MA: WAR AND STRATEGY
Dissertation and the Archive: A Guide to Research
School of History | University of Leeds
Are you an MA student? Are you working on a Masters Dissertation? This guide, tailored to your MA strand, will help you use the local West Yorkshire Archives (WYAS) to enrich your dissertation with original and unique archival sources and help you choose a dissertation topic.
Contents
The West Yorkshire Archives 2 Why use the WYAS? 2 Themes for Research 3 Writing about War 4 War Diaries 5 Useful Links 6 Contact Details 6 Further Resources 7 Other Local Archives 7
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The West Yorkshire Archives The West Yorkshire Archives—with offices at Leeds (Morley), Wakefield, Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale—are the largest archival collection outside London and preserves the unique documentary history of the region, with records from the 12th century to the present. Its records are not only suited to modules with a focus on British History or Yorkshire History, but also those focused on biographic and family history, industry and labour records, diaries, theatre and music archives, World War records, records of local societies, urban and cartographic history, political and military history, cultural history, gender history and history of sexuality, and many more.
Why Use the WYAS?
Largest archive outside London right at your doorstep They have five public offices across the county in Wakefield, Leeds, Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale and currently have over 36 miles worth of records This includes two collections from the UNESCO UK Memory of the World Register There’s something for everyone—whether you work on Yorkshire history or not The diverse range of sources will give you several choices for research They’re always getting new records so you might find something no one has cited before! Using archival records in your MA dissertation will demonstrate your ability to locate and analyse relevant primary sources and indicate intellectual independence—enriching your dissertation and grades! The archivists are very helpful and friendly, and the School of History has a West Yorkshire Archive intern specifically to help you work with them
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Themes for Research The West Yorkshire Archives holds excellent The First World War sources on military culture from the 18th century to the World Wars, including diaries, https://www.wyjs.org.uk records of war memorials and photographs. /media/69621/collection- Listed below are some of the archival guide-10-first-world- materials you can use for your MA war.pdf is an excellent dissertation. The numbers in bold are list of holdings catalogue reference numbers, so you can type specifically on the First them into the catalogue to know more, or World War. browse related collections. One of these could become the crux of your dissertation, or help you find a dissertation topic!
Archival Sources: Military culture in the 18th century Rolls of honour. Examples: 15D92, 24D83, 30D87 War diaries and letters. Examples: 67D84, 66D81, 67D89 War Hospitals. Examples: KC556, WYK1331, WYB239 War memorials and remembrance, Commonwealth War Graves. Examples: KC419, RDP7/72 (131), LLD1/3/17 Regimental Histories. Examples: 6D95, WYL476 Prisoners of war. Examples: WYC:1388, WYC:1640 Bombing, air raid and war damage. Examples: LC/TC/acc.3378/5-6, LC/Fire/acc.1696, WYL1052, WYL1487 Death registers. Examples: WYL2295, LC/HE Rationing. Examples: WYL1487/18, WYL1400 Evacuation. Examples: LC/ED130/1/3, LC/ED/117/7, LC/HE, WYL320/29, Aireborough UDC 1; 93/1-7; 97 War and disability. Examples: QS1/7/1/6/1 War Refugees. Examples: WYL5044, WYL507, WYL258/12/2 Home Guard. Examples: WYL1247, WYL1686, WYL1405 Pictorial souvenirs, circulars and war propaganda
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Training manuals and instruction books. Examples: 1D83/26 Arms manufacturing. Examples: WYHER/10178 Photographs and postcards of the First World War. Examples: 52D80/2, 45D00, 109D77, WYL2059/3/105, WYL2059/3/106, WYL2059/3/108, WYL2088 Women’s experience of the war: WYB335/4, WYL230/acc4080/27, WYL150, WYL2059/3/108 Disabled soldiers. Examples: BBD1/1/125/174, 3D86/20/5/30, 46D95/3/9, BBD1/1/125/181, BBD1/1/125/184, BBD1/7/6280
Writing about War Archival materials from the West Yorkshire Archives can be used to write excellent dissertations on Yorkshire during the Wars or Inter-War Years. They can also be used to write thematic dissertations on several topics, such as:
Experience on the Front Line Lived experience of military service Evacuation War refugees Volunteering and rationing War propaganda War and medicine Attitudes in the Home Front. Read about WYAS holdings on war raid and The Quarter Blitz on their blog. Labour and workers during the World Wars Experience of conscientious objectors or prisoners of war. Read about WYAS holdings here and here on their blog. Women in the World Wars. Read about WYAS holdings here and here. Visual representation of the World Wars
If you already have a topic in mind, search the WYAS catalogue with appropriate keywords to find out if they hold anything of interest to you. Make use of the advanced search function to factor in date or multiple keywords.
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War Diaries
Interested in writing about lived and personal experience during the war? West Yorkshire Archive holds many war diaries, such as:
John Espin Lance Corporal 'B' Company, 8th. Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment (Leeds Rifles), 1915-1916 (WYL706) W B Burrell, Leeds Rifles, 1914-1916 (WYL714) Private Edward Woffenden, C Company, 15th. West Yorkshire Regiment (the Leeds Pals), 1915-1916 (LX57) West Yorkshire Regiment, 8th Battalion, (The Leeds Rifles), 1915 – 1918 (WYL739) William Alchorne, Sergeant 2/2nd. West Riding Field Ambulance, 1914-1919 (WYL712) Ernest Bent, Private, 2nd. Battalion Coldstream Guards, 1918 (. WYL740) Mark Wood, Member of 15th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment ['the Leeds Pals'], detailing his service in Egypt and France, 1915-1916 (WYL2072) Diary and photograph album of William Miles Buckingham of Harehills, Leeds, 1917-1918 (WYL1526) Diary of Private Newton, 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards, 1918 (C693) Diary of William Houghton (64 vols) is excellent to see the effects of the World Wars on a local man (WYL1267) Diary of John Yeadon (WYL2443) T F Hudson, Leeds, memoirs of the second world war, 1939-1945 (LX171) Diaries of Florence Lockwood, 1914-18 (KC329)
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Useful Links: Explore the Archive Catalogue: https://www.catalogue.wyjs.org.uk/calmview/ Browse thematic collection guides: http://www.wyjs.org.uk/archive- service/our-collections/guides-to-our-collections/ View their collections online: http://www.wyjs.org.uk/archive- service/our-collections/our-collections-online/ See their topic guides: http://wyorksarchivestreasures.weebly.com/themes.html Find them on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, WordPress (Catablogue) and Instagram
Contact Details: Contact [email protected] with specific research questions Contact specific archives to pre-order records or book an appointment: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)113 5350142 [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)113 535 0155 [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)113 535 0150 [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)113 535 0151 [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)113 535 0152 Opening Times vary: Leeds: Tuesday-Thursday: 9:30am-4:00pm Wakefield: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 9.30am-5pm Kirklees: Monday, Tuesday: 9.30am-5.00pm Calderdale: Tuesday, Thursday: 9.30am-5pm Bradford: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 9:30am-4:00pm
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Further Resources: Help with Research: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with- your-research Using Archives: https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/guides/usingarchives/ Search Records from over 2,500 UK Archives: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ History Online Resources in University of Leeds Library: https://library.leeds.ac.uk/subjects/1162/history See also www.home-guard.org.uk For service records see Ministry of Defence website www.mod.uk
Other Local Archives: Leeds University Special Collections, Brotherton Library (includes the Liddle Collection) Second World War Experience Centre, Wetherby Royal Armouries Museum Collections, Leeds Imperial War Museum North, Salford
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