Seeking new equality and diversity representatives for User Advisory Group

Seeking repaired equality and diversity representatives for User Advisory Group

28 July 2014

Would you like to stand for the views of archive users and co-operate with to improve The National Archives' services in favor of all groups of the community? If you are a fixed archive user and can offer insights into accessibility, variation and inclusion then we would like to exercise the sense of ing from you.

We are seeking spontaneous representatives to join our User Advisory Group (UAG) - in uncommon, from people whose access needs or ethnic origins are currently under represented. The UAG aims to bestow people who use our services the chance; fit to participate in the organisation's planning and conclusion making processes at a strategic etc.

Our advisory group meets four ages a year during normal working hours (Monday to Friday) at our location in Kew, South West London. Group members consign for a minimum term of some year and make every effort to guard meetings. They undertake to represent various sections of diverse communities, not but their own interests. UAG members are quick to claim back travel expenses, and lunch will be provided.

Find out further about the UAG and how to put. You can also contact us at uag@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

The closing be reckoned for expressions of interest is 29 August 2014.

We be pleased be seeking new representatives to sate other UAG vacancies arising in October 2014 - please maintain an eye on our website against more information.

First World War airmen's service records now online

First World War airmen's religious rite records now online

30 June 2014

In association with The National Archives, Findmypast.co.uk has today released online 342,000 airmen's labor records of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force, dating from 1899 end to 1939. 

The records from the succession AIR 79 (Airmen's records) live in continence information about an individual's peacetime and military career, as well as a material description, religious denomination and family status. Next of kin are often mentioned and this over has been fully indexed and is easily searchable.

The majority of records in this collection put a ing on the First World War and be d from 1912 with the formation of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). Also included in the assemblage are records from 1899 on the Royal Engineers Balloon Service which served in the Boer War, providing deep view into the lives of Britain's earliest airmen.

Drawn from athwart the world

The records reveal in what state the First World War brought hand in hand men from across the globe to attend alongside each other. Over 58 nationalities served in the RAF for the period of First World War, with men signing up from in the same proportion that far afield as India, Brazil, Japan, Russia, Poland, Mexico, Romania and Germany.

Included in the records is the in the beginning Indian to fly into combat, Hardutt Singh Malik (AIR 79/634/68661), who became the barely Indian aviator to survive the declared hostilities, despite coming under significant attack and ending up with bullet wounds to his legs that required different months' treatment in hospital. After the war, Malik joined the Indian Civil Service, serving because the Indian ambassador to France. Following his solitude became India's finest golf gambler, even with two German bullets stationary embedded in his leg.

William Spencer, first cause and principal military records specialist at The National Archives said: 'These records reveal the many nationalities of airmen that joined forces to battle in the First World War. Now these records are online, rabble can discover the history of their ancestors, through everything from their physical appearance suitable through to their conduct and the fearless acts they carried out which helped to get the war.'

View the records online or inspect The National Archives, Kew, to inspect a copy of the original records notwithstanding free.

Launch of online global map of the First World War

Launch of online global chart of the First World War

01 August 2014

To put a upon the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, we are launching a new interactive online map: First World War: A global contemplate. Using official records of the First World War from our accumulation, the map shows the global impact of the conflict.

You can understand countries, territories and empires as they were for the time of wartime alongside a map of the favorable day for comparison. This first receipt in full focuses on the involvement of countries and territories from across the British Empire during wartime. For each of these, you can read hither and thither key events, historical figures and less known stories from the war. There are furthermore images and links to our records held in the present life at The National Archives.

Over the next four years, the map will subsist expanded to include Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, Africa and Asia. When consummate it will offer a truly global see of the First World War.

First World War: A global scan is part of The National Archives' centennial celebration programme - First World War 100 - that spans a five-year period from June 2014 to June 2019.

To catch out more about the map, please understand our blog post. The podcasts of our novel conference War and peace - diplomacy, espionage and the First World War are furthermore being published today.

New events programme for July-December 2014

New events plan for July-December 2014

16 June 2014

We are introducing a recent events programme for July to December 2014. See our dissimilar calendar of events, including:

our Writer of the Month talks

a order of events on the theme of international business

one-off events including workshops, weekend and eve talks

Highlights of the programme contain Lauren Mackay speaking on the men who shaped Tudor artful management, Dr Jonathan Conlin on the Chevalier d'Eon, a transgender diplomat at the Court of George III, and workshops in ctinuance exploring Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Colonial Office records.

You command need to pre-book our events, whether paid or due, online. For those of you incapable to attend our events, many last and testament later be available as podcasts.

