The Admiralty records at the National Maritime Museum cover the administration of the Navy from 1688-1832 (when the Navy Board was abolished) in considerable detail. There are also a few records from 1832-1883. Together they consist of 7,497 bound volumes and a large mass of loose papers.

The majority of orders and letters are original documents, often minuted, but there are a few volumes of indexes, minute and letterbook copies of correspondence. The collection includes over 5000 Lieutenants' logs forwarded to the Navy Board in connection with the work of passing the Officers' accounts.

The Admiralty records now at the National Maritime Museum, consist of the original orders from the Admiralty to the Navy Board from 1688-1815 (ADM/A&N&RP&Q&P&OT), and the Navy Board replies from 1733-1831 (ADM/B&BP&D&DP&F&FP). Orders to the Navy Board relating to transports during the period when there was no Transport Board were bound up separately as were those relating to the special appointment of General Bentham, as Inspector General of Naval Works, during the Napoleonic War. The Navy Board letters respecting the fitting of ships from 1804-1809 were separated from the general correspondence, and bound with a chronological index at the beginning. In addition to these main series of orders from the Admiralty to the Navy Board, there are some copies of orders for the Ticket Office from 1774-1815, and some loose papers relating to the Marine Office and a few orders for the Office of Stores (ADM/J&K).

The Admiralty orders to the Victualling Commissioners from 1707-1815 (ADM/C) are included in this collection, as well as the abstract of Admiralty orders from 1694-1819 (ADM/G) and the Victualling Board's replies from 1703-1822 (ADM/H). The Admiralty orders to the commissioners for taking care of sick and wounded seamen from 1702-1806 form a complete series, supplemented by the Commissioners replies from 1742-1806 (ADM/E). Orders relating to prisoners of war were bound up separately and cover the years from 1743, some distinction being made for the different nationalities (ADM/M). Both these series of orders were continued when the Transport Boards took over the Commissioners; the former series has been preserved in this collection up to 1815 (ADM/ET), and the latter from 1796-99 (ADM/MT).

The Lieutenant's logs which total 5,205 volumes are bound according to the name of the ship, some Captain's logs being included (ADM/L). There are also bound up with some logs, accounts of expenses of paper and ticket books. The Lieutenant's log was accompanied by a certificate from his captain stating that he had complied with the printed instructions and not been absent from his ship. These journals were deposited first in the Admiralty Office and a certificate was made out, for which the chief clerk received 2s 6d.' though captains usually paid 5s 0d. The chief clerk then abstracted details of the voyage of each ship from her logs "specifying the day of her sailing - of her arrival at each port, her stay there and departure there from". The logs were then passed to the Navy Office where the clerk of the acts made out certificates "to enable the lieutenants and masters to receive their wages". It was also his duty to "arrange and keep the journals and log books of every ship that may be delivered of the proceedings from the time of such journals and log books". The logs in this collection have been preserved from the time of Pepys until 1809, when the procedure for keeping logs was altered, and contained much useful information. The logs were kept according to the nautical calendar, which counted the day as starting at mid-day, until 1805 when the civil practice was adopted.

The only records for the period after 1832, which are included in this collection, are those of the Surveyor's department for the years 1832-39. These letters, addressed to the Board of Admiralty, contain some interesting material on ship-building. There are also a number of volumes of papers relating to the preparation of naval estimates for the years 1849-1883, as far as the Victualling department was concerned.

Papers of the Baynes and Nias Families:

Papers of Henry Compton Anderson Baynes inclusing official service documents, 1866 to 1901; an article on 'Armament of Battleships', undated; a letter, 1888, concerning Whitehead torpedoes; a few letters about Baynes's fishery protection work in the North Sea in the 1890s and three night order books, 1893, 1895 and 1901.

Papers of Sir Robert Lambert comprising official service documents, details of ships on the Pacific Station 1854 to 1860, an autobiographical outline of his career, 1810 to 1857, invitations to social events, and other personal papers.

Papers of Sir Joseph Nias, comprising letters and orders received, 1815 to 1867, and service papers, and eighteen letters from Sir William Parker to Nias while he was Senior Officer at Hong Kong, 1841 to 1842.

Papers of Sir Frederick George Denham Bedford including logs, 1852 to 1858; diaries, 1875 to 1879, and letters concerning the Huascar incident. There are no papers for Bedford's later career. In the Department of Pictures are six albums containing watercolours and photographs. Two of them cover his service in the SHAH, 1876 to 1878, and the third his career in the TRIUMPH, 1879.

Papers of Robert Dudley Oliver. There are three standing order books, one for Plymouth and Spithead, 1798 to 1799, probably when Oliver was Captain of the NEMESIS, and two for the MARS, 1804, 1805 to 1806. There are also two letters written by Nelson to Oliver's father-in-law, Sir Charles Saxton.

Papers of William Hans Blake. Apart from official service documents, they refer chiefly to the latter part of his career, there being letterbooks, 1863 to 1867; diaries, 1867, 1873 to 1874 and official letters and orders from the Admiralty and senior officers. There is also a letter, 1865, of appreciation from the British residents in Valparaiso and sixty-two certificates, letters and also a journal relating to Capt Blake's career 1846-74.

Papers of Capt Alfred Burton, comprising letters, 1811 to 1812, 1831 to 1834, including a series of twenty-nine to his mother for the latter period.

Papers of Sir Willam Abdy, comprising logs, 1750 to 1753, and two combined letter and order books, 1761 to 1766. There are also copies, made by Abdy in his retirement, of despatches describing actions, 1778 to 1782 and 1793 to 1797, and of the Agamemnon's log, 1782 to 1783.

Papers of Capt Henry Caldwell, including one letter to Mary Caldwell, Henry's sister, written in 1865. Other than the papers include watch bills 1848 to 1851, 1856; a night order book, 1859 to 1862; printed papers; exercise books for the period at the Royal Naval College and remark books and notes relating to his various ships.

