Collection includes:

Volume (in box): Gun Construction Examinations: gives the manufacturing order number in a consecutive sequence, details includes the HM ship assigned to, nature, maker, mark, dimensions, fiflng, record of rounds fired, weight, construction design and remarks, circa 1909-1931.

Box 1: Annotated volumes entitled 'Quarterly Appropriation List of Gun Mountings for B.L., Q.F., and Machine Gune and Naval Howitzer Mountings' Admiralty Publication, DNO Department':
'C.B. 1390 (1), February 1918.
'C.B. 1390 (2), May 1918.
'C.B. 1390 (3), August 1918.
'C.B. 1390 (4), February 1919.

Box 2: Annotated volumes entitled 'Quarterly Appropriation List of Gun Mountings for B.L., Q.F., and Machine Gune and Naval Howitzer Mountings' Admiralty Publication, DNO Department':
'O.U. 6023, June 1919.
'O.U. 6033, November 1919.
'O.U. 6033, November 1919.
'O.U. 6061, June 1920.
'O.U. 6078, February 1921.

Box 3: Annotated volumes entitled 'Quarterly Appropriation List of Gun Mountings for B.L., Q.F., and Machine Gune and Naval Howitzer Mountings' Admiralty Publication, DNO Department':
'O.U. 6109 (2), August 1923.
'O.U. 6078 (2), August 1921.
'O.U. 6095 (1), February 1922.
'O.U. 6095 (2), May 1922.
'O.U. 6095 (3), August 1922.
'O.U. 6095 (4), November 1922.
'O.U. 6109 (1), February 1923.

Box 4: Annotated volumes entitled 'Quarterly Appropriation List of Gun Mountings for B.L., Q.F., and Machine Gune and Naval Howitzer Mountings' Admiralty Publication, DNO Department':
'O.U. 6109 (2), August 1923.
'O.U. 6109 (3), November 1923.
'O.U. 6123 (1), February 1924.
'O.U. 6123 (2), May 1924.
'O.U. 6123 (3), August 1924.

Box 5: Annotated volumes entitled 'Half-Yearly Appropriation List of Gun Mountings for B.L., Q.F., and Machine Gune and Naval Howitzer Mountings' Admiralty Publication, DNO Department':
O.U. 6134 (1), July 1925.
O.U. 6143 (1), January 1926.
O.U. 6143 (2), July 1926.
O.U. 6153, January 1927.
O.U. 6153, July 1927.
O.U. 6153, January 1928.

Box 6: Annotated volumes entitled 'Half-Yearly Appropriation List of Gun Mountings for B.L., Q.F., and Machine Gune and Naval Howitzer Mountings' Admiralty Publication, DNO Department':
O.U. 6153, July 1928.
O.U. 6153, January 1929.
O.U. 6153, July 1929.
O.U. 6153, January 1930.
O.U. 6153, July 1930.
O.U. 6153, January 1931.

Annotated volumes entitled, 'Half-Yearly Appropriation List of Gun Mountings for B.L., Q.F., and Machine Gune and Naval Howitzer Mountings' Admiralty Publication, DNO Department':
Box 7: July 1931 to July 1932.
Box 8: January 1934 to January 1936.
Box 9: July 1936 to July 1938.
Box 10: January 1939 to July 1942.
Box 11: January 1944 to July 1945.
Box 12: September 1945 to May 1951.

The remainder of the collection consists of two additional boxes containing gun examination volumes and seventy-seven folios with manufacturing order number ranges in some cases on spine.

Please contact archive staff for more information about ordering from this collection.

Administrative / biographical background
The Naval Ordnance Inspection Department was formed in 1922 under the Chief Inspector of Naval Ordnance to avoid deficiencies in the quality of guns and ammunition since it became evident that problems had occurred in the battles of the Falkland Island and Jutland amongst others during World War One. It was created to supervise new weapon manufacture and to carry out proof firing at ranges and to provide worldwide service using gunwharfs and ammunition depots. Re-organisation led to the creation of the Directorate of Technical Services. A laboratory was opened before the Second World War in Sheffield and known as the Bragg Laboratory from 1938. It was used to conduct analysis via metallurgical testing and investigative work with the aid of chemical and physical techniques. The unit closed in 1984 when the work transferred to Woolwich.