2003) Secret Underground Cities by N.J. McCamley (Pen & Sword, 2000) Cold War Secret Nuclear Bunkers by N.J. McCamley (Pen & Sword Military Classics, 2007) War Plan UK: The Truth About Civil Defence by Duncan Campbell (Burnett Books, nd Ed Paladin Books, 1983) Beneath the City Streets by Peter Laurie (Granada, 1983) 2. Commercially available sources relating to defensive structures in the Twentieth Century include: 20 th Century Defences in Britain: An Introductory Guide Ed. By B. Lowry (Council for British Archaeology, 1995) Twentieth Century Military Sites (English Heritage, 2000 republished 2003) British Barracks : Their Architecture and Role in Society by J. Douet (English Heritage, 1998) Building Radar by Colin Dobinson (English Heritage, 2003) AA Command: Britain s Anti-Aircraft Defences of the Second World War by Colin Dobinson (English Heritage/Methuen, 2001) Fields of Deception: Briatin s Bombing Decoys of World War II by Colin Dobinson (English Heritage, 2000) The Country House at War by John Martin Robinson (Bodley Head, 1989) London s Secret Tubes by Andrew Emmerson and Tony Beard (Capital Transport Publishing, 2004) 3. A commercially available reference work has been published regarding explosives manufacture and the sites used in Britain for this purpose: Dangerous Energy: The Archaeology of Gunpowder and Military Explosives Manufacture by Wayne Cocroft (English Heritage,

5 5. There are a number of internet sites that may be of interest, relating to defensive structures of various kinds. These include: a. Subterranea Britannica ( This site is devoted to the study and investigation of man-made and man-used underground places. Part of the site is specifically focused on Cold War related material, regarding regional headquarters (bunkers) etc. b. The UK Fortifications Club ( The Club has an extensive collection of material relating to their research since 1973 and actively supported the Defence of Britain Project (see below). The Club has continued its work since the end of the Project and recently merged with the Pillbox Study Group. c. The Council for British Archaeology ( The CBA administered the Defence of Britain Project and used the data to undertake a study of defence areas in England, with which they revised the original Defence of Britain Databases. The databases are now held in the Arch Search+Data Special Collections section of the Archaeology Data Service website (ads.ahds.ac.uk/). The databases cover a wide variety of anti-invasion (e.g. pillboxes, anti-tank emplacements etc) and non anti-invasion sites (POW Camps, Battle HQs etc), and can be found by using search parameters such as location or grid reference. The site also provides information on supporting documentation held by the project (such as plans or photographs). This site may also be useful for archaeological research documents on specific sites. The final report of the project can be found at and a book describing the project and its results has also been published. d. English Heritage ( English Heritage has been involved with a wide variety of projects relating to recent military heritage, including research on Cold War sites and Prisoner of War Camps. Their website has details of this work, progress reports and links to relevant information connected with their projects [see below regarding aerial photography]. Contact Details: English Heritage, Customer Services Department, PO Box 569, Swindon, SN2 2YP. ( customers@english-heritage.org.uk phone: +44 (0) fax: +44 (0) ). e. The Land Registry ( f. Service Museums: The British Army ( has a section to search for army museums, which may be of interest should information be required on the use of a site with specific military connections or contamination issues (e.g. use by the Royal Artillery or Royal Engineers). The Service Museums of the RN and RAF may be of assistance for relevant sites and websites can be found at The National Maritime Museum ( and the RAF Musuem ( 5

6 ANNEX A THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES The National Archives are divided into various classes of information. These usually have the prefix of the department of origin thus, WO relates to War Office material, CAB to Cabinet Office.etc. AVIA (Ministry of Aviation): AVIA:6/- Royal Aircraft Establishment & predecessors (inc histories of RAE ABERPORTH, RAE LARKHILL & RAE LLANBEDR) AVIA:12/- Ministry of Supply (MoS) & Min of Aviation: WWII & Misc Unregistered papers (inc. piece no /71 the Vital Factories Registers: 5 Vols). AVIA:15/- Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP) & predecessors/successors (inc factory disposals, production, storage & dist) AVIA:22/- MoS Registered Files, Central Priority Department (inc various material on Factories, experimental sites, ranges - acquisition, construction, disposals, leases etc). AVIA:46/- MoS Establishments: registered files (Narratives). AVIA:49/- MoS: General Registered Files. AVIA:51/- MoS: Finance. AVIA:53/- MoS: Contracts. AVIA:54/- MoS (& predecessors/successors) Research: Registered Files. AVIA:62/- Estates Branch: Maps & Plans and Papers (Civil/Military Airfields). AVIA:65/- MoS/Min of Aviation: Unregistered Papers. AVIA:67/- MoS: Explosives Research & Development Establishment. BD (Welsh Office and Predecessors) BD:54 - Welsh Office and Predecessors (inc. Plans of Airfields etc). CAB (Cabinet Office): The Cabinet Office Official War Histories (Civil) include background papers covering Factories, including Royal Ordnance Factories, Ministry of Supply etc. 6

