This page contains additional information on The National Archives file class MT 85. A class is a group of documents of similar type and orgin. In this the MT is short for “Ministry of Transport” although in this case the files originated from an earlier department – the “Board of Trade”.
The individual documents (which the UK National Archives call “pieces”) are large bound volumes approximately A4 in size.
The MT 85 class consists of registers of the Booard of Trade Marine Division correspondence between 1851 and 1919. They take the form of press copies of entries, giving brief details of correspondents, date and contents of letters and the registered number of each paper.
Subject indexes of the correspondence are contained in MT 86
Note : NOT all correspondence referenced by MT 85 registers still exists. So in many cases this (and the index entry in MT 86) will be the only remaining references to the correspondence.
MT 85 is arranged in Board of Trade “M” folder sequential number order. Each number therefore corresponds to a “M” folder of correspondence on a particular theme. The original folders can be found in the MT 9 series usually bundled with folders relating to the same topic.
Example MT 85 Entry from MT 85/386
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusbateman/7654676640/in/photostream
Folder Reference: [M]9033 Folder Description:
R.G.S. [Registrar General of Shipping]
Deaths
Asking if Board received death certificate G. CARTER asked for by G.E. Railway.
Dates: 27 June / 28 June [1919]
Previous Paper: 1414.3386
Board of Trade Name: Mr TULL
[Death, Brussels, G Carter, G.E. Railway have been underlined which means the terms are indexed in MT 86].
The documents which related to the the First World War time period (and therefore contain material that relates to POWs are as follows:-
| MT 85/322 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 1 – 2500 | 1914 |
| MT 85/323 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 2501 – 5000 | 1914 |
| MT 85/324 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 5001 – 7500 | 1914 |
| MT 85/325 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 7501 – 10000 | 1914 |
| MT 85/326 | Registers of Correspondence.Numbers: 10001 – 12500 | 1914 |
| MT 85/327 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 12501 – 15000 | 1914 |
| MT 85/328 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 15001 – 17500 | 1914 |
| MT 85/329 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 17501 – 20000 | 1914 |
| MT 85/330 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 20001 – 22500 | 1914 |
| MT 85/331 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 22501 – 25000 | 1914 |
| MT 85/332 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 25001 – 27500 | 1914 |
| MT 85/333 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 27501 – 30000 | 1914 |
| MT 85/334 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 30001 – 33004 | 1914 |
| MT 85/335 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 1 – 2500 | 1915 |
| MT 85/336 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 2501 – 5000 | 1915 |
| MT 85/337 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 5001 – 7500 | 1915 |
| MT 85/338 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 7501 – 10000 | 1915 |
| MT 85/339 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 10001 – 12500 | 1915 |
| MT 85/340 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 12501 – 15000 | 1915 |
| MT 85/341 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 15001 – 17500 | 1915 |
| MT 85/342 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 17501 – 20000 | 1915 |
| MT 85/343 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 20001 – 22500 | 1915 |
| MT 85/344 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 22501 – 25000 | 1915 |
| MT 85/345 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 25001 – 27520 | 1915 |
| MT 85/346 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 27501 – 30000 | 1915 |
| MT 85/347 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 30001 – 32500 | 1915 |
| MT 85/348 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 32501 – 35333 | 1915 |
| MT 85/349 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 1 – 2500 | 1916 |
| MT 85/350 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 2501 – 5000 | 1916 |
| MT 85/351 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 5001 – 7500 | 1916 |
| MT 85/352 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 7501 – 10000 | 1916 |
| MT 85/353 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 10001 – 12500 | 1916 |
| MT 85/354 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 12501 – 15000 | 1916 |
| MT 85/355 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 15001 – 17500 | 1916 |
| MT 85/356 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 17501 – 20000 | 1916 |
| MT 85/357 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 20001 – 22500 | 1916 |
| MT 85/358 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 22501 – 25000 | 1916 |
| MT 85/359 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 25001 – 27500 | 1916 |
| MT 85/360 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 27501 – 30000 | 1916 |
| MT 85/361 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 30001 – 32500 | 1916 |
| MT 85/362 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 32501 – 35000 | 1916 |
| MT 85/363 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 35001 – 37029 | 1916 |
| MT 85/364 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 1 – 2500 | 1917 |
| MT 85/365 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 2501 – 5000 | 1917 |
| MT 85/366 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 5001 – 7500 | 1917 |
| MT 85/367 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 7501 – 10000 | 1917 |
| MT 85/368 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 10001 – 12500 | 1917 |
| MT 85/369 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 12501 – 15000 | 1917 |
| MT 85/370 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 15001 – 18650 | 1917 |
| MT 85/371 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 18651 – 31000 | 1917 |
| MT 85/372 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 31001 – 34000 | 1917 |
| MT 85/373 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 34001 – 37000 | 1917 |
| MT 85/374 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 37001 – 40000 | 1917 |
| MT 85/375 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 40001 – 54478 | 1917 |
| MT 85/376 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 1 – 2500 | 1918 |
| MT 85/377 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 2501 – 5000 | 1918 |
| MT 85/378 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 5001 – 7500 | 1918 |
| MT 85/379 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 7501 – 10000 | 1918 |
| MT 85/380 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 10001 – 12500 | 1918 |
| MT 85/381 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 12501 – 14783 | 1918 |
| MT 85/382 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 1 – 2500 | 1919 |
| MT 85/383 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 2501 – 5000 | 1919 |
| MT 85/384 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 5001 – 7500 | 1919 |
| MT 85/385 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 7501 – 10000 | 1919 |
| MT 85/386 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 10001 – 12500 | 1919 |
| MT 85/387 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 12501 – 15000 | 1919 |
| MT 85/388 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 15001 – 18000 | 1919 |
| MT 85/389 | Registers of Correspondence. Numbers: 18001 – 20929 | 1919 |