Military and war

The government tried to keep the details of the Bethnal Green Tube shelter disaster of 1943 private – but a court case brought the terrible story to light.

When can a lemon have fatal consequences? If it proves you are, in fact, a wartime spy…

This letter, sent by Princess Anne during the height of the Glorious Revolution, confirmed the betrayal of her father, King James II.

This Second World War War Office document assessed the British Indian Army's battle readiness and made recommendations for its development.

On one tragic night in March 1943 in Bethnal Green, East London, 173 people lost their lives taking shelter from German bombing as the air raid sirens sounded.

We hold one of the lesser known records from the Battle of Trafalgar, the Surgeon’s journal for HMS Victory by William Beatty.

Medical case sheets from the 28th General Hospital, Salonika, reveal an especially deadly peril on the front lines: malaria. How was it fought?

In 1941, four Government Code and Cypher School cryptanalysts, including Alan Turing, made a stunning appeal directly to Winston Churchill.

In July 1940 the Arandora Star was torpedoed by a German submarine. More than 800 people were killed, many of them Italian civilians being deported to Canada.

14-year-old cabin boy John Giles Hipkin became Britain's youngest Second World War prisoner of war in 1941 after he was captured at sea.

Roger Bushell (1910–1944) was a pilot, prisoner of war (POW), and mastermind of the ‘Great Escape’ from Stalag Luft III in March 1944.

Discover how this guerrilla group played a significant role in opposing Japan and aiding Allied prisoners of war around Hong Kong.

Judy's remarkable story is one of capture, survival and courage, and offers a unique tale of internment during the war.

During the Second World War, some British prisoners of war were able to send secret messages and intelligence back home via creative and unusual ways.

This document sets out the laws its signatory nations agreed to follow around the treatment of prisoners of war, those in medical need, and civilians.

Nancy Wake (1912–2011), an agent for the Special Operations Executive, was the most wanted woman in France during the Second World War.

War diaries were historical records created by units in the British Army during wartime. This one is unusual: it contains posters and Christmas cards.

Virginia Hall (1906–1982) was an American who served with the British Special Operations Executive in France in 1941–1942 and built a career in espionage.

This debated document officially ended the First World War and set out the terms and conditions for peace, and determined the course of the 20th century.

This previously unknown set of records from an 18th-century galleon shines a light on one of history's most significant trade routes.

This map was provided to soldiers during the first operation by the Chindits, special forces serving in Japanese-occupied Burma during the Second World War.

Christine Granville, Special Operations Executive agent extraordinaire, was Churchill’s favourite spy. How did this document possibly save her life?

Through documents held at The National Archives, we can piece together a great deal about the life and reign one of Britain's most infamous medieval monarchs.