Papers of Sir Benjamin Caldwell comprising two collections. In the first collection consist of logs, 1768 to 1771, 1775 to 1777, 1780 to 1782, 1794 to 1795; letterbooks, 1776 to 1782, 1788, 1793 to 1795, and order books 1775 to 1783, 1788, 1794 to 1795. There is an account of the battle of the Saints. The second collection includes in-letters, 1775 to 1779, 1794 to 1795; a prize hook, 1777 to 1795; documents relating to the Agamemnon; Lord Howe? 5 signals, 1790; letters relating to the disagreements after the battle of First of June, and a personal signed copy of Rodney's defence of his conduct at St. Eustatius, 1781.

Papers of Henry Osborn comprising five logs, 1730 to 1742, and an order book, 1747 to 1757.

The papers relating to Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian all date from 1798 when he was second in command of the Cape of Good Hope station. They include official correspondence relating mainly to the day to day running of the station but particulaly to the mutiny and subsequent Court Martial concerning the East Indiaman, PRINCESS CHARLOTTE. The papers relating to Sir Hugh's son, Hood Hanway Christian, are more extensive. Apart from an order book from 1812, when Christain was the governor of the Spanish fort at Castro, they are mostly official correspondence from the period 1824-1828. These relate to the supression of the slave trade and various disciplinary proceedings together with correspondence from the Navy Board. There is a small amount of personal correspondence including letters from Sir Richard Keats and Sir Edward Pellew.

Papers of Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian relating to his period as Commander-in Chief of the Cape of Good Hope station. They include correspondence regarding the general running of the station with the Governer of the Cape of Good Hope, George, 1st Earl Macartney, as well as letters with news on the war at home from Admiral Sir Richard Strachan, and the Controller of the Navy, Sir Andrew Snape Hamond. There is also an interesting section of letters relating to the mutiny on board the East Indiaman PRINCESS CHARLOTTE.

Papers of Sir Edward Codrington including logs, 1786 to 1791, 1794 to 1797, 1808 to 1813 and 1827 to 1828; an admiral's journal, 1831; official letter and order books, 1809 to 1815 and 1828 to 1848; private letterbooks, 1828 to 1848; muster books, 1808 to 1813; despatches and reports, 1801 to 1815, 1827 to 1828, and loose papers. Among these are letters to Codrington from the Duke of Clarence (later King William IV), Sir Pulteney Malcolm (q.v.), ministers, consuls, Greek government officials and various captains of the ships under Codrington's command, 1827 to 1828, and from Sir James Graham (1792-1861), in 1831. A small collection of additional material relating to Nelson and Codrington was deposited on loan by the family in 1974.

Papers of Sir Henry John Codrington including logs, 1825 to 1831, 1834 to 1835, 1839 to 1841, 1846 to 1850 and 1854 to 1856; letter and order books, 1834 to 1850, 1853 to 1856, 1858 to 1872, and loose papers, among which are personal letters from Codrington to his family, 1831 to 1855.

Papers of Sir Edward Codrington including logs, 1786 to 1791, 1794 to 1797, 1808 to 1813 and 1827 to 1828; an admiral's journal, 1831; official letter and order books, 1809 to 1815 and 1828 to 1848; private letterbooks, 1828 to 1848; muster books, 1808 to 1813; despatches and reports, 1801 to 1815, 1827 to 1828, and loose papers. Among these are letters to Codrington from the Duke of Clarence (later King William IV), Sir Pulteney Malcolm (q.v.), ministers, consuls, Greek government officials and various captains of the ships under Codrington's command, 1827 to 1828, and from Sir James Graham (1792-1861), in 1831. A small collection of additional material relating to Nelson and Codrington was deposited on loan by the family in 1974.

Papers of Sir Henry John Codrington including logs, 1825 to 1831, 1834 to 1835, 1839 to 1841, 1846 to 1850 and 1854 to 1856; letter and order books, 1834 to 1850, 1853 to 1856, 1858 to 1872, and loose papers, among which are personal letters from Codrington to his family, 1831 to 1855.

Papers of Cuthbert Collingwood, including two letterbooks containing private letters received between 1793 and 1809, the rest of the collection is composed of official letterbooks. There is one for the PRINCE and one for the EXCELLENT; ten others form part of the records for the Mediterranean command. Several, however, are clearly missing. There is an admiral's journal, 1801 to 1804, and another for the latter part of the Mediterranean command.

Papers of Sir Walter Henry Cowan containsing two logs, 1893 to 1897, an order book, 1914, and charts and photographs. There are also many semi-official letters received, 1896 to 1947, in particular from Admirals of the Fleet Viscount Cunningham (q.v.) and Sir Roger Keyes (1872-1945). There are also Cowan's letters to Admiral Sir Rudolph Bentinck (1869-1947), which were returned to Cowan; they are of a private rather than of an official nature. There are, however, some official papers relating to the Baltic campaign and a draft autobiography.

Papers relating to HMS Dryad consisting mainly of manuscripts relating to the education of naval officers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It includes a 'Plan of Learning' executed by a student at the Royal Academy, Portsmouth, in 1754; the order book of the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth containing Admiralty and internal orders, 1839 to 1855; the regulations of the College, 1869, also with officers' signatures; and papers including a report on the sanitary conditions in the College, 1889 to 1890. There are also five notebooks, 1763, c 1770, 1812 and c 1850, kept by naval officers under training, containing navigational notes and calculations; and a small volume containing in question-and-answer form the information required for the Master's examination for the Channel, 1780. Other volumes and documents include: the illustrated log of the BOMBAY, 1864 to 1865, NARCISSUS, 1865 to 1868, BEACON, 1868 to 1869, and GREYHOUND, 1869, kept by Midshipman G E Morrison (fl 1864-76); the record of the BOMBAY includes an account of the loss of the ship by fire. The journal of the SYLVIA, 1876 to 1878, was kept by Sub-Lieutenant Edward Helby (fl 1869-1899) while the ship was surveying in the Korean archipelago and includes descriptions of the area. In addition there are some letters of Lord Kelvin (1824-1907) with reports on a device for taking soundings through a ship's hull, 1905 to 1908; and towing time tables for the sections of Mulberry harbours, 1944.

