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Series
Ministry of Supply and successors: Explosives Research and Development Establishment:...
Catalogue reference: AVIA 67
What's it about?
AVIA 67
Registered files of the Explosives Research and Development Establishment at Waltham Abbey including administration of the site and lands as well as research into explosives, especially propellants for guided missiles.A technical organisation...
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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AVIA 67
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Title (The name of the record)
- Ministry of Supply and successors: Explosives Research and Development Establishment: Registered Files
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Date (When the record was created)
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1946-1976
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Description (What the record is about)
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Registered files of the Explosives Research and Development Establishment at Waltham Abbey including administration of the site and lands as well as research into explosives, especially propellants for guided missiles.
A technical organisation chart (Sept 1962) is in AVIA 67/8
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Related material (A cross-reference to other related records)
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See also the records of the Director of Experiments and Research in SUPP 28
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
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Former department reference (Former identifier given by the originating creator)
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(WA and XR Series)
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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)
- Ministry of Supply, Explosives Research and Development Establishment, 1948-1958
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Physical description (The amount and form of the record)
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41 file(s)
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Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
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Open unless otherwise stated
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Immediate source of acquisition (When and where the record was acquired from)
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From 1992 Ministry of Defence
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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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- Topics
- Maps and plans
- Research
- Weapons
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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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Administrative / biographical background (Historical or biographical information about the creator of the record and the context of its creation)
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From the 16th century gunpowder was manufactured at mills on the River Lea near Waltham Abbey, Essex, and the industry passed into government ownership in 1787.
By World War II, manufacture of more modern explosives was long established, and production had been centralised in the Royal Gunpowder Factory (RGPF). The factory was closed in 1945 but the site remained in use firstly as an outstation of the Armament Research Department (ARD), then as the Chemical Research and Development Department (CRDD) of the Ministry of Supply (changed again for a short period from a "Department" to an "Establishment", giving CRDE).
In 1948 the title was again changed to Explosives Research and Development Establishment (ERDE), which accurately described the nature of its work. Most of the ERDE's work was concerned with propellants, in later years mainly for guided weapons, though there were continuing programmes in other areas such as initiating compounds and research into non-metallic materials for defence use.
In 1977 ERDE was amalgamated with other organisations to become part of the Propellants, Explosives and Rocket Motor Establishment.
ERDE was under the control, firstly, of the Ministry of Supply, and then of the Ministry of Aviation (1959), the Ministry of Technology (1967), the Ministry of Aviation Supply (1970) and the Ministry of Defence (1971).
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C2647/
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
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Within the department: AVIA
Records created or inherited by the Ministry of Aviation and successors, the Air...
You are currently looking at the series: AVIA 67
Ministry of Supply and successors: Explosives Research and Development Establishment: Registered Files
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