Ministry of Supply and successors: Branch Registry Files

Description and record details

Reference	WO 286
Title	Ministry of Supply and successors: Branch Registry Files
Date	1925-1978
Description	Files from the Ministry of Supply (otherwise in SUPP) Branch Registry systems covering functions transferred to the War Office in 1959. Files deal with aspects of the supply of arms and equipment to the army, the Royal Ordnance Factories, and the export of arms. Some files from AVIA 22, AVIA 46, AVIA 49, AVIA 50, AVIA 51, AVIA 52, AVIA 53, AVIA 54, AVIA 55, AVIA 56, and AVIA 57 (the 1-12 series) were re-registered in this series.
Arrangement	A decentralised registry series was started in the Ministry of Supply in 1949 designed gradually to replace the existing 1-12 series (AVIA). Under this system, which covered all aspects of the Ministry's work, each branch, or, in some cases, a group of branches, was allocated a unique 2 - letter combination for use as the first element of the file reference. On return to the War Office registry some files had their references prefixed with the number 4.
Related material	For files relating to functions taken over by the Ministry of Aviation see AVIA 65
Held by	The National Archives, Kew
Legal status	Public Record(s)
Language	English
Creator	Ministry of Supply, 1939-1959 War Office, 1857-1964
Physical description	101 file(s)
Access conditions	Open
Immediate source of acquisition	From 1972 Ministry of Defence
Accruals	Series is accruing.

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