The National Archives, in partnership with Forces War Records, the leading military family history website from Ancestry®, has launched a digital collection of Royal Flying Corps and successors: World War One Gallantry Award Medal Index Cards. 

The collection contains almost 12,000 cards and are a mixture of handwritten and typed records, and include a rare ‘Mentioned in Despatches’ cards that consist of members of the armed forces who were mentioned in an official report by a superior officer and sent to the high command. This mention is considered a commendation for a noteworthy act or service of gallantry.

“This collection is such an important one for Forces War Records and our community” shared Ancestry’s Military Genealogist, Simon Pearce, “because it offers a fascinating insight into the bravery and dedication to duty of those who served with the aerial forces during WWI. The war accelerated huge advances in technology and aerial warfare, and our ancestors were at the forefront of these developments. Perhaps you’ll discover a family member who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross or the Military Medal for their actions, or maybe they gained an award from one of Britain’s allies.”

Head of Modern Collections at The National Archives, Dr William Butler,  said “this is such a fascinating collection and one which will no doubt be of great interest to those looking to uncover more about their family history, and those wishing to better understand the activities of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force during the First World War.”

We have become a founding member of EHRI-UK – the national body representing Holocaust-related collections in the United Kingdom. The other founding members are the Wiener Holocaust Library, the Holocaust Research Institute at Royal Holloway, University of London and the Parkes Institute at the University of Southampton.

The European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) has been supporting Holocaust research, commemoration and education on a trans-national level since 2010, with funding from the European Commission. It is now entering a new phase as a permanent legal organisation with government support from each participating nation.

EHRI-UK will strive towards the long-term sustainability of Holocaust research within the UK and beyond by representing UK institutions (and Crown Dependencies) that hold materials related to Holocaust Studies. EHRI-UK has been awarded initial funding for the first five years from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) but hopes to secure long-term support and continue developing its work.

The partners will connect resources using a digital infrastructure named the EHRI portal. Over the coming years, there will be opportunities for UK archives with Holocaust-related collections to contribute collection descriptions to this portal.

As a partner, we will advise the project team and wider sector on all aspects of cataloguing for archives wishing to share their collections to the EHRI portal. We will also support UK archives to upload Holocaust collections to our catalogue, Discovery, and handle any data transfers from Discovery to the main EHRI collections portal, widening access to the UK’s Holocaust-related collections.

From 2025, there will be callouts for EHRI-UK National Research Fellowships. These are designed to support researchers, archivists, librarians, curators, junior scholars and PhD candidates, who might otherwise lack resources, with Holocaust research.

There will also be an EHRI-UK Regional Placement Scheme, led by archival and heritage institutions, which will aim to provide postgraduate and undergraduate students with the opportunity to work on projects in locations across the British Isles. Through this scheme, project partners will be able to provide opportunities for short-term internships that will train and upskill students in archival and heritage sciences.

You can keep up to date with this initiative, and any future callouts, by signing up to the EHRI-UK newsletter.

We have been awarded £1.3m to upgrade our analytical research laboratory creating a centre of excellence available to collections throughout the UK and beyond.

The award is part of the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council’s new Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science (RICHeS) programme, a major £80m research and innovation investment that will support the latest technology and scientific equipment to safeguard heritage for future generations and boost the UK’s heritage economy.

£995,056 awarded will create a heritage science and conservation research laboratory to allow a wider range of cutting-edge research on paper, parchment, photographs, textiles and books. It will also enable our Collection Care Department to increase its scientific expertise by funding a new heritage scientist.

The award includes a further £323,023 to support the creation of the Heritage Science Data Service. This UK-wide digital research service will bring together heritage science and conservation research data for the first time, advancing the understanding, preservation, and management of the UK’s heritage. The HSDS development is led by the University of York, supported by a consortium of heritage partners from England, Scotland, and Wales.

The aim of the funding is to make existing expertise, facilities, and data more easily accessible to professionals across the heritage sector. It will also allow our Collection Care team to build on their existing work with ResearchSpace – an open web data management platform, making their research easier to find and reuse for the wider heritage sector.

Gemma Maclagan-Ram, Director of Research and Commercial Development, at The National Archives said: ‘This investment will help us create state-of-the-art facilities for heritage science conservation research at our Kew site, driving forward our ambitions for world-leading research in this space.

‘We’ll be able to provide equipment, expertise and resources for new users across the archive and wider heritage sectors. We’re excited to be starting this work.’

Our Chief Executive and Keeper, Saul Nassé, has presented his first Archive Service Accreditation certificate since joining The National Archives in the summer.

Saul presented the certificate to Westminster City Archives, the local authority archive for the City of Westminster, who have gained full accreditation for the second time. All accredited archive services must apply again for accreditation six years after their initial award to retain their accredited status.

Accredited archive services demonstrate that they meet the UK standard for collections management and access to collections, showing resilience and the ability to manage changing circumstances successfully.