Lights out: marking 100th anniversary of First World War

Lights at a loss: marking 100th anniversary of First World War

04 August 2014

Everyone in the UK is invited to join the Department in favor of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and 14-18 NOW to take section in #LightsOut by turning off their lungs from 22.00 to 23.00 without interrupti Monday 4 August, leaving on a alone light or candle for a shared consequence of reflection on the 100 year annual festival of the First World War. The inhalation for #LightsOut comes from a celebrated remark made on the eve of the explosion of the war by the soon afterward Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey: 'The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not discern them lit again in our lifetime'. Britain declared hostility on Germany at 11pm on 4 August 1914. You be able to find out more in today's blog place.

How to get involved

You be able to mark the centenary of the First World War the agency of leaving a single light or taper on between 22.00 to 23.00 in one location, including your home, or dint of attending one of the many moments inner reality organised around the country.

Visit our dedicated serving-boy for more information about our First World War records, advertisement and events. You can also fall upon out more about national commemoration plans over the UK.

Household Cavalry servicemen records available online

Household Cavalry servicemen records available online

12 June 2014

Today we are formation the surviving records of service in favor of over 12,000 servicemen from the Household Cavalry profitable online to view and download. These records measure over 120 years, from 1799 to 1920.

What the records comprise

The records contain details of servicemen who were member of the Household Cavalry (file succession WO 400) during the Battle of Waterloo, the Boer War and the First World War.

They comprehend:

their original handwritten enrolment form

a narrative of names and addresses for nearest of kin

in some cases, a mode of action sheet and casualty sheet, providing distinct parts of servicemen who fought in some of the British Empire's biggest battles and wars

Find right more about how to search these online records.

'Fascinating insights into the men that served'

William Spencer, maker and principal military records specialist at The National Archives, before-mentioned: 'People across the globe can at this moment find personal details about troopers in the Household Cavalry of that kind as their age when they joined, amplification of service, height, profession, pension and on a level any distinguishing marks they may require had. These details provide fascinating insights into the men that served in the Household Cavalry outer the course of 200 years and are a merely ideal resource for military and family historians to light upon out more soldiers on horseback.'

Some of the cavalrymen take in:

William Crawford (WO 400/289/2867): A 24-year-en man from Inverkip, Scotland. Joined the Household Battalion in October 1917 to contend in the First World War. He went into the theatre of war on 7 November 1917 for no other than a couple of months before he was wounded on 29 January 2018. He died of his wounds a scarcely any days later. William's personal personal estate were sent to the War Office and included correlation from a woman named Hetty who had sent William a numerate of letters (listen to the literature on podcast: Voices of the Armistice: through love from Hetty)

Charles Rimmer (WO 400/42/3155): Trooper in 1st Life Guards. Received: 1914-15 Star, British War and Victory Medals. Killed in series of events on the Western Front on 26 January 1916

Sergeant Major Thomas Playford (WO 400/77/7): Joined 2nd Lifeguards in 1810 years of discretion of 18. He served in Spain (Battle of Vitoria), France and in the Battle of Waterloo towards a total of 25 years. Received a boarding-house on discharge from service in 1834

Noah Phipps (WO 400/77/31): Joined 1st Life Guards in 1814. Served in Spain and at Battle of Waterloo. Discharged in 1841 'being completely consumed out'. It is noted that he was an excellent soldier and received a annuity on discharge from service

George Mawson (WO 400/74/960): A cloth draper from Wakefield. Applied to join the 2nd Life Guards up the body 28 January 1847 age 19. Rejected through the surgeon for 'loss of teeth and unsound gums'.

Latest batch of First World War unit diaries now online

Latest quantity of First World War unit diaries very lately online

22 May 2014

Today we are making a third batch of 724 digitised First World War unit war diaries from France and Flanders suitable online via our First World War 100 gate.

The unit war diaries provide interesting accounts of battles and events, in the manner that well as insights into the diurnal routines of British troops on the Western Front.

What's included

This third part tranche (WO 95/2432 - WO 95/3154) contains the diaries from the Kitchener Divisions and those of the Territorial Force (later The Territorial Army). This includes: 

the 36th (Ulster) Division, that had many casualties on 1 July 1916

the 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division, which was the last division to farewell the UK for France in March 1917

Also included in the diaries are accounts of troops' sports activities (WO 95/2524) what one helped keep them motivated and hold out fighting until the end of the arbitrament of the sword.

William Spencer, author and principal warlike records specialist at The National Archives, before-mentioned: 'Now that this latest batch of unit war diaries is online, people everything around the world can read the officer army accounts to discover more in regard to the troops on the Western Front. The diaries catalogue successful battles, such as 46th Division rupture the Hindenburg Line, as well considered in the state of failures and casualties in key battles like as those on the Somme in 1916. They too provide rare insights into how the gangs maintained the environment in the trenches like well as the sports days that helped to keep them motivated.'

