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Remembered Today:

War Diaries at TNA - many temporarily unavailable


Phil Wood

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Ahhh yes but it largely depends on who is on the desk and whether they are in a benevolent mood! I'm not sure I can perfect the piteous look in time and don't want to start gurning at them across the counter - they might:

a) Require therapy following the trauma

B) Have me removed from the premises

Marjorie

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I appreciate your concern, and I agree, it does depend I suspect on the person on the desk, but some require no more than a courteous request without insisting on a five yard humble approach on both knees.

Still, not good if the items are the main purpose of an expensive trip.

Keith

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Hi Marjorie

They have generally been accesible as soon as hte scheduled date says they are.

I was able to access some of the last batch of diaries last Friday (1st Feb) so it would seem that they have all been through the digitisation process. I have had 2 cases since Christmas when the catalogue said they were unavailable due to digitisation but upon asking, they were in the Conservation Department - I guess digitisation has highlighted the state some were in. In the first instance, the diary was retrieved from Conservation and I was able to look at it in the invigilation room behind the locker area so no problems there. In the second, on Friday, I had enough alternatives and will try again in a week or two.

I think by April, they should all be available.

Glen

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Thanks Keith & Glen,

I will try an advance booking on-line nearer the time and follow it up with a phone call. I just don't want a repetition of the last time when I received a confirmation email that the advance booking was successful only to arrive and be told I couldn't have them. They did bring them back and put them in the invigilation room for me after I protested vigourously.

Marjorie

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I used the link in post 22 above to look at which (of the 178 current diaries) are available for download at the moment. The first one on the list (Guards) was free to download.

As information :whistle:

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Cheers Ken,

I already checked to see if the ones I wanted are available for download - they aren't. They had been withdrawn the last time I was there in November for digitisation and should be back in circulation if they have adhered to their release dates.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I sent an e-mail enquiry last week to see when some of the newly digitised diaries would be released for download. I received this reply today.

At the moment we haven’t been given a release date as we are considering adding enhanced transcription data to aid research. We do hope that they will be available before the start of the centenary of the First World War, in August 2014. (Remote Enquiries Duty Officer)

Mick.

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I got a different reply to a similar enquiry:

The digitisation of the WO 95 war diaries is still ongoing. The original documents have been scanned, we are checking the quality of the images and therefore cannot give a release date at this moment. We advise that you keep an eye on our website or sign up to our newsletter for more information.

Yours sincerely,

Discovery Downloads Direct Team

I think their left hand needs to be introduced to their right hand.

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I sent an e-mail enquiry last week to see when some of the newly digitised diaries would be released for download. I received this reply today.

Mick.

I was told the same thing verbally by staff on the desk in the reading room last autumn.

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  • 5 months later...

At TNA yesterday I was told that the digitisation was complete, the checking was complete, and they were all available in the search room - but there is 'no chance' of seeing them online 'for at least 5 months.'

Seems to me that TNA are waiting to make a centenary splash with the release - ignoring how useful earlier access would be to all those trying to get war memorials researched in time for Aug 2104.

It was also interesting to hear a very defensive sounding 'they aren't all being digitised' from one of the TNA advisors. It sounded as if they are having to tell a lot of people this fact that was conveniently ignored in their PR for the project.

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At TNA yesterday I was told that the digitisation was complete, the checking was complete, and they were all available in the search room - but there is 'no chance' of seeing them online 'for at least 5 months.'

Seems to me that TNA are waiting to make a centenary splash with the release - ignoring how useful earlier access would be to all those trying to get war memorials researched in time for Aug 2104.

It was also interesting to hear a very defensive sounding 'they aren't all being digitised' from one of the TNA advisors. It sounded as if they are having to tell a lot of people this fact that was conveniently ignored in their PR for the project.

I was told something similar by the staff a while ago. The person I spoke to intimated that the most popular were being digitised and the decision was based on those most frequently taken out by the public.

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To be fair*, they never said they were digitising the entire series

We are currently digitising part of the WO 95 record series, which consists of unit war diaries from the First World War. The series is one of the most requested in our reading rooms in Kew, and digitising it means that we will be able to make the diaries more accessible by publishing them online. The series is extremely fragile, largely due to its age and popularity, so we are carrying out essential conservation work while we digitise it.

Our war diaries research guide explains the importance of these records for researchers.

We have already started removing the diaries from circulation to conserve and digitise them - the schedule below provides a rough timescale for the unavailability of the series over the next few months:

1096-1934: variable*

1935-2071: currently unavailable, due to return 30/9/12

2072-2292: currently unavailable, due to return 31/10/12

2293-2592: will be unavailable from 1/9/12, due to return 30/11/12

2593-2992: will be unavailable from 1/10/12, due to return 31/12/12

2993-3948 (excluding 3155-3910): will be unavailable from 1/11/12, due to return 30/1/13

* Due to the complexities of the digitisation process, we may need to remove some pieces from circulation outside these dates. We will try our best to accommodate readers' requests during this time, and will try to minimise the inconvenience that removing these pieces from circulation may cause.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/756.htm

If you want anything up to Division level on the Western Front, you'll be OK. Anything relating to GHQ, Army or Corps (and that includes associated troops like RE and RGA etc) or other theatres, then nothing will change. Also not included are Australian, Canadian and Indian Army diaries.

* I'm finding that increasingly more difficult to do every time I have to use that steaming pile called Discovery.

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Good of you to post that quote from them. It clearly states 'part of the WO 95'. Perhaps, in time, they might get around to getting the rest done. What they are doing is trying to protect them from further damage. The most popular ones being the ones that suffer the most. It will also help those overseas to gain access.

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The one I was after is one of those being digitised.

But I was told if I wanted the diary they would get it for me, they were helpful.

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