Papers of Sir William Wordsworth Fisher. This small collection of memoranda and letters, 1912 to 1936, consists of Fisher's ideas and opinions on policy rather than of material closely related to his career. The subjects covered include First World War operations, antisubmarine warfare, the Disarmament Conference, 1929 to 1930, comments on Invergordon, 1931, and papers concerning relations with Egypt and the Fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean, 1919 to 1922, and in 1936.

Papers of John Henry Godfrey covering the majority of Godfrey's long career in the Royal Navy, as well as his very active retirement. Amongst the wide-ranging collection, present are official records of Godfrey's early service, copies of lectures given at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, and various papers relating to his time as DNI, including several NID monographs that offer detailed analysis of various wartime and post war topics. There is also present a large amount of material relating to Godfrey's time as FOCRIN, including letters, reports, promotional recruitment publications, etc. There are also diaries from 1931-1971, and a complete set of Godfrey's unpublished memoirs in 8 volumes.

Papers of Sir Erasmus Gower, consisting of a log, 1792 to 1794, with one watercolour sketch; two volumes of 'Nautical Observations on a Voyage to China', illustrated with views of coasts and harbours; a letterbook, 1794 to 1798, and a signal notebook, 1801.

Papers of Rear-Admiral Thomas Graves. They consist of logs, 1738 to 1744, an official letterbook, 1711 to 1738, a private letterbook, 1721 to 1740, and two order books, 1711 to 1728 and 1739 to 1741. There are some commissions and an abstract of orders received, 1739 to 1743.

Papers of Lieutenant John Dennis Hickley containing several papers relating to J.D. Hickley's education and training; a few short letters written just before his death; his naval records from 1876 to 1886; as well as a short pamphlet entitled 'An Account of the Operations on the Benin River in August and September, 1894', written by Hickley and printed by Royal United Service Institution. However, the majority of material on Lt. Hickley deals with the circumstances of his death and burial, apparently a reflection of a Victorian obsession with tragic heroes.

This class is made up of contemporary first-hand narrative accounts, contained in sixteen volumes. Narratives of naval actions include a volume of accounts of the Battle of Beachy Head, 1690, for presentation to the King; and an illustrated pocket-book of Lieutenant Lewis Stephen Davis (fl 1777-1799) containing accounts of various actions including the First of June, 1794, Cape St Vincent, 1797, and the Nile, 1798. There are five volumes relating to wrecks and salvage including an account of the loss of the merchant ship LUXEMBURGH , 1727; of the CENTAUR, 1782, by Captain John Nicholson Inglefield (1748-1828) with the verdict of the court martial, 1783. (A version of this was first published in 1782 in London as Captain Inglefield's narrative concerning the loss of His Majesty's ship the Centaur of seventy-four guns.) There is an account of wrecks and disasters on the north Norfolk Coast, 1880 to 1939, by William John Harman (1854-1944), a local fisherman; and also an account of the wreck of and salvage work carried out on the LUTINE which was sunk in 1799, written in 1898 by the salvage engineer Johan J Fletcher (fl.1893-1900). There are two foreign narratives in this section; one, a French manuscript, is 'Campagne Navale de M de Tourville' (1642-1701), which is an account of the movements of the French fleet in the Mediterranean in 1693, with pen and ink drawings and coloured illustrations of flags, probably written by Captain Longeron of the L'ORGUEILLEUX. There are also four annotated printed works, including the author's copy of the 1790 edition of A History of the late siege of Gibraltar, 1779-1783 by Colonel John Drinkwater (later Bethune, 1762-1844) with annotations and additional illustrations, and the galley sheets of The Submarine Peril, published in 1934 by Earl Jellicoe (1859-1935), with manuscript corrections and additions.

Papers of Sir Benjamin Hallowell Carew. The papers were acquired in several parts. Some loose papers, which came to the Museum in 1934, are of unknown provenance, while Sir James Caird presented a signal book in 1933. A further collection of papers was purchased, covering the period 1812 to 1814 and includes letters, mainly received by Hallowell, and his out-letter drafts. There are a number of documents relating to the Peninsular War, in particular to the siege of Tarragona, 1813, and also a small collection of letters from Sir Edward Codrington (q.v.), 1827 to 1828.

Papers of William Henry Jones-Byrom. They contain one log, 1844 to 1848, letters to his mother, 1859, appointments, 1844 to 1860, and Captain Osborn's report on the mission of the FURIOUS in China.

