The National Archives Catalogue on Excel

Discussion in 'Research Material' started by Andrea D, Oct 10, 2010.

  1. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Andrea's current project is the 140,000 PoW questionnaires in W0 344.

    If anyone is interested in any other series of files, Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force or any other WW2 related series like Cabinet Files etc, drop me a PM with the series/file number and I'll add it to the list.

    Cheers
    Andy
     
  2. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    WO167 is looking most impressive Andy. You've got lots copied already. It will soon be a case not of "Is Andy going to the National Archive ?" but of "Andy is the National Archive !"

    I'm looking forward to nosing in the Ordnance Field Workshops.:)
     
  3. Ednamay

    Ednamay wanderer

    I have got

    Home Forces
    WO 199 Home Forces.xls

    What on earth can I do with it? I am still trying unsuccessfully to get information about navy and army using naval mobile guns around the east cost from 1940 till 1943(?); neither the army nor the navy seem to have any information.

    Edna
     
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I have got

    Home Forces
    WO 199 Home Forces.xls

    What on earth can I do with it? I am still trying unsuccessfully to get information about navy and army using naval mobile guns around the east cost from 1940 till 1943(?); neither the army nor the navy seem to have any information.

    Edna

    Open it and look through the diaries listed and see if anything fits with what you are looking for.
     
  5. China Hand

    China Hand No Longer A Forum Member

    If anyone is interested in any other series of files...any other WW2 related series like Cabinet Files etc, drop me a PM with the series/file number and I'll add it to the list.

    Cheers
    Andy

    Just to save anyone asking Drew for CABs...most of the CAB series are now online here

    The National Archives - The Cabinet Papers 1915 - 1979

    It's aimed at secondary pupils, at some extent, but no matter. You can search on title and content, and download free - have to go via the 'shopping cart' process but it's pretty easy. I tend to use the advanced search page and refine with precise wording and dates if I can...have already got masses of pdfs already on my prewar China interests. They vary in size from a few pages to 30-40pp, depending on the document.

    I think some of the lower level Cabinet Committees may not be up, but I think the main stuff is, from what I have found.

    You can even read stuff from 1979 if you are that masochistic....:unsure:
     
  6. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Just to save anyone asking Drew for CABs...most of the CAB series are now online here

    The National Archives - The Cabinet Papers 1915 - 1979

    It's aimed at secondary pupils, at some extent, but no matter. You can search on title and content, and download free - have to go via the 'shopping cart' process but it's pretty easy. I tend to use the advanced search page and refine with precise wording and dates if I can...have already got masses of pdfs already on my prewar China interests. They vary in size from a few pages to 30-40pp, depending on the document.

    I think some of the lower level Cabinet Committees may not be up, but I think the main stuff is, from what I have found.

    You can even read stuff from 1979 if you are that masochistic....:unsure:

    Do you know how many are in CAB? I could still put it on Excel if it makes it easier.


    That should read Andrea.

    Ref the North West Europe it has come to my attention that there are some sub series files to WO 171. Bare with us - we (Yep-Andrea again) are trying to figure out th ebest way to incorporate it within the original file if possible.

    Cheers
    Andy
     
  7. China Hand

    China Hand No Longer A Forum Member

    Do you know how many are in CAB? I could still put it on Excel if it makes it easier.

    Short answer is no...however, the research guide on the NA site...

    Cabinet Office records | The National Archives

    provides an introduction (1939-45 section here Cabinet Office records | The National Archives). This notes the main series. A quick look at the catalogue suggests CAB65 has 57 volumes and CAB66 has 67 volumes. But individual volume entries only tell you the number of papers and the year, e.g. CAB66/5 Detecting your browser settings.

