War Office: Inter-Allied Armistice Commission: War Diary, and Despatches of Chief...

WO 144

1918-1920

This series consists of a war diary of the Inter-Allied Armistice Commission and the despatches of Lt General Sir Richard Haking, chief of the British delegation.

Records within this series are available to download as digital microfilm.

These records were previously available on microfilm in the open reading rooms at Kew; the microfilms have now been removed (November 2008) as part of the Digital Microfilm project and copies are available online (please see link in the Scope and Content field).

Public Record(s)

English

35 volume(s)

Available in digital format unless otherwise stated

Topics

Army

Diaries

Armed Forces (General Administration)

The Inter-Allied Armistice Commission was formed on 12 November 1918 by Marshal Foch and consisted of delegations from the American, Belgian, British and French armies, and representatives of the German Staff. Sir Douglas Haig nominated Lt General Sir Richard Haking to be chief of the British delegation.

The commission (which was also known as the International Armistice Commission and the Spa Commission) was to investigate and resolve, with the German Staff, any details in connection with the classes of the Armistice, which were not settled when the instrument was signed. The subjects to be dealt with were the repatriation of prisoners, military and civil; handing over of war material; taking over of depots and stores; handing over of locomotives, wagons and lorries. The administrative functions of the commission were extended beyond the original instructions, not only on the Western Front, but also on the Eastern Front and Alsace-Lorraine.

On 10 July 1919, the various duties of the commission were officially recognised and defined by the Allied political leaders in Paris as follows: (1) the Inter-Allied Commission will remain the machinery of communication between the allied governments and the Germans until the coming into force of the Treaty of Peace; (2) as soon as the treaty has been ratified, communication between the allied governments and the German will pass through the channel of diplomatic representatives appointed to the respective capitals.

The commission was dissolved on 13 January 1920, three days after the ratification of the Treaty of Peace.