The fifty-four letterbooks which have been acquired individually are predominantly naval, dating from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. The Napoleonic war period and the nineteenth century are most fully represented. Unless stated otherwise, it can be assumed that the items are copy letterbooks and not bound volumes of original letters. Of the six seventeenth-century letterboooks the largest is that of official correspondence of Samuel Pepys (1633-1703), 1662 to 1679, which also contains some shorthand in his own hand. (Some of these letters are reproduced in Helen Truesdell Heath, ed., The letters of Samuel Pepys and his family circle (Oxford), 1955)) There is a bound volume of 15 original letters and legal documents written by Sir Anthony Deane ([1638]-1721), shipbuilder and member of the Navy Board; the letters, dated from 1662 to 1679, are to a merchant, Sir Robert Clayton (1651-1704). For the same period there is a letterbook of George Monck, Duke of Albemarle (1608-1670), with some shorthand, written between 1665 and 1666 while he was joint Commander-in-Chief. Additionally, a small volume containing two letters by Monck, 1652 and 1663, includes some contemporary pamphlets and prints. A slim letterbook of Sir John Narbrough (1640-1688), when in command of the FORESIGHT, 1687 to 1688, consists of letters and reports written by him when recovering treasure from a Spanish wreck off Hispaniola. There is also an early eighteenth-century volume of copies of over a hundred letters written by James II to George Legge, Lord Dartmouth (q.v.) between 1679 and 1688. The earliest letterbook of the eighteenth century is that of Vice-Admiral John Baker (1660-1716), aboard the STIRLING CASTLE commanding in home waters and the Mediterranean, 1708 to 1709. A private letterbook of an officer who cannot be positively identified, kept between 1727 and 1731, includes a list of men killed and wounded at the siege of Gibraltar, 1727. It gives detailed dimensions of the ROSE at the same period, a description of travels in Italy, 1731, and of St John's, Newfoundland, 1732. Six letterbooks (some of which also contain orders) of Admiral Sir Piercy Brett (1709-1781) all relate to the Channel when Brett was in the LION, 1745 to 1746, the NORFOLK, 1757 to 1758, DEPTFORD, 1760, ST GEORGE, 1760 and the NEWARK, 1761. There is a small volume of in- and out-letters and orders to and from Prince William Henry (1765-1837). These date between 1786 and 1788 when the Prince was in command of the PEGASUS in home waters, 1786, in the West Indies from 1786 to 1787, and in Canada in 1787. Finally for this period is a letterbook of John Pearse, commander of H.E.I.C.S. EDGECOTE, 1747 to 1750. Thirty-one volumes relate to the Napoleonic Wars, the first of which is a bound volume of eighteen original letters, 1793 to 1804, from Admiral Collingwood (q.v.) to Sir Edward Blackett (d.1804). There follows a book of seven private original letters from Lord Mulgrave (1755-1831) to Collingwood , 1807 to 1809; a letterbook of Admiral George Berkeley (1753-1818) when in command on the coast of Portugal, 1809 to 1810; original letters from Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren (1753-1852) to Lord Melville (1771-1851), First Lord of the Admiralty, written mainly between 1812 and 1814 from Halifax, Nova Scotia, when he was Commander-in-Chief, North America ; a letterbook of John Jervis, Lord St Vincent for 1806 and 1807, when Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet, and a letterbook of Admiral Sir Charles Penrose (1759-1830), 1813 to 1814, when commanding the PORCUPINE. At this time the ship was off the coast of France, collaborating with the army under the Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), to whom a large number of the letters are addressed. Examples of volumes belonging to officers of lesser rank include that of Lieutenant (later Captain) Robert Ramsay (fl 1779-1815), in the EURYDICE, home waters and North America, 1807 to 1808, and in the MISTLETOE.

Papers of Adml Thomas Leeke Massie, including copies of his official letterbooks, 1842 to 1861, logs, 1831, 1833 to 1836 and 1850 to 1854, and diaries, 1847 to 1849 and 1862 to 1880. There are also official service documents and twenty-one letters written to his family, 1826 to 1828 and 1840 to 1841.

Papers of Lt Vernon Merry. They demonstrate the social life that Admiral Bruce Fraser had to lead and they shed light on Anglo-American relations in the Pacific during the formation of the British Pacific Fleet and during the early post-war period following the surrender of Japan.

Papers of Sir Frederick Thomas Michell. They are a collection of commissions, appointments and letters which cover Michell's whole career, although the Crimean papers are the most numerous; these include landing orders, 1854, and orders for the bombardment of Sebastopol.

Papers of Sir David Milne. They consist of logs, 1779 to 1780, 1788 to 1790, 1793 to 1796, 1799 to 1802 and 1814. There is a collection of ship's books for LA SEINE, which includes a surgeon's journal kept by John Martin, 1799 to 1800. There are also letterbooks, 1804 to 1807 and 1808 to 1815. For the period of the North American command there is an out letterbook and order book, 1816 to 1819, and as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, a standing order book, 1842 to 1843. In addition, there are a large number of letters concerning prizes, 1799, letters received, 1819 to 1842, and drafts of letters to Lord Melville, 1819, and Lord Dalhousie (1770-1838), 1818 to 1819. A number of documents with no immediate connection with Milne are also in the collection. They include the log of the Prince George, Captain Nathaniel Portlock, 1785 to 1787, on a voyage to the North Pacific; the log of the AFRICA, Alexander Purvis, 1793 to 1796, and the log of the United States privateer, HARLEQUIN, 1814.

Papers of Adml David Thomas Norris. They contain official letters and memoranda for 1915, papers relating to Norris's commands in the Caspian Sea and in Persia, as well as photograph albums, 1892 to 1926.

Papers of Sir Phipps Hornby. There is a copy of a letter written in the VOLAGE and a letterbook, 1812 to 1816. Most of the papers are from the Pacific Command and include an admiral's journal, 1847 to 1849, and three official letter and order books, 1847 to 1851, together with correspondence on particular aspects of the Squadron's duties. There are also some probate documents concerning members of the Hornby family.

