Catalogue description Air Board, and Air Ministry, Air Council: Minutes and Memoranda

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Details of AIR 6
Reference: AIR 6
Title: Air Board, and Air Ministry, Air Council: Minutes and Memoranda
Description:

Minutes of meetings of the Air Board and Air Council, and memoranda, etc., submitted to the Air Council; minutes and memoranda, etc, submitted to the Secretary of State's Progress Meetings on R.A.F. Expansion Measures, 1935 to 1940; minutes and memoranda of the Air Council Standing Committee from 1946.
Date: 1916-1994
Related material:

Records of the Defence Board and Defence Council are in

Division within DEFE
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Creator:

Air Board, 1916-1918

Air Ministry, 1918-1964

Ministry of Defence, Defence Council, 1964-
Physical description: 407 files and volumes
Access conditions: Open unless otherwise stated
Immediate source of acquisition:

Ministry of Defence
Accruals: Series is accruing.
Administrative / biographical background:

The first Air Board was established on 11 May 1916 under the New Ministries Act 1916, for the purpose of organizing and maintaining a supply of aircraft in the national interest. In January 1917 the board was reconstituted under a minister while - at the same time - the manufacture and inspection of aircraft became the function of the Ministry of Munitions.

On 3 January 1918 the Air Board was abolished and its powers and duties transferred to the Air Council which - together with the Air Ministry - was set up under Statutory Rules and Orders numbers 1333 of 1917 and number 11 of 1918.

When the Admiralty, War Office and Air Ministry were amalgamated in April 1964, to become the unified Ministry of Defence, the Defence Council was set up, with three subordinate service boards: the Admiralty Board, the Army Board and the Air Force Board. Each board operated under the chairmanship of the Secretary of State for Defence, who was also chairman of the Defence Council.

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