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Series details for: AWM54
Series number
AWM54
Title
Written records, 1939-45 War
Accumulation dates
circa 1926 - 1993
Contents dates
circa 1926 - 1992
Items in this series on RecordSearch
18339

Click to see items listed on RecordSearch. Please contact the National Reference Service if you can't find the record you want as not all items from the series may be on RecordSearch.
Agency/person recording
  • 1926 - 1939
    CA 19, Department of Defence [II] (Central Administration)
  • 1942 - 1993
    CA 46, Department of Defence [III], Central Office
Agency/person controlling
  • 14 Apr 1942 -
    CA 46, Department of Defence [III], Central Office
System of arrangement/ control
Multiple number system
Range of control symbols
1/1/1 - 1039/4/2
Predominant physical format
PAPER FILES AND DOCUMENTS
Series note

Series number

AWM54

Series title

Written records, 1939-45 War

Series contents date range

c. 1926-1992

Extent

213.5 metres

Access conditions

Subject to the Australian Archives Act (1983)

Agency controlling

Department of Defence

Custodial agency

Australian War Memorial

Function and provenance

AWM54 is an artificial series of records which were transferred to the Australian War Memorial (AWM) from the Military History Section (MHS) of the Army.  The bulk of the records were created by headquarters and units of the second Australian Imperial Force (AIF), which had to be disposed of before their disbandment at the end of the 1939-45 war.

During 1945, two General Routine Orders (GRO Nos 229 and 324) were promulgated to aid those involved in winding up units to identify records of enduring historical value.  Despite the setting out of the appraisal criteria in the GROs, it appears that, in many cases unit records were packed up in bulk and forwarded to the Military History Section without first undergoing assessment for permanent retention.  This resulted in the MHS being deluged with an enormous amount of material at its receiving depot, then located at the Sydney Showground.  Estimates of the number of cases varies between 6,000 and 9,000.  Another 400 cases were also received from the MHS in Melbourne.

In May 1946 the Department of the Army advised the Department of the Interior that its Military History Section at Army Headquarters had a large collection of historical material and that to provide for the disbandment of the section, it was necessary to arrange for their disposal.  It was recommended that the records be transferred to the Australian War Memorial (AWM).  Movement of the records commenced in July 1946.

Early in 1947, the Commonwealth Government released the showgrounds to the Royal Agricultural Society to hold the first show since the start of the war. The records which had been taken over from the MHS and still stored at the showground had to be moved, first to several buildings at St Marys, west of Sydney and then later relocated to warehouses at Maroubra. At about the same time the AWM leased the Old Exhibition Building behind Central Railway Station and this also became a depot for the storage of relics and records and an office for conducting the Sydney business of the War Memorial.

In 1951 plans were made for the processing of the large amount of obsolete records. A classification scheme was devised and an initial cull of the records took place between 1951 and 1953. This was in preparation for processing the records into a three number subject classification scheme based on the original system devised by the Australian War Records Section for the 1914-18 War unit records (AWM 25). At the end of the culling exercise, the records had been reduced to ten per cent of their original volume, a figure specified by the Public Service Board, who had authorised the employment of four clerks to carry out the task.

The remaining records were sent to the AWM in Canberra from early 1955 to be fully classified to the three number stage by a team of clerical assistants. The files were stamped “War of 1939-45”, with spaces for recording the origin of each file, the classification number, subject numbers of cross references, and the numbers of AWM files used in obtaining records. The records were housed in buff coloured folders and file titles were recorded on the covers.

Material relating to units which had been collected by the MHS during the war and had been classified by them using a system called ‘Special Packets’ has also been included in this series.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, material relating to the British Commonwealth Occupational Force (BCOF) in Japan and the British Commonwealth Force, Korea (BCFK) was processed into AWM 54 (previously known as “Written records, 1939-45”). Most of the BCOF material was subsequently transferred to a new series, AWM114, Written records, Japan (BCOF) and Korea, however some files still remain in AWM54. A small amount of miscellaneous material relating to Southeast Asian conflicts was also processed into AWM54, but was subsequently transferred to AWM125, Written records, Southeast Asian conflicts.

In September 1988 the series was given a new control number, AWM54. Until August 1993, miscellaneous official records relating to the 1939-45 War from both private and official sources were added to AWM54. Instead of continuing this practice, the series was closed on 5 August 1993, and a new series, AWM254, Written records, 1939-45, second series was started. Items processed into AWM254 are not subject classified, and are numbered with a running single number.

Contents

The bulk of the series consists of files created by headquarters and units of the second Australian Imperial Force (AIF).  They contain a wide range of operational material and reports, including copies of messages, minutes of staff conferences, general staff memoranda, appreciations, circulars, procedures, administrative instructions, intelligence summaries, signal instructions and unit histories.

System of arrangement and control

Three indexes were created to control the records: AWM111 is an alphabetical listing of three subject headings with a corresponding control number, AWM 112 is a card index listing primary and secondary subject headings with control numbers and AWM110 is the main run of cards recording the numbers and titles of each file registered into the three number system.

Under the three number system the first number represents the primary subject of the file, the second number is a subheading, e.g. organization or supply and the third number represents the sequence of files under this classification.

Using the series

Each item in the series is recorded on the RecordSearch database which researchers may access via the Internet.

Researchers wishing to use the original control cards should first consult the subject heading listing, AWM111. Once they have located a relevant subject heading and its control number they will need to consult the card index, AWM110. The card index is filed numerically in boxes and a listing can be found on RecordSearch. A printed finding aid is also available in the Memorial’s Research Centre.