The collection of 153 volumes of sailing and fighting instructions include the majority of those listed in Sir Julian Corbett, Signals and instructions (Navy Records Society, 1908). In addition, there are many examples of those issued to smaller squadrons rather than fleets. The earliest is a printed copy of 1673 issued to James Duke of York (1633-1701). There is a copy of 1691 by Admiral Russel (1653-1727), issued in 1702. Subsequent sets show the development which took place up to the Seven Years War. From 1756 onwards additional and supplementary instructions became more numerous. The collection also contains several versions of instructions for ships in convoy, 1708 to 1815. In addition to these single items, there are sets in the personal collections. The most extensive, of thirty-four volumes, is that of Admiral Duncan, 1760 to 1799, including signals and instructions issued during the American War, convoy instructions for 1782 and a number of sets from the 1790s. Other sets of significance include those of Vice-Admiral Duff, 1748 to 1762, including convoy instructions, 1756 and 1758, and printed instructions for disembarking and re-embarking troops, which were issued by Admiral Rodney (1719-1792) for the landings at Marinique, 1762; of Rear-Admiral Clements, 1758 to 1770; and of Captain Lord Longford, 1779 to 1780.

The collection, consisting of nineteen volumes, relates to the administration of the Navy, naval policy during the war with France, 1690 to 1698, and questions of Admiralty jurisdiction, and falls into four main groups. The first, of six volumes, contains letters received by William Blathwayt between 1690 and 1703; they concern the conduct of the war and questions of naval administration, including some, 1697 to 1703, from Josiah Burchett, Secretary of the Admiralty (1666?-1746). The second group of four volumes relates mainly to the time of the Dutch Wars when Robert Southwell was a Commissioner for Prizes. It contains drafts, orders and precedents relating to the Commission, 1661 to 1705, as well as a volume devoted to the legal problems of wrecks, 1687 to 1705. There are also some letters from Blathwayt to Robert Southwell for this period. The third group of four volumes contains letters by Lord Nottingham, 1690 and 1692 to 1693, to Blathwayt and Sir Robert Southwell, some with draft replies. Apart from reporting on naval affairs, there are later private letters, 1711, 1716, and Irish affairs, 1703, are also mentioned. The final four volumes are miscellaneous in nature, including a volume relating to the conduct of the war, 1695 to 1697; a working reference book on the proceedings of the Commission of Prizes, 1665 to 1667; and two volumes of miscellaneous papers relating to all the subjects mentioned above, 1674 to 1708.

These include transcripts of documents dating from the sixteenth century: the earliest is a description of Drake's preparations for his expedition in 1585. There are also transcripts of official letters, 1718 to 1720 to Admiral Sir George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington (1663-1733), when he was in command of the British fleet in the Mediterranean; a copy of a letter describing the sinking of the GREAT BRITAIN in the St Lawrence River, 1842; and transcripts of letters from the Duke of Windsor and Prince Albert (later King George VI) to Admiral Sir Campbell Tait (1886-1946), 1913 to 1919.

Between 1962 and 1965 Captain Vaughan presented his father's collection of original documents, mainly relating to the operations of Plymouth and Gibraltar dockyards and to victualling, 1678 to 1832. In 1978 Mrs I. M. Vaughan presented some official and private papers and the reminiscences of her late husband, Captain H R H Vaughan, together with the residue of her father-in-law's papers. The documents relating to Plymouth dockyard mainly consist of individual letters extracted from the yard's official administrative records. They consist of letters to the yard commissioner from the Admiralty, 1695 to 1832; from the Navy Board, 1695 to 1820; from the dockyard officers, 1695 to 1816; from sea officers, 1696 to 1828; from the Commissioners of Victualling, 1716, 1824 to 1831; from the Plymouth Victualling Office, 1697 to 1779; letters from the yard commissioner to the Admiralty, 1697 to 1701, contained in a complete letterbook; to the Navy Board, 1706 to 1708; orders to yard officers, 1809; standing orders 1678 to 1766, contained in one volume; letters to the yard officers from the Navy Board, 1694 to 1758; officers' reports to the Navy Board, 1696 to 1791; accounts of ships' stores, 1713 to 1793; Admiralty letters to and from naval officers, 1696 to 1832. The documents relating to Gibraltar yard include two of the Commissioner's letterbooks containing letters to the Victualling Commissioners and naval officers, 1755 to 1763, and to yard and naval officers, 1803 to 1805. Instructions and specifications relating to victualling are contained in one volume, c 1820. The papers of H R H Vaughan include a journal of a voyage from Bombay to Basnah, 1928; some private letters received, 1929 to 1931; copies of official intelligence reports to the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies station, concerning affairs in the Persian Gulf, 1929; a copy of the official report of the Flag Officer, Narvik, April to June 1940; and his own handwritten reminiscences 1911 to 1945.

Papers of Allan Robert Woodriff, consisting of service documents, 1868 to 1874, an undated letter from Woodriff (while a sub-lieutenant) to his mother and letters of condolence after his death.

Papers of Cpt Daniel Woodriff, they include a log, 1790; extracts from Woodriff's journal, 1794; copies and drafts of letters and memorials, 1805 to 1815; Woodriff's will, 1828, and that of his wife Sarah, 1846.

Papers of John Robert Woodriff, consisting of personal and service documents, 1802 to 1867, including a letter of 1842 from John Robert's brother, Commander Daniel Woodriff (1789-1860), whose papers are in the National Library of Australia at Canberra.

Papers of Greive, William Samuel, containing logs, 1845 to 1847, and 1851 to 1855; a letterbook, 1871 to 1874; commissions, 1851 to 1884, and a few single documents.

