National Archives - Kew Tips?

Hi
Have just returned from Kew (Oct '13) and renewed my card. Just had to sit and watch a 5 min video on their computer screen on handling documents, then register my ID credentials, before photo procedure to getting card. No sitting of that 'test' again.

 

Same for me last week.

 

It's been a while since I read this thread and I paid the price for not doing so.

Went to Kew this morning to renew my readers card and with a long list of war diaries to copy. Left home at 6-30am and after a crap journey arrived on the dot at 9-00am. I'd completely forgotten to take any indentification (other than my expired card) with me. Despite really grovelling, they sent me packing and I had to come back home.

Serves me right. I'd neg rep myself if it were possible. The icing on the cake was I'd been spotted. Passed Andy on the stairs going up to the reading room.

 

It gets worse mate, because I was there too and Andy told me. Sorry I missed meeting you though.

Steve

 

PS. I was thinking of negative repping you, but, that would be like rubbing it in.

 

I will then. Rob you're a disgrace and should know better- in fact I've no sympathy at all :P

Sorry but couldn't resist, you've really set yourself up for it.


Lesley

 

You have my sympathy about this. It must have been very frustrating, but don't be too hard on yourself. If nothing else, I imagine it will have been a learning experience you will not forget.

Good luck for your future research at Kew and elsewhere.

 

It could have been worse - I drove all the way there once from Leeds to find my camera was broken. That was a long 400 mile drive !

Worse still you could have formatted your hard drive with your life's work on but we won't go there

 

Rob,
Sorry to hear you had a wasted journey - must be a real pisser but you only have yourself to blame!
I am not cynical enough to neg rep you.

Could have been a lot worse - like Andy!

Andy - getting your files sorted now with all the offers of returned copies?

 

No

I've kinda given up due to a lack of time - If my life ever returns to what I consider noramilty I may PM a few people for the more useful files I've copied over the years

 

in 20 years or so :P

 

Renewed ticket with old ticket and gas bill last Wednesday and they cut the top of my head off. Would not be a passport photo.

Joined "Friends of the Archives" and instantly qualified for 20% off cards and books at the shop with temporary membership card.

Spoke to someone who said Kew budget was £45,000,000 this year but this to be cut to £29,000,000 for next year. Not sure that the 20% discount will last long !

Yours, Nattering Norman from Noramilty

 

Oooh...perhaps they'll let us get our own files out then....I'd love to see the storerooms and spot the unlisted files !

 

Papiermache,

Never thought to join the friends scheme - didn't see it publicised much (head down and concentrate on the files mode).

The bookshop is amazingly cheap anyway - are they now paying you to take books out of the shop?

My Aussie mate stocks up on books there when he visits TNA, always worrying about his flight weight allowance.

Hope the massive savings are more on 'Gestapo' salaries (maybe Helga will retire) than on customer service, although I have my doubts. More likely conservators and 'front of house' staff will be culled.

Andy, your lack of time is a self-inflicted injury (how many kids now?) so get back to getting the files sorted out.

 

I renewed about three weeks ago, hence the new upsurge in visitations. I'm a bit like Mike, head down and file away, I occasionally have a wander, mainly when I need to look in the Army Lists etc.

That budget reduction is massive, staff cuts won't cover that, Helga or no Helga!

 

Potentially imbecilic question re War Diaries;
Do they only exist once a unit has been deployed into active service?
I had been looking for a reference to an RASC unit war diary at the NA, within the Home theatre, when the thought occurred that it might not have been written!

Subsidiary question;
Does anybody know of a list of Army bases in the UK during WW2?

Thank you

 

My apologies - on the budget it looks like the 2012-13 total spend was £34,000,000 going from the annual accounts, so I obviously got that wrong. I am hopeless at accounts. Maybe the lower figure is right, but I know not where to find the latest budget. A cut of £5,000,000 seems possible in the current climate. I suppose it all depends how many pieces of glass they want to buy, or whether the roof will leak again.

On the Friends the idea is that you volunteer to help with various projects. Currently I run out of steam after 900 photos and 24 files in my personal race against the University of Marburg to open files relating to war crimes trials in the Far East before they do. I think I've lost already. 900 is nothing compared with the professional copiers, but then I do read a few pages and copy short bits. If there is a copying slip generated by a Kew staff copier in the file you know somebody else has been paying Kew to copy. I am finding more of these as I go along.

Once I have finished WO235 I may volunteer to help the Friends work on archives. My original idea in going to Kew was to look at litigation records from the 16th century but I have been sidetracked into ADM 199 and WO 235 through family history, plus the usual WO 95 for the earlier family members, together with earlier ADM. I only manage a visit every six weeks or so, and have been known to help out an internet friend in Australia.

I always try to go to lectures at 2 pm on Thursdays if I am there, although I sometimes fall asleep. The best one was by Jonathan Sumption Q.C. ( as he then was, now a Law Lord ) who is in his other persona a historian writing an epic series of books about the Hundred Year's War. He was speaking about policy on releasing government documents. He was highly prepared and totally professional. Very impressive and clinical at dealing with questions from the floor. A tour de force, informative and entertaining.

Another lecture was about the history of Volkswagen from 1945 given by a German archivist in impeccable English.

I do try and get to know what the usual medal hunters think about things and enjoy talking to the other regulars who are commissioned to research things. I don't think they join the Friends.

Friends of the Imperial War Museum is a very good scheme for me because I get free entry to Duxford, which is near where I live, excepting display days, and a discount in the shop, which I think is 10 per cent.

NN from N

 

revere60 War diaries for home do exist I have one for the13 RMT Coy RASC and it covers from the commanding officer arriving in Leatherhead and arranging accommodation, petrol supplies, costs for food etc,etc. on to troops being posted and detail of work undertaken moving vehicles, troops, supplies etc around the country. It is series WO 166.

A find for army units in the UK would be most helpful.

Others know a lot more and will be along to help.

Brian

 

I'm sceptical on this 'Friends' business. One I don't have time for a coffee break these days let alone going in the glass room for a chat with someone that will get on my nerves. Anyway my company is trying to get 'Foundation Trust' status and they need XYZ of so many members as part of the criteria - I can't help but wonder if this is a round about way of getting members for something similar?

 

Andy, the 'Friends' have done good work over the years, especially on improving catalogue entries. If I remember correctly they did the fuller descriptions for the earlier war diaries, WWI RAF airman service records, naturalisation records, etc.