While the bulk of the files in this series cover the period 1939-1950 researchers will find a small number of items whose content is either side of this date range.

A computer printout of files relating to Japanese war crimes which are classified under number 1010 (War crimes and trials) can be found with the finding aid to AWM54 in the reference collection of the Memorial’s Research Centre.

An index to files relating to the interrogation of captured Japanese personnel which are classified under 779/3/-(Prisoner of war and internees – examinations and interrogations) was compiled by a volunteer in 1986. Further information on this index which is known as AWM218 can be found on RecordSearch under the Series note.

Researchers studying the Australian New Guinea Adminstrative Unit (ANGAU) may be interested in the following guide which is held in the Memorial’s Research Centre: A research guide to World War II files on Australia New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU) that appear in the Australian National Guide to Archival Materials (ANGAM2). The guide was compiled by Biama-Ura Kanasa, an AWM grantee in 1996.

Further assistance in finding relevant information may be gained from related series of records (click on Series Links at the bottom of this page).

Sources

AWM Administrative file, AWM54 Series dossier

AWM93: 422/007/002, General instructions re: classifications 1939-1945

AWM93: 422/007/001, Preparation for use of Army records taken over from Military History Section, Sydney
Harding, Bruce, ‘Official primary sources in the library of the Australian War Memorial’, 1973: working paper in AWM Registry file : 535/002/010
Kanasa, Biama-Ura, ‘A research guide to World War II files on Australia New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU) that appear in the 
Australian National Guide to Archival Materials (ANGAM II)’, Vol. 1, Canberra, Australian War Memorial, 1996.  20 p.  Project funded by an AWM grant.








Series number

AWM54

Series title

Written records, 1939-45 War

Series contents date range

c. 1926-1992

Extent

213.5 metres

Access conditions

Subject to the Australian Archives Act (1983)

Agency controlling

Department of Defence

Custodial agency

Australian War Memori ......

(More)
Subsequent series
  •  
    AWM102, Miscellaneous records of the Australian Army relating to the Vietnam War
  • 01 Jan 1945
    AWM114, Written records - British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF - Japan) and British Commonwealth Forces, Korea (BCFK) - (also registered as CRS A2663)
  • 01 Jan 1955
    AWM125, Written records - Miscellaneous - Southeast Asian conflicts, 1948-1975
  • 05 Aug 1993
    AWM254, Written records, 1939-45 War, second series
Controlling series
  • 01 Jan 1942 - 31 Dec 1945
    AWM218, Card index to interrogation reports of captured Japanese personnel - (CLASS 779/3/- FILES ONLY)
  • 1951 - 1980
    AWM112, Written records, 1939-45 War, sub-class of subject classified control cards
  • 1951 - 1985
    AWM111, Written records, 1939-45 War, subject classified alphabetical control listing
  • 1955 - 1993
    AWM110, Written records, 1939-45 War, subject classified control cards
Related series
  •  
    AWM333, Records of documentation, control and exhibition of the Australian War Memorial relics collection
  •  
    AWM357, Records of NX396 Brigadier Sir Victor Windeyer KBE, DSO and Bar, Commanding Officer, 20th Australian Infantry Brigade
  • 22 Jan 1926 - 19 Jun 1986
    AWM51, Confidential and security classified records originally maintained by the Australian War Memorial Library
  • 1939 - 1945
    AWM359, Nominal roll of 2/8th Australian Infantry Battalion
  • 01 Jan 1939 - 31 Dec 1945
    AWM227, Army historical collection, 1939-45 War
  • 01 Sep 1939 - 31 Dec 1946
    AWM113, Records of the Military History Section (Army)
  • 1942 - 1946
    AWM381, POW records of WO2 Milton Ryan VX43614 2/21 Bn Gull Force, Tan Toey Camp on Ambon
  • 1942 - 1989
    AWM361, Official Records Microform Collection
  • 01 Jan 1942 - 31 Dec 1946
    AWM127, Miscellaneous records transferred by Central Army Records Office
  • 01 Jan 1942 - 31 Dec 1946
    AWM226, Records of war crimes enquiries and trials, 1939-45 War - Class 1010 files
  • 1943 - 1946
    AWM383, Director General Medical Services, Land Headquarters, Malaria Research Unit - Clinical records, 1939-45 War
  • 1944 - 1946
    AWM232, Records of 2nd Echelon, Land Headquarters - Australian Military Forces prisoners of war and missing, Far East and South West Pacific Islands - Class 779
  • 01 Jan 1944 - 31 Dec 1946
    AWM232, Records of 2nd Echelon, Land Headquarters - Australian Military Forces prisoners of war and missing, Far East and South West Pacific Islands - (Class 1010/- files)
  • 01 Jan 1945 - 31 Dec 1956
    AWM114, Written records - British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF - Japan) and British Commonwealth Forces, Korea (BCFK)
  • 01 Jan 1951 -
    AWM132, Order of Battle/Location Statement cards, 1939-45 War
  • 01 Jan 1951 -
    AWM166, Records of the Adjutant General regarding trials of Second World War Japanese war criminals
  • 01 Jan 1951 -
    AWM55, Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) publications
  • 01 Jan 1951 -
    AWM56, Advanced Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ADVATIS) publications
  • 01 Jan 1951 -
    AWM83, Records of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE)
  • 01 Jan 1951 - 31 Dec 1958
    AWM52, 2nd AIF (Australian Imperial Force) and CMF (Citizen Military Forces) unit war diaries, 1939-45 War
(More)
Date registered
22 Sep 1988

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