Record revealed
Japanese Instrument of Surrender, 1945
After six years of brutal global conflict, this document marked the end of the Second World War.
Series
Ministry of Defence and predecessors: Army Circulars, Memoranda, Orders and Regulations
Catalogue reference: WO 123
What's it about?
WO 123
This series contains several series of orders etc, some of which were assembled in the Ministry of Defence library, from where they were transferred to the PRO in the late 1980s. The main records are: Army Regulations, 1711-1821; War Office...
Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
- WO 123
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Title (The name of the record)
- Ministry of Defence and predecessors: Army Circulars, Memoranda, Orders and Regulations
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Date (When the record was created)
- 1711-1992
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Description (What the record is about)
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This series contains several series of orders etc, some of which were assembled in the Ministry of Defence library, from where they were transferred to the PRO in the late 1980s.
The main records are: Army Regulations, 1711-1821; War Office circulars etc, 1797-1887; Adjutant General's general orders, 1792-1887: Ordnance Office general orders, 1805-1857; Quartermaster General's circulars, 1831-1858; Army Orders from the Commander in Chief, 1888-1904; Army Orders from the Army Council, 1904-1964; and Army Orders from the Defence Council since 1964. General Routine Orders for various theatres in the First World War; and for the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), 1919-1929 and 1945-1990 are also included.
The series includes material which would otherwise be found among (WO) division: the Records of other administrative departments of the War Office.
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Related material (A cross-reference to other related records)
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For personnel and office management records see WO 381
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
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Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
- Public Record(s)
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Language (The language of the record)
- English
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Creator(s) (The creator of the record)
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- Board of Ordnance, 1683-1855
- Commander-in-Chief, 1795-1870
- Commander-in-Chief, Adjutant General, 1680-1870
- Commander-in-Chief, Quartermaster General, 1667-1870
- Ministry of Defence, Defence Council, 1964-1964
- Secretary of State, 1794-1794
- Secretary of State for War, 1794-1801
- Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, 1801-1854
- War Department, Secretary of State for War, 1855-1857
- War Office, Army Council, 1904-1964
- War Office, Commander-in-Chief, 1870-1904
- War Office, Commander-in-Chiefs Military Department, Adjutant General's Division, 1870-1895
- War Office, Secretary of State for War, 1857-1964
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Physical description (The amount and form of the record)
- 498 volume(s)
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Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
- Open
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Immediate source of acquisition (When and where the record was acquired from)
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From 1962 War Office
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Subjects (Categories and themes found in our collection (our subject list is under development, and some records may have no subjects or fewer than expected))
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Accruals (Indicates whether the archive expects to receive further records in future)
- Series is accruing
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Unpublished finding aids (A note of unpublished indexes, lists or guides to the record)
- Most volumes are indexed
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Administrative / biographical background (Historical or biographical information about the creator of the record and the context of its creation)
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Until the late nineteenth century orders, instructions and regulations for the government of the British army were issued by several authorities, including the Secretary of State for War, the Commander in Chief, the Adjutant General and his Deputy, the Quarter Master General, and the Ordnance Office (until 1857), and the respective responsibilities of these authorities are not entirely clear. From 1888 Army Orders were issued by order of the Commander in Chief with approval of the Secretary of State for War; then, from 1904, by order of the Army Council.
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C14331/
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
9,805,118 records
Within the department: WO
Records created or inherited by the War Office, Armed Forces, Judge Advocate General,...
You are currently looking at the series: WO 123
Ministry of Defence and predecessors: Army Circulars, Memoranda, Orders and Regulations
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