Catalogue description War Cabinet and Cabinet: Various Ministers: Private Office Files

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Details of CAB 118
Reference: CAB 118
Title: War Cabinet and Cabinet: Various Ministers: Private Office Files
Description:

This series consists of papers collected by Clement Attlee during his term of office as Deputy Prime Minister and subsequently kept together as a single collection. They consist mostly of files of Private Office papers of Attlee, but also contain some of Neville Chamberlain and Sir John Anderson during their periods of office as Lord Presidents of the Council. They also include some of Attlee's correspondence prior to his membership of the War Cabinet. Two files (CAB 118/29 and CAB 118/40) comprise papers of Arthur Greenwood, the Lord Privy Seal.
Date: 1938-1947
Arrangement:

Original numerical sequence of creating body has been followed
Related material:

For Dominions Office private office papers, including the period when Attlee was minister, see:

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

Cabinet, 1945-

War Cabinet, 1939-1945
Physical description: 91 file(s)
Immediate source of acquisition:

From 1974 Cabinet Office
Accruals: Series is accruing
Administrative / biographical background:

Clement Attlee was leader of the Labour Party, and a member of the wartime coalition government from its formation in May 1940, until its dissolution in May 1945. He served as Lord Privy Seal from May 1940 to February 1942, then Secretary of State for the Dominions to September 1943, and was Lord President of the Council from 8 Sept 1943 to 28 May 1945. The War Cabinet and the Defence Committee met under his chairmanship and he was styled and recognised as Deputy Prime Minister, although no constitutional change was made.

Neville Chamberlain became Lord President of the Council on 12 May 1940 in the coalition government, having previously been Prime Minister. Following his resignation through ill-health, he was succeeded as Lord President on 4 October 1940 by Sir John Anderson (the Home Secretary and Minister of Home Security) who continued in the post until 8 Sept 1943 when he became Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was succeeded as Lord President by Attlee.

Arthur Greenwood was Lord Privy Seal from 1945 to 1947, and Paymaster General from 1946 to 1947. He had previously been a member of the War Cabinet and Minister without Portfolio, 1940 to 1942.

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