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War Office and successors: Registered Files (General Series)
Description and record details
| Reference | WO 32 |
|---|---|
| Title | War Office and successors: Registered Files (General Series) |
| Date | 1845-1999 |
| Description | This series comprises registered files of the War Office dealing with all aspects of the administration of the departments and the armed forces. They include files opened in the War Office and continued in the Ministry of Supply (SUPP) after 1939; and files pertaining to functions restored to the War Office in 1959. With the unification of the Ministry of Defence in 1964, the War Office became the Army Department of the Ministry of Defence, its registered files are generally to be found thereafter in DEFE 70, but there is some overlap with this series. |
| Arrangement | Records in this series have accrued in annual batches according to the year in which they were opened, though transfers have usually included a few files containing earlier papers. The registry system distinguishes between overseas and other files. Up to piece 15512 (files opened before 1954) the piece descriptions are arranged under coded subject headings. There is a key to these codes, and indexes to subjects, placed at the beginning of each of the volumes in which they are listed, in the reading rooms at The National Archives, Kew. From piece 15513 (mainly files opened after 1954) the piece descriptions are arranged numerically; in registry series order within each transfer. |
| Related material |
For the contracts precedent books entries relating to some registered files in this series see WO 254 For War Office correspondence subject indexes see WO 139 |
| Separated material |
Records of MOD (Army) department branches, see Special series files transferred from WO 32, see |
| Held by | The National Archives, Kew |
| Former reference in its original department | 20/GENERAL |
| Legal status | Public Record(s) |
| Language |
English |
| Creator |
Ministry of Defence, 1947 Ministry of Supply, 1939-1959 War Office, 1857-1964 |
| Physical description | 22243 files and volumes |
| Access conditions | Open unless otherwise stated |
| Accruals | Series is accruing |
| Selection and destruction information | Boxes 1-2356 were reviewed under Section 6 of the Public Records Act of 1958 and piece numbers 4730-9360 and 11197-11404 were allocated to the individual files retained. There is a key from former to present number in the reading rooms at Kew, as part of the box list. Numbers not shown have not been selected for preservation. The first piece number currently in use is 2357. |
| Administrative/ biographical background | This series comprises registered files of the War Office dealing with allaspects of the administration of the departments and the armed forces. Theyinclude files opened in the War Office and continued in the Ministry of Supplyafter 1939; and files pertaining to functions restored to the War Office in1959. With the unification of the Ministry of Defence in 1964, the War Officebecame the Army Department of the Ministry of Defence. |
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