CHRONOLOGY AND CONTEXT: At an Imperial Naval Conference in 1909 it was agreed that the British Admiralty would relinquish control of Australia's Fleet Unit, and on 10 July 1911 King George V granted the title of 'Royal Australian Navy' to the Permanent Commonwealth Naval Forces. Also in 1911, the Naval Board of Administration, which first came into existence on 12 January 1905, was reconstituted and a Navy Office established in Melbourne. However, responsibility to the Minister of Defence was maintained until the expansion of Naval administration due to the First World War and the appointment of a Minister for the Navy, Hon. J.A. Jensen, on 12 July 1915. The first part of this series was therefore created by Navy Office within the Department of Defence. As part of the post-war contraction, on 21 December 1921, the year to which this series extends, the Department of the Navy was abolished and the administration of the Navy again came under the Minister of Defence.

Prior to the establishment of this series, correspondence concerning Australian Naval matters was registered in the Department of Defence general correspondence series (CRS A289). After 1911, only Navy correspondence requiring ministerial attention or matters affecting other Commonwealth or state authorities continued to be registered in the Defence series. From July 1915, with the establishment of the separate Department of the Navy, the registration of Naval matters within the Defence Department registry ceased entirely.

A parallel secret and confidential series (CRS B2887) was maintained throughout this period. On occasions papers registered in the classified series were declassified and subsequently re-registered in the unclassified series, and sometimes the reverse applied.

From April 1913, branches of the Navy Office maintained separate series, with their own registers and distinct numbering systems. This applied to the Finance, Works, Construction and Victualling Branches. Central registry on receipt of these papers despatched them direct to the branch registry, only registering the papers into the main system if they were referred to the Naval Board or a member of it. The decentralization of the series, copied from the British Admiralty, was meant to expedite the handling of correspondence by preventing a 'bottleneck' at the registers in the Central Registry, but the dispersed accommodation for the branches apparently caused problems in the period, while itself prolonging the retention of the decentralized system.

Construction Branch records were returned to Central Registry control in 1914 at the request of the Naval member responsible, and, following the recommendations of the 1917-1919 Royal Commission into Naval Administration, the Stores and Victualling Branch files were returned in 1920 and the Finance Branch files when a multiple number system was established in 1922. The Works files were transferred to the Railways when they were combined in 1917.

The Royal Commission had also recommended that a multiple number system be reverted to, and planning and interim changes were undertaken on this from late 1918, which may explain the apparent cessation of use of the main register (CRS B1111) about this time. The multiple number system was not implemented however until 1922 after the Department of the Navy was abolished and Navy Office had returned to the control of the Department of Defence.

In June 1921 a stock-take of 'dockets' and files was undertaken combined with a culling of unwanted papers. Branches were requested to apply the same procedures to their records. The result of this culling was recorded in the main register (CRS B1110) for 1911 records, but in the location registers (CRS B1112) for 1912-1921 records. Current files were subsequently top-numbered into the new multiple number series in 1922.

RECORD-KEEPING SYSTEM: The "docket" system, inherited from the British Admiralty, was used for most of the life of this series. A "docket" was a light grey-blue cover used for the distribution and circulation of papers. In addition to provision on these covers for the date, docket number, subject, action completed column, former papers, sender and recipient, there was a "memorandum and minute" section providing a précis of action taken. Sometimes dockets containing related papers were "shoe-laced" together and sometimes subsequent papers were added to papers already in a docket. Thus they became files, the number of the main subject docket, not necessarily the top number, becoming the file number. Pink or grey Department of Defence and Navy Office "File of papers" covers were also used.

STAMPS AND MARKINGS: Early papers were stamped with both "Department of Defence" and "Navy Office" stamps, later ones with a "Department of the Navy" stamp. Some papers are stamped "Examined" followed by a date in the 1920's which refers to the culling commenced in June 1921 and most dockets and files are marked or stamped "Retain", referring to a later culling. Registration numbers are usually enclosed in a stamp, a rectangular one bearing the word "Navy" with provision for the number, being most common early in the series and an oval one bearing the words "Navy - central administration" with provision for the file number, following the re-organisation commenced in 1918. 

The blue-pencilled numerical prefix found with the annual single number indicates that the file has subsequently been assigned to a subject group as follows:

1. Administrative and Official

2. General

3. Finance

5. Personnel - Forces

8. Stores - General

9. Stores - Naval

11. Stores - Armament

13. Stores - Medical and Dental

15. Machinery and Spare Parts

16. Shipping

17. Aviation and Aircraft

18. Property and Works

19. Civil Personnel

40. Defence and Defences, War and Warfare

Most of the groupings are self explanatory but, in amplification, "Official" (1) includes relations with Britain and "General" (2) includes: Suggestions and ideas from within and outside the Navy; inventions; Parliamentary questions; Red Cross; epidemics;

transportation of mails, parcels, primary products and persons. When Navy Archive Staff were working on the series in the 1950's the subject prefix was added and the whole blue-pencilled heavily on the cover and in ink in the registers (B1110 for 1911 and B1112 for 1912-1921).

Colin Harris in a paper entitled, "Record Keeping in the Australian Navy to 1959", wrote "In the mid 1950's when the 1911 - 21 series was being screened by Archives staff, the files were sorted into subjects and a prefix number was joined with the file number on the accession list. This prefix number had been introduced for use in identifying subject groups when signals were being sorted for registration in the 1951-1959.

From dated top-numberings in the register it appears that the bulk of this work was completed in 1954.

VARIATION OF CONTROL SYMBOLS: Although the system of registration was by annual single number, docket covers are printed with an "N" prefix and this is sometimes carried through as part of the registration number on papers as well as in reference to them as the "N Files". There were also "Constant dockets" into which returns requiring action were placed. They are characterised by a "C" prefix and two numbers (not annual single).

From July 1921 the central registry was divided into sections "S" (Supply); "P" (Naval Personnel); "N" (Naval Section); "C" (Civil); "A" (Accounts) and secret/confidential, each handling papers created in the execution of specific functions of the Office and each being allocated separate blocks of consecutive numbers. Until the series ended in December 1921 the alpha symbol of each section was prefixed to file numbers and to the serial number of all correspondence.

The year component of the annual single number is shown on the files and in the control records without the century, e.g. 40/21/15311, not 40/1921/15311. For consistency, the control symbol is shown in the same way (i.e. without the century) on RecordSearch.

SUBJECTS: Correspondence in this series deals with administrative matters such as finance, personnel (naval and civil), property, works and stores, but also includes files about ships and shipping, wartime expeditions, engagements with enemy ships, distribution of war prizes and prize money, Royal and official visits, wireless telegraphy, the 1917 Royal Commission on Naval administration. Examples of the content include personal history files, the Sydney-Emden encounter, the Naval and Military Expedition to German New Guinea, the Report of the Dardenelles Commission, the development of the Navy, the Pacific Phosphate Coy, Naval Aviation School and RN Flying Corps, the Commonwealth Government Line of steamers, lighthouses and coastal defences.

The records in MP472/1 are part of Commonwealth Record Series B2882, but have not been physically converted to B2882. They should be requested under the MP472/1 number. Other physically unconverted elements of Commonwealth Record Series B2882 are MP1049/14, MP1185/6 and MT574/1.

 

Administrative information

8046 items have been registered onto RecordSearch out of 61.57 metres. 

Form number:  CA 17

Creating department:  Navy, Navy Office, Secretariat

Transferring department:  Navy, Navy Office, Secretariat, Central Registry

Date of transfer:  05/09/1960

Archives file number:  RWM31/2/17