Woolwich Arsenal Employees Records - Reply

[DeeSpangle]

I am absolutely gutted. I received the eagerly awaited reply which states "any records relating to dates of birth pre 1907 would have been destroyed in accordance with the MOD's policy of destruction at 100 years from date of birth."

Yes I know this was the case but I was also led to believe that they still had quite a few old records which hadn't been destroyed. I don't know if its me but the wording of this letter makes me feel as though they haven't even bothered to look or maybe its just me feeling ever so disappointed. My brickwall just turned into a skyscraper!!

I hope those of you who also wrote have more luck than me - I'll be very interested to hear how you get on.

[Christine in Herts]

What a waste of historical records! But I guess there's a storage problem, too. You'd have thought they could have microfilmed them, or something first!

Christine

[DeeSpangle]

Yes Christine it is such a complete waste, I could cry. A lady who works at The Greenwich Heritage Center (which is actually based on the Woolwich Arsenal Site) informed me of the whereabouts of these records and said that originally she had a bit of a campaign to have these records kept with them but apparently they would have required an unbelievable amount of storage! She also said that she and other people had kicked up a fuss about the 100 year destruction rule and so now they are not so eager to dispose of records her actual words were "they are apparently pretty good about it now" although she seemed a little distrustfull of them. Judging from their letter inwhich they quote "birth pre 1907" I fear this 100 year rule must still be applied. Argggg!! In this day and age you would of thought they would at least microfilm them!

Judging from different snippets of information - I think that yes they do still hold some records for employees whose births are more than a 100 years ago but only whereby that person was of some status or performed some outstanding act. If your enquiring about Joe Bloggs who worked as a Labourer and was born over 100 years ago - then don't hold your breath expecting an informative reply.

[Velma Dinkley]

What a coincidence - I only found out an hour or so ago that my great x2 uncle worked at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich!!

Being that he was born in 1889, then no doubt his records would have been destroyed too.

You're right, it is a disappointment :(

[Carol-BrightonGirl!!]

What a shame . One of my great-gramps worked there too.

[Olde Crone Holden]

This is a bit off topic but I have been dying to air this for a few days.

My local Town Council has had a clear out. Amongst the things which are going to the TIP, are:

All the records and minutes of all now deceased past mayors of the town. A leather bound map, drawn up in the 1870s, which unfolds to 12ft x 8ft, of every drain and underground watercourse in the borough. The results of a sort of census taken in 1911 of every inhabitant of the borough, names ages, etc and whether or not they have access to piped drinking water, gas and electricity and mains sewerage. The complete business accounts of a draper's shop which flourished for over 100 years.

The County Council don't want this stuff. The County Records Office doesn't want it. The local Archives centre doesn't want it (!!!!) and neither do any of the county, or local, museums.

Also, not being chucked out, but currently being passed around like a hot potato, an MBE and two gold RNLI pins, awarded to a past mayor - no one wants THEM, either.

My feelings on this - if, at the end of the day, no official archive wants the stuff, then put it up for sale instead of sending it to the TIP!!!!!

OC

[Carol-BrightonGirl!!]

That's terrible OC. You'd think the records office would take it wouldn't you?

[Christine in Herts]

That's unbelievable, OC. Heritage vandalism.

Are they going to film any of it before chucking it out?

Christine

[Olde Crone Holden]

The county council says it has the "important" stuff on disk. so, if you ever want to see it, you'll have to search some supermarket car park, or a train or something, lol.

County don't want it because it is "too trivial". Why the local Archives don't want it, I cannot imagine...but have a feeling that they are a bit autocratic and biased towards certain types of records....

They aren't even going to shred it because it would take too long - it's all been bagged up waiting for the paper people to collect it.

It really makes me sad, because there is probably someone out there who would foam at the mouth to get information about a rellie who was a past mayor or whatever.

OC

[Velma Dinkley]

You never know OC they might be discovered dumped on the side of the road or at a bus stop just like other official records

[DeeSpangle]

Carol and Velma

I would still advise you to apply as you might be one of the lucky ones and all it costs is the price of a stamp. Another recent thread mentions that one should apply within the next couple of weeks as the records will be moving elsewhere I think it said Oxfordshire!

[DeeSpangle]

It really makes me sad, because there is probably someone out there who would foam at the mouth to get information about a rellie who was a past mayor or whatever.

OC

These are my thoughts exactly!

I think Christine has coined an apt phrase "Heritage vandalism".

[Velma Dinkley]

Thanks Dawn, I think that I will do just that

Do you have their address please.

[DeeSpangle]

Hi Velma

This is the contact details for Woolwich Arsenal Employee Records

G A Edwards
Storage Business Stream Manager,
DSDA Llangennech,
Mwrwg Road,
Llangennech Llanelli,
Carmarthenshire
SA14 8YP

Tel: 01554 822351
Fax: 01554 822320

You can fax or write but do it this week as they are apparently soon to move records to oxfordshire according to someone else on this site.

Good Luck

[Velma Dinkley]

Thanks Dawn, I'll let you know how I get on

[DeeSpangle]

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you Velma

[Velma Dinkley]

Well I've received my response and it's one of their despairing & disappointing letters :(

Shame really :(

[Uncle John]

This is a bit off topic but I have been dying to air this for a few days.

My local Town Council has had a clear out. Amongst the things which are going to the TIP, are:

All the records and minutes of all now deceased past mayors of the town. A leather bound map, drawn up in the 1870s, which unfolds to 12ft x 8ft, of every drain and underground watercourse in the borough. The results of a sort of census taken in 1911 of every inhabitant of the borough, names ages, etc and whether or not they have access to piped drinking water, gas and electricity and mains sewerage. The complete business accounts of a draper's shop which flourished for over 100 years.

The County Council don't want this stuff. The County Records Office doesn't want it. The local Archives centre doesn't want it (!!!!) and neither do any of the county, or local, museums.

Also, not being chucked out, but currently being passed around like a hot potato, an MBE and two gold RNLI pins, awarded to a past mayor - no one wants THEM, either.

My feelings on this - if, at the end of the day, no official archive wants the stuff, then put it up for sale instead of sending it to the TIP!!!!!

That's the difference in attitude between a bog-standard records office and an award-winning one such as Bedfordshire. We had a talk last week by a chap from Beds. Archives. They will take more or less anything of historical interest. They got a huge pile of material from various local factory closures (e.g. Meltis sweets, which had been in the town for yonks). And they were genuinely upset when some stuff got skipped (he even went skip-diving to retrieve some staff records).

[Peppie]

That's the difference in attitude between a bog-standard records office and an award-winning one such as Bedfordshire. We had a talk last week by a chap from Beds. Archives. They will take more or less anything of historical interest. They got a huge pile of material from various local factory closures (e.g. Meltis sweets, which had been in the town for yonks). And they were genuinely upset when some stuff got skipped (he even went skip-diving to retrieve some staff records).

Didn't happen to mention if they had any of the records from the gas works did they? ;)

[Uncle John]

Didn't happen to mention if they had any of the records from the gas works did they? ;)

No, but it would be worth asking. During WWII the Gas Showroom in Bedford had above it a Japanese Cypher School (an outpost of Bletchley Park).