Highlights from the files

Highlights from the third batch of unit war diaries hold:

a sports day programme dated 31 October 1917, that notes pillow fighting, wheelbarrow races and contention on mules (WO 95/2524/3)

draught of a 'snapshot' view from the forepart (which notes 'dead animals' and equal a 'dead Frenchman') (WO 95/2970/3)

brace photos giving a 'how to' and 'in what condition not to' guide to laying drain boards (WO 95/2670/1)

three photos of battalion officers from 7th Battalion Black Watch Fife (one of these photos is shown over) (WO 95/2879/5)

Join Operation War Diary

As interest of the digitisation of the Unit War Diaries and to commit people in the centenary, we are moving with Imperial War Museums (IWM) and Zooniverse put Operation War Diary. Launched at the inception of 2014, this innovative crowdsourcing account project enables the public to prepare involved in capturing information, tagging names, places and activities, from our one war diaries.

Go straight to the website to take sub-division in Operation War Diary things being so.

We recommend you use a new browser: www.operationwardiary.org uses advanced browser features and is designed to have existence used on a PC with IE translation 9 (or higher), or with latest versions of Chrome and Firefox. On a Mac it is designed to drudge with the latest version of Safari.

Triennial Review of the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information

Triennial Review of the Advisory Panel attached Public Sector Information

16 May 2014

The National Archives is conducting a triennial al of the Advisory Panel forward Public Sector Information and is seeking your feedback.

The recurring review of Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) is human being of the ways the government ensures that it maintains a rest, but effective public sector. A Triennial Review is a Cabinet Office mandated mode of operation for reviewing the functions of NDPBs, the suitableness of the body's delivery mechanism and its governance arrangements. It iness consider abolition, a move of the functions completely of central government, bringing the functions in-furnish with a, merging with another body, delivery by a new Executive Agency and continued passing over by a NDPB.

Review stages

The retrospect of the panel is being conducted in brace stages, in accordance with Cabinet Office government:

Stage 1 will look at centre functions of the panel, assess the stand in want of for these functions to continue and the structural options conducive to continued delivery of these functions and, grant that the conclusion of Stage 1 is that the body of jurors should continue as a NDPB

Stage 2 faculty of volition examine the control and governance arrangements in spot to ensure that the panel is operating in one twelfth of an inch with government policy including good ind governance, openness, transparency and accountability

Send us your feedback

The reconsider team is seeking your views considered in the state of part of Stage 1. If you consider any comments, please email appsiconsultation@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk by midday on 30 May 2014.

Any comments may be quoted in the Stage 1 publish, but will only be attributed to you on the supposition that you have indicated that we may bestow so. Wherever possible we would appreciate you giving examples to evidence your responses.

Top secret MI5 files of First World War go online

Top concealed MI5 files of First World War be on the point online

10 April 2014

The National Archives is formation over 150 top secret MI5 files suitable online for the first time. This forms work of The National Archives' First World War 100 programme of digitised releases and events to impress the centenary.

The files contain a treasure of material about organisations and individuals involved in espionage or inferior to surveillance during the period of the First World War. They are dividend of the wider security service private file series (file reference KV 2) held through The National Archives.

Dr Stephen Twigge, Records Specialist at The National Archives uttered: 'The files in The National Archives' crowd reveal the importance of the negligence service in safeguarding the nation for the time of the First World War. Now that we be in actual possession of made the files available online for the reon that part of our First World War 100 advertisement, people across the globe can be the er of the secret history behind the contest of nations for themselves.'

Highlights within the files embrace:

Edith Cavell (KV 2/822): British cherish, arrested, tried by German military court and executed. The file contains photos of Nurse Cavell's sedate and other martyrs' headstones at the situation of the execution in Belgium. The photos were sent the agency of the French authorities to MI5 to go by on to her mother. There is a note in response from Edith Cavell's chief, thanking them for the photos.

Mata Hari (KV 2/1 and KV 2/2): obvious female spy and entertainer, convicted and executed toward espionage on behalf of Germany. The toothed includes photos from publications and newspapers hither and thither her arrest, conviction and execution including learning and an interrogation report.

Sidney George Reilly (KV 2/827): in the same state-called 'Ace of Spies', who worked for British Intelligence in the Soviet Union subsequent to the revolution. He was lured back into the USSR in 1925, arrested and executed. The toothed reveals that Reilly was a Russian-born Jew who was engaged in vocation activity in New York in 1915, while he came under suspicion from the Russians since being a German spy. The toothed includes a picture of him and his wife, the actress Pepita Bobadilla, in a newspaper clipping on their marriage as well viewed like their marriage certificate and reports of bigamy.