    However, many of the CAB documents (especially CAB65, the War Cabinet minutes and CAB66, the War Cabinet memoranda, which are usually longer and more detailed) cover several topics each, so a list is probably not terribly meaningful. I have found it better to search by keywords, e.g. placenames, people, units etc., and restricting by dates. E.g. using advanced search with 'overlord' as the 'exact phrase' and dates as 1944 to 1944 (to restrict to that year) produces a list of 74 mentions. You can judge by the info given (which will include dates and couple of lines showing where the term appears in the full text, not just the title), whether it is worth downloading.

    Alternatively, you could choose one by date and then work through them systematically. Depends what you are looking for, as ever !

    I might add that there is also a full set of CABs at the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh (a spare set of originals, not copies :)) which I can occasionally dip into if the online sets are missing anything. They have been here since 1998, they were almost thrown away by Cabinet Office, but that's another story ! :lol:
     
  8. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

    That should read Andrea.

    Ref the North West Europe it has come to my attention that there are some sub series files to WO 171. Bare with us - we (Yep-Andrea again) are trying to figure out th ebest way to incorporate it within the original file if possible.

    Cheers
    Andy

    Andy/Andrea,

    Have a look at my post here:
    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/research-material/15595-national-archives-kew-tips-5.html#post311095

    This might help? The advantage of creating a spreadsheet using the "Build a Query" technique is that it keeps all the Sub-headings and hierarchy in the spreadsheet. It is also a very fast way of doing it, especially when there are more than 1,000 files in a particular series.

    Lee
     
  9. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I believe that is what she was doing-I'll leave it to her to sort out as and when. I know nowt about PC's :)
     
  10. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

    I believe that is what she was doing-I'll leave it to her to sort out as and when. I know nowt about PC's :)

    Good show! Thought I would just check, as would hate to think she's doing all this great work the hard way :)
     
  11. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    North-West Europe
    WO 171 North-West Europe.xls

    Andrew (Idler) pointed out that this series of diaries had several sub series which led us to believe that some files were missing like Divisions and Brigades for example.

    After working on this today I can confirm that all the NWE diaries are in this link: WO 171 North-West Europe.xls but Kew have not named the files very well. The easy way to rectify this problem would be to rename all 11,000 + files which is a non starter for me, sorry.

    However me and Andrea have added a link below which lists 6 pages of all the sub series within WO 171. All you have to do is click on the Black 'Sub series' link on the left of the Blue link - '21 Army Group' for example. This will then give you the name and more importantly the file number within that sub series which will enable you to find the specific diary you are after.

    I hope that makes sense?

    Here's the Sub Series Pages:

    Detecting your browser settings=

    Remember - Look for the unit formation (Divisons, Brigades, Royal Artillery etc) written in blue on the right but click the black link on the left for file numbers that are in the Excel spreadsheet above.

    Cheers
    Andy and Andrea
     
  12. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  13. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  14. Mike L

    Mike L Very Senior Member

    More superb work Drew and Andrea - well done both!
     
  15. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  16. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I've got a couple more series to upload at some point but if anyone knows of any file series that they think would be of use to members post them below and I'll ask Andrea to do them.

    Cheers
    Andy
     
  17. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  18. Golf Bravo

    Golf Bravo Member

    Strike a light! You two have way more patience than me. Beats me how you do it. But add my thanks to all the others. I'm about to lay in tinned soup and crackers for a month.
     
  19. Takrouna1943

    Takrouna1943 Member

    Hi Drew and Andrea,
    Great lists. The war Crimes files are Axis not Allied. I am researching all crime in Tunisia 1942-43, in particular but not exclusively, rape and murder of Tunisian Arabs and Jews by both the Allies and Axis forces. I cannot find anything in Kew. I have tracked down some info in the archive in Tunis and some just last week in the archive in Paris. In April I'm off to Washington to see what's in NARA. Do you know of any files in Kew that cover this subject? I have seen occasional references to crimes of theft and looting but not anything more serious. Hope you can help.
     
  20. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I only know whats in :

    WO 309
    WO 310
    WO 311
    TS 26
     

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