National Archives 2012-03-06

Arrived at National Archives at 12.20 PM. There was an interesting incident at Paddington station. The train had stopped and had almost completely emptied when a man with a briefcase caught my eye, set down his briefcase on the luggage rack, and announced, "I am going to the toilet." He was clearly expecting me to volunteer to watch his briefcase while he was in the toilet. I just stared at him, looked confused, and finally said "Okay" very hesitantly, so he decided he was better off taking his briefcase into the toilet with him.

Beginning with MT 39/152, and then looking at other files to request.

MT 45/17

Photographed this (extracts only--same basis as MT 45/22 and T 162/660). There are references to some other files which may or may not have been archived (old file codes only): E.1484, apparently a separate but related file dealing with the status and salaries of DREs; and E.1562, a file dealing with the resignation of R.G.H. Clements (later part of the German Road Delegation, but in the 1920's one of the DREs).

MT 95/132

Only just now looking at this file even though its request card gives 2012-02-14 (almost a month ago!) as the request date. It is a box with four or five files within and much of interest, including the transcript of a pow-wow Aldington held with the DREs to agree standards for various technical parameters (such as desirable minimum lane width for motorways, nominal capacities, etc.) which had been left unaddressed by interwar design guidance.