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From Your Archives

This article was originally one of a set of memoranda available only on paper in The National Archives' reading rooms. It acted as a signpost to records of interest on a particular historical subject. It may have been compiled many years ago and could be out of date. Please feel free to edit this page to improve the information

This memorandum was originally written May 1993

For early records(1773-1868) try Admiralty Transport Department, ADM 108. Additional early material may be found in MT 23.

The Ministry of Shipping was responsible for the provision of troopships in World War One, search MT 4and MT 25, and also World War Two MT 40and MT 59, Other classes of interest are T 5,T 114, T 140.

The passenger lists include troopships with long lists of troops arriving in Liverpool particularly, BT 26. To find the names of troopships (and other requisitioned and chartered shipping) try the Board of Trade Statistics Department. BT 70/1 file S 234 lists the ships and gives vital statistics, route and nationality of the crew.

It is unlikely that the forms AFW 3083, listing the names of sick and wounded soldiers conveyed in hospital ships from France to England, during World War One, will be found among records held by The National Archives. A representative sample of medical records, in relation to World War One, are to be found in the class of records, MH 106 1914-1918 War: representative medical records 1912-1921. These records were used for the compilation of the History of the Great War based on official documents; medical services casualties and medical statistics of the war by T J Mitchell and G M Smith and include a sample of admission and discharge registers from hospitals, casualty cleaning stations, field ambulances, and ambulance train and a hospital ship.

For possible information concerning troopships a detailed search of the above- mentioned records and the following classes of records held by The National Archives is recommended.

ADM 1	Admiralty and Secretariat papers, 1660-1976
ADM 12	Admiralty and Secretariat indexes and compilations Series III.
ADM 116	Admiralty and Secretariat cases, 1852-1960
ADM 137	War of 1914-1918:. Admiral Historical Section packs and miscellaneous records, 1860-1925
BT 165	Ships official logs, 1902-1919. The logs provide information concerning casualties on board a ship during its voyage.
MT 4	Marine out letters, 1851-1939
MT 5	Marine indexes to out letters and registers of correspondence 1864-1918
MT 23	Admiralty Transport Department correspondence and papers 1795-1917
MT 25	Ministry of Shipping 1917-1921 correspondence and papers, 1914-1928. Particular files of interest in this class of records are as follows: MT 25/64 former ref (42686/1921) Weekly programme of troop movements. MT 25/65 former ref (42686/1921) from September 1914 - November 1919. MT 25/69A former ref (27319/1923) proof of chapters V and IX of the movement of war. MT 25/16 former ref (44241 Part 1) Movements of troops to and from France, 1916-1918 MT 25/17 former ref (44241 Part 2) Movements of troops to and from France, 1916-1918 MT 25/17 former ref (44241 Part 3) Movements of troops to and from France, 1916-1918 MT 25/17 former ref (44241 Part 4) Movements of troops to and from France, 1916-1918
MT 40	Sea transport correspondence and papers, 1903-1962
WO 25/3529-3746	embarkation and disembarkation returns, 1913-1919
WO 33/668	Instructions for entrainment, embarkation (short voyages) for units of the Expeditionary Force in Great Britain Part 1, 1914
WO 33/672	Disembarkation tables 1914
WO 33/685	Military embarkation duties in connection with the embarkation of the Expeditionary Force Part 1, 1914
WO 33/708	General programme of moves by sea (including Indian and Colonial Expeditionary Forces) and names of ships employed Aug-Dec 1914
WO 33/740	Number of troops etc, conveyed by sea (including those of the Indian and Colonial Expeditionary Forces) and names of ships employed Jan-June 1915
WO 33/753	Conveyance of troops by sea (including Indian and Colonial Expeditionary Forces) and names of ships employed July-Dec 1915
WO 33/763	Conveyance of troops by sea (including Indian and Colonial Expeditionary Forces) and names of ships employed Jan and March 1916
WO 33/780	Conveyance of troops by sea (including Indian and Colonial Expeditionary Forces) and names of ships employed April-June 1916
WO 33/783	Amendment No1 to general programme of moves by sea (including Indian and Colonial Forces) for Aug-Dec 1914
WO 33/784	Amendment No2 to general programme of moves by sea (including Indian and Colonial Forces) for Jan-June 1915
WO 33/785	Amendment No3 to general programme of moves by sea (including Indian and Colonial Forces) for July-December 1915
WO 33/786	Amendment No4 to general programme of moves by sea (including Indian and Colonial Forces) for Jan-Mar 1916
WO 33/805	Conveyance of troops by sea (including Indian and Colonial Expeditionary Forces) and names of ships employed for July-September 1916
WO 33/821	Conveyance of troops by sea (including Indian and Colonial Expeditionary Forces) for Oct-Dec 1916
WO 33/836	Conveyance of troops by sea (including Indian and Colonial Expeditionary Forces) for Jan-March 1917
WO 33/847	Conveyance of troops by sea (including Indian and Colonial Expeditionary Forces) for April - June 1917
WO 33/852	Amendments to number of troops conveyed by sea etc, 1918
WO 33/863	Conveyance of troops by sea (including Indian and Colonial Expeditionary Forces) for June to Sept 1917
WO 33/886	Number of troops etc conveyed by sea (including those of the Indian and Colonial Expeditionary Forces) and names of ships employed Oct-Dec 1917
WO 33/896	Conveyance of troops by sea (including Indian and Colonial Expeditionary Forces) for Jan - March 1918
WO 33/915	Conveyance of troops by sea (including Indian and Colonial Expeditionary Forces) April - June 1918
WO 33/926	Number of troops etc, conveyed by sea (including Indian and Colonial Expeditionary Forces) and names of ships employed July-September 1918