Catalogue description War Office and Lord Chancellor's Office: Judge Advocate General's Office: Administration Files

This series contains Judge Advocate General's Office (JAG) administration files from a long running series dating from the 1920's. They cover the following subject matter:

• Function and organisation of the JAG Office: status, overseas establishments, staffing and accommodation moves;
• Courts martial procedure: cases held in camera, delays, abolition of the death penalty, announcement of findings in open court, definition of mutiny, revision of the Manual of Military Law, constitution of courts martial;
• Relations with other countries: JAG advice and memoranda, application of Army Act 1955 to native forces in West Africa, the proposed introduction of special summary military courts in Palestine;
• Legislation: comments on draft bills, interpretation and questions raised with various sections of the Army and other Acts affecting the armed forces;
• Committees: interdepartmental to consider reports of 1938 and 1946 Army and Air Force Courts Martial Committees, comments and papers for the Lewis, Oliver and Pilcher Committees;
• Policy: jurisdiction over USA forces in the UK, legal aid provision, jurisdiction over British merchant seamen, prisoner of war discipline regulations, members of legal profession convicted, arrangements with Bar Council and Law Society;
• Military: trial by military government courts of British civilians employed with Control Commission in Germany, responsibility of JAG for maintenance of law and order in a civil population in an occupied European territory, trial in UK of war crimes, responsibility of JAG for Nuremberg trial;
• Case files: controversial cases forwarded to JAG for comment, scrutiny of TV scripts based on JAG records e.g. Monocled Mutineer.

The files contain drafts, comments, memoranda (many of which are hand-written) and correspondence between JAG and other relevant organisations, particularly the Directorates of Legal Services in the War Ministry and Air Ministry. The case files also contain transcripts, appeal documents and newspaper cuttings.

Lord Chancellor's Department, Office of the Judge Advocate General of the Forces, 1972-

Lord Chancellor's Office, Office of the Judge Advocate General of the Forces, 1948-1972

War Office, Judge Advocate Generals Office, 1905-1923

War Office, Office of the Judge Advocate General, 1923-1935

War Office, Office of the Judge Advocate General of the Forces, 1935-1948

From 2001 Department for Constitutional Affairs

From 1999 Lord Chancellor's Department