The Westminster City Archives collection spans more than 800 years of documented history housed across 6,000 linear metres of shelving and 560GB of digital storage. The service provides access to official council records and extensive collections of local, family and community history material.

The Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Westminster and Councillor Ryan Jude, Cabinet member for Climate, Ecology and Culture, also attended the ceremony to congratulate the team at Westminster City Archives.

Saul said: ‘This accreditation is recognition of the hard work and dedication of the staff and volunteers of Westminster City Archives and the commitment of everyone who has supported and delivered such excellent services.’

Archive Service Accreditation is supported by a partnership of the Archives and Records Association (UK), Archives and Records Council Wales, National Records of Scotland, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Scottish Council on Archives, The National Archives, and the Welsh Government through its Museums, Archives and Libraries Wales division.

To mark 10 years of Archive Service Accreditation, the programme partners are reviewing the accreditation standard and strengthening the emphasis on inclusivity, digital preservation, sustainability and audience engagement. This process is being informed by extensive consultations with stakeholder groups, archive services and individuals who work with archive collections.

Would you like to represent the views of archive users and help to improve The National Archives’ services? If you are a regular archive user, then we would love to hear from you.

We are seeking new voluntary representatives to join our User Advisory Group (UAG).

The User Advisory Group aims to give people who use our services the opportunity to participate in The National Archives’ planning and decision-making processes.

Delegates represent ‘the voice’ of different sections of our user community, not only their own interests. As well as attending meetings, each delegate has a responsibility to engage with members of their user communities, to share information and gather feedback.

We would particularly like to hear from users who feel they could effectively represent one or more of the following user groups:

• Onsite Personal Interest Users
• Map Room Users
• Family History and Online Family History Users
• Academic Users

Representatives will also need to demonstrate they have the qualities to actively participate in the group, including:

• Willingness to express the views of their communities in the setting of a large meeting.
• Time to prepare for meetings, including reading papers and networking.
• Ability to see the ‘bigger picture’.

Meetings are usually held at The National Archives in Kew three times a year, but we operate a hybrid meeting structure where delegates can also attend via video conference. The meetings are usually scheduled on Tuesdays during working hours. Dates and times are published well in advance and delegates are expected to make every effort to attend. Delegates may claim travel expenses.

We ask prospective delegates to commit to a minimum term of one year’s service.
Find out more about the groups already represented, current delegates and how to submit an expression of interest here.

How to submit an expression of interest

If you would like to express interest in representing one of the groups listed above, please email UAGrecruitment@nationalarchives.gov.uk with the following information:

• Indicate in the subject line of your email that it is an expression of interest.
• Indicate which sections(s) of the user community you would like to represent; if you list more than one please rank them in order of prefeence.
• Check the list of the sections of the user community which are already represented; if you feel that there is a group that we have not listed, and that you would like to represent, please specify this.
• Tell us about your experience as an archive user and why you feel that you would be suitable as a delegate (please write no more than 150 words).
• Give examples to show that you have the personal qualities required as a delegate of the UAG (please write no more than 150 words).
• Indicate your ideas and suggestions for how you would disseminate details of the group to the user community or communities that you would be representing, and how you would gather feedback (please write no more than 150 words).

Delegates will be selected based upon the information provided.

It is important to us that our organisation is more diverse, so we encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and identities. We’re especially keen to hear from Black and ethnic minority communities, who are currently underrepresented.

The closing date for expressions of interest is Friday 20 September 2024 at 17:00

Following a recent Archive Service Accreditation panel, the UK Archive Service Accreditation Committee is pleased to announce that Christ Church Archives, Oxford, has been awarded accredited status for the first time.

All accredited archive services must apply again for accreditation six years after their initial award to retain their accredited status. At the same panel, the following archive services were awarded accreditation for the second time:

• Ceredigion Archives
• Borthwick Institute for Archives
• Cambridge University Library
• Hampshire County Council Archives and Local Studies Service
• M&S Archive
• Natural History Museum Archives
• Queen Mary University of London Archives and Special Collections
• Tate Library & Archive
• Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre
• Dorset History Centre

By attaining accreditation, archive services demonstrate that they meet the UK standard for collections management and access to collections, showing resilience and the ability to manage changing circumstances successfully.

Archive Service Accreditation is supported by a partnership of the Archives and Records Association (UK), Archives and Records Council Wales, National Records of Scotland, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Scottish Council on Archives, The National Archives, and the Welsh Government through its Museums, Archives and Libraries Wales division.

View the full list of accredited archive services

Find out more about Archive Service Accreditation

A £5m investment into the archives sector will unlock collections across the UK and build the skills and resilience needed to care for them into the future.

The National Archives, the Pilgrim Trust and the Wolfson Foundation are delighted to announce that The National Lottery Heritage Fund has invested in the Archives Revealed funding programme, awarding £5 million to the partnership. This is one of the Heritage Fund’s biggest investments into archives this century and will increase the value of the programme to £6 million over three years, allowing many more archives to benefit from the fund.