Microfilm collection containing copies of meeting minutes of the major conferences of the Combined Chiefs of Staff, 1941-1945. Meeting minutes include those for the conference held at Washington, DC, codenamed ARCADIA, at which Anglo-American planners first formed a combined strategy for the prosecution of the war, 22 Dec 1941-14 Jan 1942; the conference at Casablanca, Morocco, codenamed SYMBOL, during which the Anglo-American Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) first discussed the policies of German unconditional surrender, the Combined Bomber Offensive from Great Britain against Germany and the establishment of the French National Committee for Liberation, 14-24 Jan 1943; the Allied conference held at Washington, DC, codenamed TRIDENT, at which President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Prime Minister Rt Hon Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, and the Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS)discussed the decision to delay the invasion of France until May 1944, the Italian surrender, and the Battle of the Atlantic, 11-25 May 1943; the Allied conference at Quebec City, Canada, codenamed QUADRANT, at which the Allies endorsed a plan for the invasion of the Normandy coast in France, formed a new theatre of war, South-East Asia Command, with Acting Adm Lord Louis (Francis Albert Victor Nicholas) Mountbatten as Supreme Allied Commander, and regulated the procedures for co-operation between Great Britain and the US regarding the development and production of the atomic bomb, 12-24 Aug 1943; the Allied conferences at Cairo, Egypt, codenamed SEXTANT, at which the Allies discussed combined operations in South-East Asia with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's Chinese forces, 22-26 Nov and 2-7 Dec 1943; the Allied conference at Teheran, Iran, codenamed EUREKA, during which the Allies first co-ordinated future strategy with Soviet Prime Minister Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, including plans to coincide military operations against Germany in France and the Soviet Union in May 1944, 28-30 Nov 1943; the conference at Quebec City, Canada, codenamed OCTAGON, at which the Allies discussed the post-war division of Germany and a plan for its de-industrialisation, 12-16 Sep 1944; the conferences at Malta and Yalta, Soviet Union, codenamed ARGONAUT, at which the Allies discussed the division of post-war Germany, the occupation of Germany and Austria, Soviet involvement in the war against Japan, and the future government and frontiers of Poland, 30 Jan-9 Feb 1945; the conference at Potsdam, Germany, codenamed TERMINAL, during which surrender terms for Japan were discussed, the boundaries and peace terms for Europe were determined and Poland's government and frontiers were debated, 16 Jul-2 Aug 1945. Conference minutes include references to Allied production and assignment of war materials; British and US merchant vessel losses; US policy concerning assignments of Lend-Lease military aircraft, naval vessels and munitions to Great Britain; Allied petroleum supplies; propaganda and unconventional warfare; war crimes and prisoners of war; operational reports concerning the planning and conduct of Allied offensive operations in Europe, including the invasion of North Africa, codenamed Operation TORCH, Nov 1942; the invasion of Sicily, Italy, codenamed Operation HUSKY, Jul 1943; the US preparation for the invasion of Europe, codenamed Operation BOLERO; and the Allied invasion of Europe, codenamed Operation OVERLORD, Jun 1944; operational reports concerning the Japanese war economy; Japanese Imperial Army logistical capabilities; locations and strengths of Japanese forces in the Pacific; British participation in long range bombing of Japan; Allied operational efforts in Burma, India, Malaya, and the Philippines; Soviet claims on the Sakhalin and Kuril islands; the co-ordination of Allied strategic plans for the defeat and occupation of Japan, 1943-1944; Soviet military action to facilitate Operation OVERLORD; liaison between Allied theatre commanders and the Soviet Army; Soviet capabilities with reference to the Far East; US Lend-Lease requirements for the Soviet Union; and estimates of Soviet post-war capabilities and intentions, 1943-1945.

Records of the Middlesex County Council Civil Defence Department, including general files, 1953-1964, relating to civil defence including planning, guidance, memoranda, reports, background information, general correspondence, correspondence relating to air raid shelters, surveys, conferences and papers on the use of the Civil Defence Corps in peacetime emergencies.

Files on training, 1949-1964, including syllabus and instructor notes for training in handling casualties, rescue, wardens, tactics, evacuation, care of the homeless, billeting, rest centres, operational control, cable laying and communications; orders for training exercises; demonstrations and competitions, and plaques presented to the Middlesex Division Civil Defence Corps for completion of training by the Royal Air Force.

Files on tactical studies, 1953-1962, including London tactical study exercise questions; London Region control and deployment study; papers from a London tactical exercise at Park Royal; and papers from a Middlesex County Council tactical study at Hirst Hall, Wembley including programmes, talks and notes.

Papers of AM Tim Garden, 1982-2006, including transcripts of lectures by Garden, 1982-2002; articles by Garden, 1984-2005 and papers reflecting his research on the Falklands War; Kosovo; Iraq; Iran; Afghanistan; nuclear weapons; Northern Ireland; military capabilities in Europe; NATO and the European Union. Papers include press cuttings, articles, correspondence, draft papers pamphlets and other published material.

Thirty eight audiotapes of interviews, conducted by Gelb between 1983 and 1984, with veterans of the Battle of Britain, 1940, used as research material for Gelb's book Scramble: a narrative history of the Battle of Britain (Michael Joseph, London, 1986), including interviews with ACM Sir Christopher (Neil) Foxley-Norris, AM Sir Denis Crowley-Milling, AVM Harold Arthur CooperBird-Wilson, AVM George Philip Chamberlain, Maj Gen Basil Perronet Hughes, AVM Alexander Vallance Riddell Johnstone, Air Cdre Edward Mortlock Donaldson, Air Cdre John Lawrence Wemyss Ellacombe, Gp Capt Sir Hugh (Spencer Lisle) Dundas, Wg Cdr Robert Roland Stanford-Tuck, 1983-1984; two paperback editions of Scramble: a narrative history of the Battle of Britain (Pan, London, 1986).

Various military papers, mainly dating from the nineteenth century, including standing orders, despatches and a paper by Gen Sir Frederick Roberts on Russia, all probably collected by Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1805-1811, 1871-1885, 1918-1921. Correspondence and papers relating to Lt Gen Sir Robert Grant (see above), including material concerning his career, and correspondence from Gen Sir Henry Redvers Buller, 1900. Letters and papers of Charles John Cecil Grant, notably correspondence with Rosebery, mainly letters written whilst on active service on the Western Front, World War One, 1914-1927, French Gen Maxime Weygand, including comments on the Versailles Treaty and the death of French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, 1919-1948, andLt Gen Sir Oliver William Hargreaves Leese, 3rd Bt, on military operations in Italy during World War Two, 1943-1944. Copies of diary entries and notes written by Charles John Cecil Grant whilst serving as a liaison officer to French Headquarters on the Western Front, World War One, Mar-Nov 1918.

