Reference Code: IE-MA-DOD-3-
Dates: 1922-1997. The collection of files presently available from the Archives primarily covers the period 1947- late 1960s/early 1970s
Level of Description: Fonds
Extent and Medium: C. 680 boxes, 8700 files, paper.
Access: Open to the public
Language: English
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The Department of Defence has a number of specific roles, which include the management of legal, regulatory and litigation and lands policy and related matters on behalf of the Minister.
The 3- series of files is similar to the other series in that it nominally starts in 1947, but there are a number of files that are continuations from the earlier file series, with some of them containing material from as far back as the early 1920s, which mostly relate to lands and barracks taken over from the British, long-standing compensation cases or details on missing British personnel from the War of Independence period. The Archives holds files from this series up to the late 1960s and early 1970s, with a small number of files that remained open even to the 1990s.
Scope and Content:
As is the case with the earlier 2- series, this set of files is not complete, since the Archives has not received all the files as yet. These files were mostly opened in the post-war period, so a number of the early files relate to accommodation, supplies and training for the FCA (reserve), newly established after the end of the Emergency Period in 1946. Other files cover various aspects of the aftermath of this period, such as requests for salvage of crashed aeroplanes, parachutes, barrage balloons, etc., plans for permanent naval bases in various towns and the ongoing demand for blackout materials.
After this time, the subjects of the files return to more administrative matters, such as army personnel and civilian pay, training and course, supplies and accounts, arms, ammunition and vehicles, barrack services, recruitment, accidents and injuries, aerial photography, entertainments by the Army bands, requests for the use of army lands by local groups, visits by foreign dignitaries and military personnel and other ceremonial events, Bills and Acts, estimates and procurement.
The Naval service was fully established during the lifetime of this file series, so there are a number of files concerning this matter, including fisheries protection, as well as administration files relating to the Defence Forces first missions with the United Nations in the Congo and Cyprus, and files concerning the various 1916 and War of Independence commemorations.