National Archives - Kew Tips?

Anyone with any experience with WO 219 related to war crimes? The research guide for Second World War: War Crimes indicates these are subject to a 75 year closure period, though looking at the individual files through Search indicates that all the examples I have looked at are Public Records.

A specific example would be WO 219/5047 (Herouvillette - related to another recent thread), which is shown as public. If I manage to make an overseas research trip, I'd hate to find that the record I was interested in was restricted. Much of the same ground is covered in other series like WO 309, but assume it's generally worthwhile to check all the possibilities.

My Mrs has put the whole of WO 219 on Excel - You can find it in the link below and view all of the files in that series (not the file itself):

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/research-material/29605-national-archives-catalogue-excel.html

Having a quick look myself all the files in that area look to be to do with the interrogation of PoW's from specific areas.

 

Hope this isn't a dumb question, but if you are researching over multiple days, is there a means to hold your ordered documents overnight? Or do you start from scratch each morning?

 

Kevin
You can keep the documents you ordered overnight, its all explained on the computer when you swipe your readers ticket at then end of the day, I was down there fore three days and no problems at all

Andy

 

From last weeks visit

If you are reserving your same table and files before going home at Kew for the following day etc. once you've done it just check with the staff on the help desk that its been done.

I turned up the following morning to find my seat unreserved and all 18 files I had built up over the previous days put back and I had to start all over again. Apparently I had forgotten to reserve my seat, or so they implied. Another employee who I get on ok with and has helped me out a couple of times over heard what was going on and told me later that he believed I had reserved the table and that their system was shite, it wasn't the first time it had happened apparently.

 

Got my first bollocking today .......


Don't put anything on the files - Yes you read that right

I was copying a files today and I put a spare camera battery onto the file to give the camera something to focus on as there was only text at the top of the page. I take the picture and remove the battery.

Out of the corner of my eye I see one of the SS Guards come running, yes running towards me with her hand out 'Can you not do that!'

With a puzzled look on my face 'Do what?'

'Put things on the file'

My brains says to her, 'Are you taking the piss?'

But not wanting to get kicked out, I say, 'What this?' and I put the battery back on the file

She panics (I shit you not) and puts her hand out and points to the battery on the file and says with a tremble in her voice' 'Can you remove that please? quickly!'

I politley ask, 'Are you serious?' Now other reserachers are sniggering and chucling under their breath-Well at least I think they were as I was in my head.

She says 'Yes very, its not allowed'

'Can I ask why its not allowed to put things on the files?'

And I get a very sensible answer......


'ITS THE RULES'

I then get given a half ton lead weight wrapped in cotton to use instead-Apparently this is allowed and I suspect its in the 'Rules'.

Anyone care to guess who it was?

 

It's not so daft Andy, batteries can leak and many of the documents there have a far higher intrinsic value than the war diaries.

You're a very naughty boy.

I think we're pretty lucky that they don't insist on cotton gloves and surgical masks.

Your focussing problem does highlight why I prefer manual cameras which I can set by guessing the distance, preferably in feet and not these hopeless metric units.

 

Ah! you broke your duck at last!!
95% of the time i go, i get bo---cked
last time for sucking a pepermint and that was before i even got into the reading room!
The family think its hilarious.
Happy days
Rob

 

She was bollocking folk the other week for not standing over the line on the grass after the fire alarm went off. Like 6" is going to make a difference !

 

Andy/Rich, having been made to use cotton or plastic gloves at some other museums/archives (eg National Maritime Museum plans and photos) I was amazed during my few visits there that the same care does not seem to be taken at TNA.
Is it a case of difficulty in policing so many visitors? I doubt most would object to a slightly stricter regime to protect original documents.
Guess more rules will always result in some 'Gestapo'esque staff though.

 

slightly stricter regime


Any stricter and they'd be armed with a firing squad out the back

Oh I forgot to mention that she then recorded the incident in her note book ! WTF.

 

She was bollocking folk the other week for not standing over the line on the grass after the fire alarm went off. Like 6" is going to make a difference !

Bet i know the one you mean!!

 

I wonder if I can take pictures covertly of them all and we can grade them

 

She was bollocking folk the other week for not standing over the line on the grass after the fire alarm went off. Like 6" is going to make a difference !

I wonder if I can take pictures covertly of them all and we can grade them

I'm reading between the lines here Andy. You'd give her 'one' wouldn't you ?

 

If I had to Rich

I'm dreading swiping myself in tomorrow-I'm expecting flashing lights , alarms bells and the SPG ! :icon_police: :ph34r:

 

Andy, re focusing. A lot of digital cameras have a multi-zone focus setting. If you have it, it worth using that setting, then you don't need to have something in the middle of the page to focus on.

The rules can be quite funny sometimes but other times I can see why. A few weeks ago before reaching the reading room, I was required to remove the small pink rubber from the end of my pencil!

Still I've seen a young girl escorted out for underlining words in a document. And on my last visit the guy next to me was trying to photograph a folded map. He ended up raising his knee onto the table to keep the map flat! He got away with it as well.

I know the female security guard you're refering to. She seems to be responding to instructions from radio ear piece stuck in her ear. I think the guards on the cameras direct her to anyone they observe doing naughty things like putting camera batteries on documents. She's always running between tables to dish out bollockings.

If you want to have some fun walk through the barriers into the reading room without swiping your card. That's always good for a laugh

 

A born trouble-maker I reckon...

We don't know that for certain. He may have learned it all in the British Army.

 

And on my last visit the guy next to me was trying to photograph a folded map. He ended up raising his knee onto the table to keep the map flat! He got away with it as well.



Was that me?

 

Andy/Rich, having been made to use cotton or plastic gloves at some other museums/archives (eg National Maritime Museum plans and photos) I was amazed during my few visits there that the same care does not seem to be taken at TNA.
Is it a case of difficulty in policing so many visitors? I doubt most would object to a slightly stricter regime to protect original documents.
Guess more rules will always result in some 'Gestapo'esque staff though.

I understand that there is some debate about whether to use gloves with documents or not. The problem being gloves can cause more damage to documents due to the extra handling difficulties, pages being bent over or ripped for example.

TNA understandably don't like you leaving your hand resting on the document though.

 

The rules can be quite funny sometimes but other times I can see why. A few weeks ago before reaching the reading room, I was required to remove the small pink rubber from the end of my pencil!



Rich
Got done for that as well!
So i broke the pencil in half, gave the bad bit to the said guard and walked though.
not a word!!!