Minister for the Navy, 1940-1942

Component identifier:

Series 39

Content Summary:

In the third Menzies government, formed after the September 1940 general election, Hughes replaced A. G. Cameron as the Minister for the Navy, and retained this responsibility under Fadden's prime ministership until the latter was replaced by Curtin in October 1941. Papers on the Navy portfolio form this series; papers relating to the War Advisory Council from this period are in Series 46.

Most of these papers are Hughes' correspondence with members of the public, organisations, and parliamentarians seeking information about individuals in the Navy, offering suggestions and requesting to join-up. The remainder consists of minutes, from the Departmental Secretary (A. R. Nankervis), the Secretary of the Naval Board (G. L. Macandie), and the First Naval Member (Sir Ragnar Colvin). In addition, there are notes from the Department of Defence Coordination forwarding War Cabinet agenda, minutes, reports, and cables, reports from the Chief of the Naval Staff, and notes of deputations from such bodies as the Merchant Service Guild and the Maritime Transport Council concerning the sinking of merchant ships. Press statements, notes and statistics for speeches, and some Letters Patent complete the series.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The W. M. Hughes Papers were presented to the National Library of Australia by Dame Mary Hughes in 1953. The collection was received in two consignments. One consisted of papers taken from the Perpetual Trustee Company comprising material from Hughes' Lindfield home and from his office rooms at the Commonwealth Offices, Sydney; the other came directly from Lindfield. Lists of the contents of both consignments are held in the Library's Manuscript Branch. With the agreement of the executors and the Library, much of the collection, was for a time, held at the Australian National University by Fitzhardinge. He was permitted sole access to the collection while writing the biography Hughes commissioned in 1951. Fitzhardinge's own papers documenting the writing of the biography are also held by the Library (MS 5400). The papers transferred to the Library in 1953 are by no means the total collection of Hughes' personal papers, although it is impossible to say what proportion has survived. (see Fitzhardinge, p.936).

Names:

Hughes, W. M. (1862-1952)

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