Series
Air Ministry and Ministry of Defence: Registered Files
Catalogue reference: AIR 2
What's it about?
AIR 2
Files of registered correspondence of the Air Ministry, including records which originated in the War Office, the Admiralty and the two Air Boards which preceded the Air Ministry. The series comprises policy, case, committee and miscellaneous...
Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
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AIR 2
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Title (The name of the record)
- Air Ministry and Ministry of Defence: Registered Files
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Date (When the record was created)
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1887-1995
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Description (What the record is about)
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Files of registered correspondence of the Air Ministry, including records which originated in the War Office, the Admiralty and the two Air Boards which preceded the Air Ministry.
The series comprises policy, case, committee and miscellaneous papers and reports over the whole range of British air administration and related topics.
With the unification of the Ministry of Defence in 1964, the Air Ministry became the Air Department of the Ministry of Defence, its registered files are generally to be found thereafter in DEFE 71, but there is some overlap with this series.
Records within this series are available to download as digital microfilm.
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Arrangement (Information about the filing sequence or logical order of the record)
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In the original, typescript, catalogue, the files now in AIR 2/1-13508 were listed under subject headings. Two slightly different sets of subjects (the earlier 'Code A' and the later 'Code B') were used; the two overlap in date during the 1930s.
In the online catalogue, the catalogue entries have been combined, so that there is one catalogue entry for each file.
- Code A sequence 1 (files registered up to 1930): each box is an orderable piece; each file within the box is numbered as an item using the Air Ministry's original file numbers. Certain files were annexed to other files; in these cases, each file is catalogued as a separate item but the top file is cross-referenced with the others.
- Code A sequence 2 (files registered 1930-1939): each file is a separately orderable piece.
- Code B sequence (files registered 1936-1953): each file is a separately orderable piece.
From AIR 2/13509 onwards, subject heading were not used; most of these files in this fourth sequence were registered after 1953 but a few are earlier in date. Again, each file is a separately orderable piece.
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Separated material (A cross-reference between records that are related by provenance but now kept separately)
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Excluded from this series are a large number of important papers collected for use in the official history of the Department. These have been kept separate by the Historical Branch of the Air Ministry and have been placed in:
Records of MOD(Air) department branches
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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)
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Public Record(s)
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Language (The language of the record)
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English
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Creator(s) (The creator of the record)
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- Admiralty, Air Department, 1910-1918
- Air Board, 1916-1918
- Air Ministry, 1918-1964
- Ministry of Defence, 1947-1947
- War Office, 1857-1964
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Physical description (The amount and form of the record)
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20594 file(s)
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Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
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Available in digital format unless otherwise stated
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Immediate source of acquisition (When and where the record was acquired from)
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From 1978 Ministry of Defence
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Accruals (Indicates whether the archive expects to receive further records in future)
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Series is accruing
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C2057/
Catalogue hierarchy
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
Within the department: AIR
Records created or inherited by the Air Ministry, the Royal Air Force, and related...
You are currently looking at the series: AIR 2
Air Ministry and Ministry of Defence: Registered Files