7 DEFE (Ministry of Defence) and WO (War Office): DEFE:2/ Combined Operations Training Areas in UK (Requisitions & Maps, ). DEFE:13/119 - Private Office: Registered Files (Royal Ordinance Factories - ROFs - Capacity & Future Use ). DEFE:23/100 - PUS Files: OUTSTATIONS: ORFORDNESS DEFE:24/- Defence Secretariats (& predecessors) Registered Files. DEFE:51/- Defence Lands Service & Predecessors (CLAV Files). DEFE:57/- Defence Lands: Registered File Series (inc 1970s Nugent Report, various site information, with minutes, papers, maps and plans). WO:32 - War Office general records class: registered files (inc material on specific sites, such as training areas like Imber, Lulworth etc; the acquisition of sites; clearance of minefields, training lands etc). WO:32 includes the papers and reports of the Committee on Concentration of War Department Lands and Buildings in the UK this produced a report, known as The Holland Report, which gave some detail of buildings and units based at specific Army sites as at July The papers of the Committee provide background about the preparation of the Report and are likely to feature information from earlier than July 1951 and some information on amendments to the Report, as further changes were made. WO:33 - O and A papers (inc WWII Location Statements). This class also includes various general files on reviews on training lands (e.g. piece number /16672), analyses of property (e.g. piece number /17151) and WWII Location Indexes for Army Troops in the UK (Piece numbers 1675, 1680A, 1686, 1692, 1835 and 1836 covering ). WO:35/47A-50 - Ireland: Land and Buildings to 1922 (inc Maps). WO:73/ - Monthly Distribution of the Army (including locations to c. 1942). WO:78 - Maps and Plans: UK and Overseas WO:107/- QMG Dept Correspondence and Reports (includes the Barrack Book c ). WO:130 - Military Lands and Buildings (1890's-1910's). (N.B. It looks as thought this has been incorporated into WO:33) WO:163 - War Office/MOD Committee Papers (Army Board/Army Council etc and associated Committees - for example, the Inter-Departmental Committee 7

8 on Service Land ). This also includes papers relating to the Holland Committee referred to under WO:32 above. WO:166/- War Diaries of Units at Home. The diaries at Command, District and Area levels may include Location Statements, which will provide information on the location of specific units. The quality and coverage of these will vary, and they may only cover the central location of major units. WO:185/- MoS Registered Files. WO:186/- Proof & Experimental Establishments. WO:192/- Fort Record Books. WO:227/- Section relating to the work of the RE Camouflage Development and Training Centre. Reports on static Camouflage for the War Department and MoS ( ). Include Drawings and photographs. WO:253/9 Reports on the activities of the Pioneer Corps Home Command ( ). WO:259/- Private Office Papers (Secretary of State for War), including piece no 14/ on Norfolk battle Training Areas (Orford & Stanford, inc maps). WO:286/- MoS & Successors: Branch Registry Files (inc ROFs). WO:332/- WO: Lands Branch - Miscellaneous Registers & Papers. WO:396/- War Office: Fortifications Branch & Successors Unregistered Files (inc Piece No 107 Lands and Tenements Return of 1900). MUN (Ministry of Munitions): Work of factories in WWI, particularly MUN:4, 5, 7 & 8. RECO (Ministry of Reconstruction WW1): RECO:1/759 - List of Lands and Buildings in the Occupation of the War Department (1 June 1918). RECO:1/760 - as above (31 Jan 1919). NB: The 1917 version is not located at TNA SUPP (Ministry of Supply): SUPP:4/ - Contract Record Books (1920's-1950's). 8

9 Information on specific factories and more general information, including technical reports, acquisition and disposal etc: SUPP:5/ - Ordnance Establishments: HQ & Factory Records. SUPP:6/ - Ordnance Board: Reports and Memoranda. SUPP:10/ - Factories & Plant producing Chemicals and Explosives in WWI. WORK (Ministry of Works & Public Buildings): WORK:26/ - ROF Construction Contracts. WORK:30/ - Office of Works: Public Buildings in England (Plans and Drawings), War Office Construction projects inc Horse Guards, Old War Office Building, The War Office, Great Scotland Yard, Duke of York s Royal Military School Chelsea. WORK:31/ - Office of Works: Ancient Monuments & Historic Buildings (Plans & Drawings), inc Castles and Forts, and the Royal Hospital Chelsea. WORK:41/ - Dir. of Works: Naval Establishments (Maps & Plans). WORK:43/ - Dir of Works: Army Establishments (Maps & Plans). WORK:44/ - Dir of Works: Air Ministry (Maps & Plans). WORK:50/ - Office of Works: Government Property Registers, includes pieces 23-9 on the settlement of requisitioned/de-requisitioned property in Cambs, Berks, Bucks, Hants, Oxon, IoW and Surrey (1939/ /9). WORK:59/- Min of Works & Successors: Chief Information Officers Branch Registered Files (inc project such as the Aldershot re-build of the 1960 s). WORK:60/- MPBW: Ancient Monuments registered files (inc Dover Castle). CM (The Property Services Agency - PSA): This was a successor organisation to the Min of Works and holds records of property and construction projects etc from the late-1960 s plus. This includes Regional series and sets of annual reports, specific site reports etc, which include defence sites. The following classes also deal specifically with Defence Services (DS) Files: CM:4/ - Graves and Cemeteries. 9

10 CM:6/ - CM:25/ - CM:26/ - CM:40/ - Finance, Procurement and Overseas. Army. Navy. Air Force. 10