How to look for records of... Beaverbrook papers

1. Why use this guide?

Use this guide if you have an academic or a general interest in the business, political or media career of Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook (1879-1964).

The collection encompasses British social history, both World Wars, and landmark events, from the late Victorian era to mid-20th century. Key themes within the collection are explored in this guide.

2. What are these records?

The collections spans Lord Beaverbrook’s initial business career in Canada to becoming a British press baron (as owner of the Daily Express and Evening Standard), MP and Lord.  Subjects include the First World War when he was appointed Minister of Information, the Second World War when he was appointed Minister of Aircraft Production and Minister of Supply, and the 1926 General Strike.

The papers are arranged and catalogued in thirteen series under the collection reference YBBK.

YBBK/A: Canadian Correspondence (Part I – Chronological – Part II & III Reference to British politics)

YBBK/B: English General Correspondence (Includes constituency files – Ashton under-Lyne and Empire Crusade Campaign correspondence)

YBBK/C: Special Persons Correspondence (Politicians, Writers, Journalists and Artists)

YBBK/D: World War Two (Correspondence and Cabinet Papers)

YBBK/E : World War One (Correspondence and Cabinet Papers)

YBBK/F : Campaigns, Propaganda and Speeches (Includes the anti-Common Market campaign)

YBBK/G: Material for Publication (Includes papers related to his historical writing both primary and secondary sources)

YBBK/H: Newspaper and Business Correspondence (Including his links to cinema, film, newsprint, and his Beaverbrook Foundation)

YBBK/I: Office and Secretarial Files

YBBK/J: Private and Personal Business Papers (Includes estate accounts, properties, horse stables and yachts)

YBBK/K: Personal Papers and Family Correspondence (Includes engagement diaries. Cashbooks, visitor books, school records, wine cellar records and medical records)

YBBK/L : Press Cuttings (Newspapers articles on himself or written by him. Also, significant events and society weddings)

YBBK/P : Photographs and Other Images (includes films and records)

3. How to get a search started

The documents consist of a variety of items. You can search using keywords or browse the catalogue to get a better understanding of the filing system. See example below.

How a document is catalogued:

Collection reference: YBBK

Box Number: B

Folder Number: 24

The orderable reference is the folder:

4. Other sources

Lord Beaverbrook’s contributions to debates in Parliament can be found in Hansard, which is available online on the Parliament website. Please note there are some volumes missing from the online data.

An index for Beaverbrook’s contributions can also be found on the Historic Hansard website.

The National Library of Canada holds papers of Lord Beaverbrook, including microfilm copies of papers relating to Canada taken from the Parliamentary Archives collection now held at The National Archives.

The administrative records of the Beaverbrook Library are in the Parliamentary Archives collection now held at The National Archives (YBBL).

Beaverbrook’s Book Collection (a substantial number of published books) is held at YBBK/BOOK.

Other collections of records can be found using the record creator search in Discovery,

5. Further reading

Katharine Bligh, ‘Catalogue of the Beaverbrook Papers in the House of Lords Record Office. Volume I: Canadian and Business Papers’ (1997)

Katharine V Wheeler, ‘A guide to the political papers, 1874-1970, deposited by the First Beaverbrook Foundation’

Anne Chisholm and Michael Davie, ‘Beaverbrook: A Life’ (1992)

Gregory P Marchildon, ‘Profits and Politics: Beaverbrook and the Gilded Age of Canadian Finance’ (1996)

A J P Taylor, ‘Beaverbrook’ (1972)

Charles Williams, ‘Max Beaverbrook: Not Quite a Gentleman’ (2019)