War Cabinet Minutes (HMSO), 1939-1945 is a themed microfiche collection containing copies of the minutes of the War Cabinet Meetings, Sep 1939-Jul 1945, and Cabinet Conclusions and Confidential Annexes, 1941-1945. Meeting minutes include British plans to create discord amongst the German High Command, Nov 1939; criticism of the military campaign in Norway, May 1940; First Lord of the Admiralty Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill's criticism of the Allied propaganda campaign in France, May 1940; speculation on the ability of the German population to sustain prolonged war, May 1940; reaction to the Allied withdrawals in France and Belgium, May 1940; the debate over the possible compromise peace with Germany, 26-28 May 1940; the decision to intern all enemy aliens in the United Kingdom; May 1940; Churchill's reaction to American isolationism, May 1940; the seizing of French warships in British and Egyptian harbours and the sinking of French warships at Mers-el-Kebir, Egypt, 23 Jun 1940; straining Anglo-French relations, Jul 1940; the Anglo-American 'destroyers for bases' agreement, Aug 1940; Churchill's attempt to take to court the Sunday Pictorial and the Daily Mirror over the newspapers' alleged anti-Government editorials, Oct 1940; preparations for the possible German invasion of the Britain, 1940; civil defence precautions in Britain, 1940; the British intervention in Greece, 1941; speculation on Soviet military collapses following the invasion of the Soviet Union by German armed forces, Jun 1941; Churchill's appeals to US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for American intervention in the war, 1941; reaction over the fall of Singapore and Malaya to Japanese armed forces, Feb 1942; Anglo-American preparations for the invasion of North Africa, 1942; naval and air operations against France, 1943; the 'Beveridge Report' on social security in Britain, 1943; reports on Allied conferences at Casablanca, Jan 1943, and Washington, May 1943; the Allied decision to invade France made at the QUADRANT Conference, Quebec, Canada, Aug 1943; the planning and conduct of Operation OVERLORD, the Allied invasion of France, Jun 1944; the effect of the bombardment of London by German V1 pilotless aircraft and possible RAF reprisals against German civilian targets, Jun 1944; post-war reconstruction and rehabilitation in Europe, Jul 1944; plans for the Allied occupation of Germany and Austria, Nov 1944; British intervention in Greece in order to prevent a Communist take-over of the peninsula, Nov 1944; the establishment of the United Nations, 1945; arrangements for celebrating the end of the war in Europe, May 1945; the British General Election, Jul 1945.

Papers of John Patrick Ryland, comprising papers relating to the Home Guard, 1940-1944 and collected material relating to World War One, 1916-1918, Home Guard papers, 1940-1944, comprise published material including Home Guard instructions on training 1940-1944; regulations, 1942, and training manuals, 1940-1944 and unpublished material including instructions for training exercises; notes from training courses and Home Guard examination papers; map of 'Hazebrouck 5a, Belgium', edition 2, scale 1:100,000, Geographical Section, General Staff, No. 2364, published by Ordnance Survey ,1916; map of the Somme, France entitled 'Special Sheet, edition 2 A' showing British and enemy trenches corrected from information received up to 24 Jun 1918, scale 1:20,000, published by the Field Survey Co. No. 3790; German map of France, Belgium and the Netherlands entitled 'Spezialkarte der Nördlichen Westfront' Flemmingskriegskarte No 23, scale 1:320,000, 1916 and 120 degree panoramic photograph Number 304 of the Somme from North North West to East created for the Fourth Army, 16 Nov 1916 and Daily Telegraph War Map of Europe, World War Two, specially prepared for The Daily Telegraph by the London Geographical Institute, displaying neutral and belligerent countries, scale 50 miles = 1 inch.

