Catalogue description Government Code and Cypher School: Services Field Signals Intelligence Units: Reports of Intercepted Signals and Histories of Field Signals Intelligence Units

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Details of HW 41
Reference: HW 41
Title: Government Code and Cypher School: Services Field Signals Intelligence Units: Reports of Intercepted Signals and Histories of Field Signals Intelligence Units
Description:

This series consists of the reports to the Government Code and Cypher School by field signals intelligence units of the armed services based on decrypted intercepted enemy communications during and immediately preceding World War II. The series also includes a number of reports on the day-to-day operations of services signals intelligence, and some contemporary histories.

The records in this series were retained by the department under s.3(4) of the Public Records Act 1958, until it was decided that they could be made available to the public. The records were open from the date of transfer to the PRO.
Date: 1914-1977
Arrangement:

The reports in this series are arranged by original report reference. Some of the series of reports were allocated lettercodes or codenames (e.g. the SPLICE series, or the SR reports), either by the service signals intelligence units which created and issued them, or by the Government Code and Cypher School upon re-issue. Others form un-numbered and un-referenced series, and they are arranged here either by the organisation which created them (for example, RAF Middle East Headquarters), or by subject.

The series also contains a number of internal and official histories of certain service signals intelligence units, as follows:

  • 382 Wireless Unit, HW 41/118
  • War Office Y Group, HW 41/119
  • Wireless Experimental Centre, Delhi, HW 41/120
  • Service signals intelligence in Europe and North Africa, 1939-1945, HW 41/125
  • Service signals intelligence operations in the Middle East, 1934-1936, HW 41/126
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: Miscellaneous
Creator:

Foreign Office, Government Code and Cypher School, 1922-1946
Physical description: 432 files and volumes
Access conditions: Open
Immediate source of acquisition:

In 2001-2004 Government Communications Headquarters
Accumulation dates: 1938-1945
Selection and destruction information: All surviving records in this series detailing the activities and end product of World War II services signals intelligence were selected under section 2.2.1.3 (external relations and defence) of the PRO acquisition policy.
Accruals: Series is not accruing

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