World War records in the Lloyd’s Register archives

The Lloyd's Register Foundation archives preserve a remarkable record of Lloyd’s Register’s role during both World Wars. From staff contributions to government service to the secrecy surrounding ship registers, these documents offer unique insights into maritime history and wartime society. This guide will help you navigate these collections effectively.

Lloyd’s Register played an important part in supporting the national effort during both World Wars. Staff were seconded to the government as advisors, and during the First World War, women were employed at the head office for the first time. Security became a major concern: access to the Register Book was restricted after the Germans used captured copies to identify and target ships. Some surviving editions marked AUSZUG show where vessels were crossed out once sunk.

Because of their sensitivity, Register Books became valuable wartime documents and were placed under the Official Secrets Act from 1942 to 1945. In 1940, British Intelligence asked the Chairman to connect them with surveyors, but he declined, and many overseas surveyors later came under German suspicion.

Throughout both wars, the basement at 71 Fenchurch Street also served as a shelter, and the Admiralty called on Lloyd’s Register to assist in surveying vessels.

• LR/1/9 – Staff Organisation, Reports and Correspondence. Records relating to employee arrangements during the Second World War, along with documents concerning the First World War memorial in Lloyd’s Register’s Grand Hall.
• LR/1/2/1/3, LR/1/2/1/4 – Committee Records (General Committee, Classing Committee, National Area Committee, and Reports of Special Committee). Documenting key decisions and policies that shaped Lloyd’s Register’s operations during both World Wars. These records include discussions on wartime ship classification, safety standards, and strategic responses to global conflict.
• LR/5/2/6 – Special Service Books (1942–1949). Lists of vessels surveyed during the war but excluded from the Register Book, including ships repurposed or renamed by the government.
• LR/5/2/4 – Ghost Books (1939–1945). Bound volumes recording vessels classed during the Second World War but not published in the main Register Book.
• Register Books & AUSZUG Copies 

During the Second World War, Register Books were restricted under the Official Secrets Act (1942–1945). Copies captured by the Germans were used to identify and sink vessels and were marked AUSZUG. Several examples survive in our collection.

• Lloyd's of London Missing Vessels Books (1874-1945) and Casualty Returns (1891-present). These two series provide detailed records of ships lost, missing, or damaged during both World Wars.

• Ronald F. Munro Collection - Merchant Navy & WWII-era material. The collection includes the 1943 wartime diary kept by Ronald F. Munro, a Merchant-Navy officer whose ship California sank on 11 July 1943. It features his discharge certificate, service medals, letters and character reports, plus photographs and annotated postcards of the vessels and ports he visited. Munro began his career as an apprentice for David Rowan & Co in Glasgow in 1937 before becoming a surveyor for Lloyd’s Register of Shipping in 1952.
• British Corporation Register of Shipping and Aircraft (BC) Collection. These materials offer a comprehensive view of a rival classification society’s role across late-19th and early-20th-century shipbuilding, including wartime and inter-war maritime regulation, and post-war consolidation.
• Bowring Steamship Company (BSC) 20th-century operational records. The newly catalogued BSC materials include a Minute Book (1919–1966) and an Account Ledger. These records reveal BSC’s close working relationship with Lloyd’s Register, demonstrating commercial, technical and regulatory realities of British maritime shipping before, during, and after the Second World War.

Keywords:

• First World War
• Second World War
• Shipwrecks
• Surveyed vessels

Filters: 

• Narrow results using date ranges (1914–1918, 1939–1945) or by document type.

Cross-Reference: 

• Compare Ghost Books with the main Register Books to trace vessels omitted for security reasons.

• Understand Secrecy: Many wartime records were restricted under the Official Secrets Act (1942–1945).
• Look Beyond Ships: Staff records offer insight into how Lloyd’s Register adapted, including the first employment of women at head office.
• Use Multiple Sources: Combining archival documents with external histories can provide a fuller picture.
• Cite Carefully: Always include the LR reference number when referencing documents.
• For help locating or interpreting specific materials, please contact our archivists.