Papers, 1814, 1857-1963, of Field Marshal Sir John Greer Dill and his family. Papers relating to Dill's family and family estates date largely from 1857-1953, but include press cuttings, 1814. The collection mainly comprises papers, telegrams and photographs relating to Dill's life and military career, dating from 1901-1944 but particularly from 1914 onwards, and includes correspondence and other papers concerning his service as General Staff Officer 1, 37 Division, and General Staff Officer 1, Operations Branch, General Headquarters, British Armies in France, Western Front, World War One, 1917-1918, notably instructions to 37 Division, 1917; 15 Division Operational Orders for the Battle of Arras, 1917. Official and some personal correspondence and notes, 1916-1939, including record of the advance of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, 1919; lecture notes relating to Dill's service as Chief Instructor, Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, 1920, and to his promotion to Lt Gen, 1936; letters from Captain Basil Henry Liddell Hart, Maj Gen Sir Sydney Frederick Muspratt, Maj Gen Arthur Cecil Temperley, and Maj Gen John Dudley Laverack, 1926-1939; correspondence with Field Marshal Sir Cyril John Deverell, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, relating to Dill's service as General Officer Commanding, Palestine and Transjordan, Sep 1936-Jul 1937. Official correspondence relating to Dill's command of 1 Army Corps France and Belgium, 1939-1940, principally including correspondence between Maj Gen Sir Henry Royds Pownall, Chief of General Staff British Expeditionary Force (BEF), and Lt Gen Ronald Forbes Adam, General Officer Commanding 3 Army Corps, Sep-Oct 1939; correspondence between Dill and Maj Gen Hugh Royds Stokes Massy, Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff. and Chief of General Staff Maj Gen Henry Royds Pownall, Oct 1939; correspondence with US Gen George Catlett Marshal, Chief of Staff US Army, relating to Joint Planning Committee, Mar 1940; correspondence on liaison arrangements between the French and British armies in France, Oct 1939, and letter to Dill as Chief of Imperial General Staff, from Lt Gen Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, General Officer Commanding in Chief, Southern Command, Nov 1940. Typescript report relating to imposition of economic sanctions against Ireland due to the refusal of permission for the use of Irish ports by the Royal Navy, Nov-Dec 1940, with letter from Maj Gen Hubert Jervoise Huddleston, General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland District, to Gen Bernard Paget, Chief of Staff, Home Forces, explaining the need for an appreciation of the political situation in Ireland, Jun 1940. Semi-official letters, diaries and notes to Dill as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, War Office, London, 1940-1941, including letter from Rt Hon (Arthur) Neville Chamberlain, Lord President of the Council, Aug 1940, official diary of tour of the Mediterranean, Feb-Apr 1941, correspondence congratulating promotion to Field Marshal, 1941; copy of personal minutes of Prime Minister, Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, May 1941; notes on Dill's visit to Paris, France, with Prime Minister Churchill, including diary of events, May 1940; typescript notes on telephone conversation with Rt Hon (Robert) Anthony Eden, Secretary of State for War, Nov 1940; correspondence with Field Marshal Rt Hon Jan Christian Smuts, Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Pretoria, South Africa, Nov 1941,Gen Bernard (Charles Tolver) Paget, Commander in Chief Home Forces, Nov 1941, Lt Gen Arthur Nugent Floyer-Acland, Secretary to the Secretary of State for War, Nov 1941. Letters and notes relating to Gen Sir Archibald Percival Wavell, Commander-in-Chief India, including notes on operations in Greece, the defence of Egypt, Palestine and Crete, Sep 1941, and personal letter from Lt Gen Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief, Middle East Command, regarding Prime Minister Churchill's negative attitude to Gen Wavell, May 1941. Four albums of photographs relating to Placentia Bay Conference, Newfoundland, Canada, Aug 1941, official visit to Canada, Aug-Sep 1943, and the Casablanca Conference, code name SYMBOL, Jan 1943, including the Prime Minister, Churchill, aboard HMS PRINCE OF WALES and aboard USS AUGUSTA 1941.

Copies of unpublished typescript memoirs, 1895-1945, by Burnett-Stuart, Chapter 1-12, 152pp, and Chapters 14-23, 191pp. Papers relating to Belgian military exercises, 1913, including typescript 'Report on the Belgian Grand Manoeuvres 1913' by Capt Harry Cecil Johnson, General Staff, with five printed maps of areas of Belgium, notably Namur, Dinant and Brussels [1913]. Copies of correspondence relating to the Moplah Rebellion, 1921-1922, including correspondence with Col Edward Thomas Humphreys, commanding Malabar Force, Sep 1921-Feb 1922; correspondence with Gen Henry Seymour Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson of Trent, Commander-in-Chief of the Army in India, Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Baron Willingdon of Ratton, Governor of Madras, Lt Gen Sir William Raine Marshall, General Officer Commanding in Chief, Southern Command, India, Lt Gen Sir John Stuart Mackenzie Shea, General Officer Commanding Central Provinces District, India, Maj Gen Sir Archibald Armar Montgomery, Deputy Chief of General Staff, India, Col Walter Patrick Hore-Ruthven, 2nd Baron Ruthven, commanding Bangalore Bde Area, Southern Command, India, Col Henry Karslake, General Staff Officer 1, Headquarters Peshawar, India, and Col William Henry Beach, Deputy Director (Intelligence), General Staff, India, with typescript copy of order of battle, Malabar Force, India, 1921-1922, and lecture on the Moplah rebellion [1924]. Papers relating to Burnett-Stuart's service as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, UK, 1934-1938, including typescript memorandum by Burnett-Stuart 'British Defence Policy', Apr 1935; typescript memorandum by FM Sir Cyril John Deverell, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, 'The organisation, armament and equipment of the Army', Nov 1936; typescript volume 'Southern Command. Annual report on training of the regular Army 1936-1937'; typescript address by Burnett-Stuart, 'Southern Command Winter Exercise (The Mobile Division) 1936-1937'.

Papers relating to operations of 20 Corps in Palestine, 1917-1918, including third Battle of Gaza; correspondence including with Gen Sir Kenneth Wigram, 1935, and FM Sir Philip Chetwode, 1926-1936, with related papers, 1911-1950; Bartholomew Committee, Jun 1940 including operations in Flanders, organisation and training of troops; Northern Command and civil defence, 1940-1945.