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Our archives are home to our stories. Records, collections and histories all shine a light on who we are, how we live and what is important to us. I am delighted that National Lottery funding will support Archives Revealed to unlock many more of these stories right across the UK and safeguard them for future generations.

“Our £5million investment will not only amplify the impact of the fantastic Archives Revealed programme – a long running partnership between The National Archives, the Pilgrim Trust and the Wolfson Foundation – but will also share skills and knowledge, foster partnerships and build organisational resilience in the sector. All of this is vital for protecting the future of our archives and delivering our vision for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.”

Archives Revealed is the only national funding programme dedicated to unlocking archival collections. The aim of the fund is to ensure that significant archive collections, representing the lives and perspectives of all people across the UK, are made accessible to the public for research and enjoyment.

This new investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund will enable Archives Revealed to support more and larger grants, creating greater impact across the archives sector. The programme will also include funding for public engagement and participatory work for the first time. Archives Revealed will give around 160 grants to archives across the UK over the coming three years, and the Heritage Fund’s investment will ensure that over five times more funding is delivered in 2024-2027 than was possible in 2020-2023.

The programme will continue to offer Cataloguing Grants of up to £50,000 for archives to create catalogues of important archival collections. Catalogues enable people to find and explore archive collections – without them, there would be no access to these crucial records and the stories they tell. Archives Revealed Scoping Grants of up to £3,000 will also remain available to assess underexplored collections and support their development.

Additionally, the programme will start offering larger Consortium Grants of up to £150,000, for projects spanning multiple archives and collections that have the potential to create wider regional or thematic impact. The funding from the Heritage Fund will also allow The National Archives to create a new sector development and training programme, to build the skills of archive professionals and volunteers so that the funded projects and organisations can achieve even more.

Jeff James, Chief Executive and Keeper of The National Archives on behalf of Archives Revealed said:

“This is an exciting time to be involved in archives. This generous grant allows Archives Revealed to help more archives in the coming years, to get the very best out of their collections and make them more accessible, demonstrating that archives truly are for everyone. The addition of a new training programme allows us to continue to support the archive sector as a thriving, inclusive sector which places development and professionalism at its heart. Archives Revealed will continue to save archival heritage, equip archives for the future through skills and knowledge sharing, and significantly increase the reach of archives to diverse audiences across the UK.”

Archives are for everyone because they are about everyone – past, present and future. The new, expanded funding programme will support The National Archives’ work across the archives sector, as well as Heritage 2033, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s 10-year strategy for investing in heritage for the future as well as the present.

Further details on each grant programme’s timeframe and application process will be published in August, and a webinar on Monday 2 September will provide comprehensive information for applicants.

The Civil Service has now entered the pre-election period. The National Archives is a government department and during this time, our website and communications channels will be quieter than usual and many activities will be paused until a Government is formed. This will last until the General Election concludes.

Archive Service Accreditation is the UK-wide standard for archive services. Following an Archive Service Accreditation Panel in March, we are pleased to announce the following archive services have been awarded accreditation for the second time:

• Archives and Cornish Studies Service
• Bank of England Archive
• Barnsley Archives and Local Studies
• Lloyds Banking Group Archives
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Archives Service
• National Theatre Archive
• Portsmouth History Centre
• Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland
• The Royal Society
• Surrey History Centre
• West Yorkshire Archive Service
• Archives Wigan and Leigh
• University of Kent Special Collections and Archives

All accredited archive services must apply again for accreditation six years after their initial award to retain their accredited status. By achieving accreditation for a second time these archive services have demonstrated a commitment to continuing development of their service and the effective management of change.

Archive Service Accreditation is supported by a partnership of the Archives and Records Association (UK), Archives and Records Council Wales, National Records of Scotland, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Scottish Council on Archives, The National Archives, and the Welsh Government through its Museums, Archives and Libraries Wales division.

View the full list of accredited archive services

Find out more about Archive Service Accreditation

We are delighted to announce a new commercial collaboration with Laidlaw Education who will be leasing part of our building.

Laidlaw Education LLP is an Education Consultancy offering individualised teaching for children of all ages, both during the day and after school, including those with Dyslexia who come for specific support as part of their school day.

They will occupy a part of our building overlooking the public car park. The space at Kew will replace one of their current centres at Dukes Meadow.

This will not impact on our current offer to our visitors nor will it change our commitment to our statutory obligations under the Public Records Act 1958. Our priorities will always be our staff, our visitors and the records.

It is the result of a long piece of work by the Business Development team at The National Archives who have been looking at commercial opportunities that will realise value and open out more of our collection. As well as supporting our education agenda, this also reinforces our already strong links with the local Richmond community.  We aim to create new, inclusive and exciting spaces, physical and virtual, in which people can encounter our collection in new ways. Income generated from the project will be reinvested in The National Archives to support our services to the public and help to widen the public experience and understanding of archives and our history.