Papers of Col Henry Grattan relating to service as Chief Engineer for construction of new British Army of the Rhine Headquarters (BAOR), Rheindahlen, Germany, 1952-1954, including: article 'New Headquarters in Germany' by Grattan, Royal Engineers Journal, Mar-Jun, 1956, giving a full account of the building of the complex; article, `Water Divining as an Aid to Engineering' by Grattan, Royal Engineers Journal, 1957, defending the practice of water divining or dowsing; letter from Gen Sir Harry Tuzo, Commander in Chief, BAOR, congratulating Grattan on the twentieth anniversary of the building of the Rheindahlen complex, Jul 1973; copy of 'The Reindahlen Bulletin', the base newsletter, Sep 1979, celebrating the twenty fifth anniversary of the Rheindahlen base; various obituaries and appreciations of Grattan, 1997-1998, including obituary from Royal Engineers Journal, Apr 1998.

Copy of his account of Battle of Jutland, 31 May 1916, written on 4 Jun 1916. Copy of text of his despatch from HMS SCYLLA on the Normandy landings, 6-7 Jun 1944, broadcast on the [Forces Programme], 7 Jun 1944, with covering letter, 24 Jun 1944. Copies of extracts from his diary covering his discussion with Adm Hon Sir Alexander Robert Maule Ramsay about the planningof the Normandy landings, Dec [1944], and his visit to Germany, Jun 1945, including his observations on German scientific and technical developments and his interviews with British and German naval officers. Two letters to Grenfell's wife from Baron von Müllenheim-Rechberg, a survivor of the sinking of the Bismarck, May 1941, dated 1978, concerning Grenfell's book The Bismarckepisode (Faber and Faber, London, 1948).

Papers, 1898-1900, 1916-1945, of Brig Gen Percy Robert Clifford Groves, mainly comprising material on the development of aviation policy and the evolution of the Royal Air Force in the interwar period, and also including material on the Royal Flying Corps in the Middle East during World War One. The papers include Groves' Boer war diary, 1900; photographs of operations of 'C' flight No 17 Squadron in the Sudan, undated [1916]; report on arrangements for No 17 Squadron Royal Flying Corps and the Aircraft Park allotted to the Salonika Army, 1916; lecture on the organisation and work of the Royal Flying Corps, 1917, and related papers; papers relating to the Air Section of the British Delegation of the Inter Allied Aeronautical Commission of Control (Commission Interalliée de Controle Aeronautique), 1919-1922; minutes of the Committee of Enquiry on the Air League of the British Empire, 1926-1927, and associated correspondence; papers relating to publications by Groves on aviation matters, 1927-[1938], including vols I and II of the periodical Air, 1927-1929, reviews and cuttings for Behind the smoke screen [1934] and Our future in the air [1935], and a further survey of air power, This Air Business [1938], which went unpublished owing to the outbreak of World War Two. Personal papers include Groves' commissions in the militia and land forces, 1898-1899; photographs relating to Groves' attendance at the Versailles peace conference (1919-1920); papers relating to promotion, 1919-1924; financial papers; press cuttings on public affairs to 1945.

Papers, [1944]-1997, accumulated by Gen Sir John Winthrop Hackett. The bulk of the material (125 boxes) comprises Hackett's papers, 1958-1997, including official and personal correspondence, texts of lectures, press cuttings and published material. The papers range over Hackett's career and interests, the subjects including his official posts as Commandant, Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham, 1958-1961, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, 1963-1964, and Commander in Chief, British Army of the Rhine, 1965-1966; King's College London and other academic institutions; his lecture 'The profession of arms' and other conferences, lectures and speeches, including Kermit Roosevelt lecture tour, 1967; publications including I was a stranger (1977) and Third World War (1978); UK and overseas military associations and institutions, including the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars and Queen's Royal Hussars, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Royal United Services Institution, Institute of Strategic Studies; annual memorial visits to Arnhem. A smaller accession (5 boxes) comprises papers and correspondence, largely typescripts and printed material, accumulated by Hackett on military matters, largely but not wholly pertaining to the 1980s and including, for example, news cuttings, correspondence and conference papers on nuclear proliferation and debate on the issues; some material relates to Hackett's Warfare in the ancient world, published in 1989. Another accession (1 box) comprises typescript essays with related papers, photographs and plans concerning the Battle of Arnhem collected by Lt Col Theodore A Boeree, including extracts from the diary of Miss Riek van der Vlist, [1944], kept at Hotel Schoonard, the temporary British hospital during the Battle of Arnhem; a file of press cuttings on various military matters, 1968-1970; press article by Gen Hackett on Arnhem, 1974; two letters between Hackett and Dr Hedwig Delekat of Mainz, Germany, Jul-Aug 1968, concerning the fact that Hackett had no connection with Gen Halket, who served under Wellington. The collection also includes various military periodicals (27 boxes).

'Tobruk: Siege, Breakout, Victory', typescript memoir covering operations at Tobruk, 1941-1942, written in [1991] and later published as Tobruk: the great siege reassessed (Arms and Armour Press, London, 1996)

Photocopies of papers relating to his service in World War Two, 1943-1944, dated 1944, 1947 and 1980, principally comprising notes for a lecture to the Royal Engineers Officer Cadet Training Unit on the role of 3 Infantry Div during the Normandy landings (Operation OVERLORD), Jun 1944, written in [Oct] 1944.

Copy of 'Tim', a typescript account of Hely's life and career, 1902-1990, notably his service with 60 Field Regt in the Western Desert, including action around Sidi Rezegh, Nov 1941, and with 7 Indian Div in India, 1942 and Burma, 1943-1945, including the Japanese attack on 15 Indian Corps' administrative base at Sinzweya, Burma, Feb 1944, written in 1991 by 'L R L', Hely's Bde Maj, Royal Artillery, 7 Div, 1942-1944. Includes extracts from Hely's descriptions of actions at Sidi Rezegh and Sinzweya written for The Royal Artillery Commemoration Book, 1939-1945 (G Bell and Sons, London, 1950).

The papers cover the period, 1879-1916, and include papers on Howell's service as a correspondent for The Times in the Balkans, including photographs and newspaper cuttings, 1903; papers on Howell's training at Staff College, Quetta, India, and Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, including notes on Cavalry organization and tactics and on the establishment of FrontierIntelligence organization in India, 1904-1914; papers on service as Officer Commanding 4 Hussars, including Operational orders, accounts of Allied operations on Western Front, personal diaries and manuscript maps of Western Front trenches, 1914-1915; Operational orders from service as Brig Gen, General Staff Cavalry Corps, Western Front, 1915; official and semi-official correspondencefrom service as Chief of Staff, Salonika, including personal diaries, correspondence relating to attempts to secure Bulgarian entry in World War One on the Allied side, and correspondence relating to allegations of Howell leaking memoranda to a Suffragete newspaper called Britannia, 1915-1916. The collection also includes Howell family correspondence, 1879-1889, mostly between Howell's father and grandfather, and from 1909-16 between Howell and his wife Mrs Rosalind 'Linnett' Howell [nee Buxton]. The papers of Howell's wife, Mrs Rosalind 'Linnett' Howell [nee Buxton], 1910-1966, include an account of Howell's life entitled, Philip Howell. A Memoir By His Wife(1942, London, George Allen & Unwin Ltd) and letters from Capt (Edward) Hugh Buxton and Maj (Abbot) Redmond Buxton [Rosalind 'Linnett' Howell's brothers], concerning Allied withdrawal from Anzac Cove and Sulva Bay, Gallipoli, Turkey, 1915-1916.

Diaries, log books and other papers, 1913-1966, of Cdr Lawrence Antony Humphreys, comprising a photograph album including photographs of Dartmouth Royal Naval (RN) College, Devon, 1914-1916, and ships of the British and German fleets, 1917-1919, subsequently used as a scrapbook for newspaper and other cuttings to 1966; volume entitled 'Operations etc HMS TARANTULA', comprising log of messages received and sent, 11 Mar 1917-11 Mar 1918, while taking part in operations in Mesopotamia from the fall of Baghdad, later used as diary of voyage, Basra to Canton via Hong Kong, 29 Mar-3 Jul 1918, with reflections on anti British disturbances up to 2 Mar 1919; midshipman's journal, HMS BARHAM, 1 Jul 1919-14 May 1920, with latter part of volume used for documents relating to postings and promotions, 1917-1946; diaries (2 volumes), Mar-Jun 1922; syllabus and manuscript notes, Cambridge course for RN Officers, Michaelmas 1922-Lent 1923; volume containing souvenir programmes of the Special Service Sqn World cruise, 1923-1924 (South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, Vancouver, Canada, San Francisco, USA, Peru, Chile); diaries of the world cruise, 25 Nov 1923-30 Sep 1924; sketch book containing notes on seamanship, HMS INDOMITABLE [1917-1919]; volume of notes on gunnery, HMS INDOMITABLE, HMS VENDETTA, HMS BARHAM, HMS TARANTULA and HMS DRAGON, 1917-1925; gunnery notes, RN College, Greenwich [1926]; gunnery orders, HMS HOOD; drill instructions, HMS DANAE [1930-1933]; term lists, RN College, Osborne, Sep 1914-Jan 1916, and RN College, Dartmouth, May 1916-May 1917; 'Osborne', RN College magazines, Dec 1914-Dec 1916; 'The Britannia Magazine', RN College, Dartmouth, Easter 1916-Midsummer 1917; 'Regulations for German observation groups', a manual for the Artillery Survey Section, translated extracts, Dec 1917; Gunnery Drill Book (Book I) (Admiralty, London, 1913); Rifle and field exercises for His Majesty's Fleet (Admiralty, London, 1913); The danger angle and off shore distance tables by Capt Squire Thornton Stratford Lecky, RN (1916); two editions of Gunnery Drill Book (Book II) (1918) (one revised in 1927); Silhouettes of effective British warships by E L King (Low, London, 1919); Warships at a glance, silhouettes of the world's fighting ships by Frederick Thomas Jane, RN College Osborne (Low, London, 1914); Boats' signal book (1920); Royal Naval handbook of field training (1920); Drill for 4 inch QF Mark XII gun on SI mounting (Submarines) (1928); The Fleet annual and Naval year book (1917); 'The Castillian', Fleet magazine, Jan-May 1925; 'Royal Naval Staff College Magazine', issues 4-6 (undated); humorous pamphlet 'The cruises of HMS Zinnia' (undated); Our Navy, handbook of the British Navy (undated); Lord Fisher on the Navy, articles reprinted from The Times, Sep 1919; Future of navies, articles reprinted from The Times, Nov 1920-Feb 1921; 'Naval athletics', compiled by Maxwell Cunningham (undated); The Battle of the Atlantic, the official account of the fight against U boats, 1939-1945 (HMSO, London); How the war will be won by Capt Bernard Acworth (1940); The Battle of Britain, Aug-Oct 1940 (Air Ministry); Destruction of an Army, 1st Libyan Campaign, Sept 1940-Feb 1941; Parliamentary White Paper by Sir Neville Henderson on the circumstances leading to the termination of his mission to Berlin, Germany, 20 Sep 1939.