Catalogue description Ministry of Transport, Defence Planning and Emergency Transport Committees

A number of senior offices of the Ministry of Transport were concerned with defence measures prepared before the Second World War and with the recommendations of various departmental and Cabinet Committees.

In 1938 The Defence (Transport) Council was established. This consisted of the Permanent Secretary and the heads of Divisions who met regularly throughout the war to discuss the day to day problems of the Department.

The Council's work affected ports, harbours, docks and inland waterways, and incorporated emergency plans for road transport.

The Council drew on the work of what became known as the Headlam Committee, a sub-committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence set up in 1933 to consider "The Distribution of Imports in Time of War". In 1937, this sub-committee recommended the appointment of Port Emergency Committees at ports throughout the country, communicating through area organisations with a Headquarters Port and Transit Organisation set up by the Ministry of Transport.

The Port and Transport (Defence Plans) Section was established in December 1937 to co-ordinate plans for Government control of the railways. This was later extended to the co-ordination of preparations for the defence and wartime management of transport undertakings, docks and harbours drawn up by the emergency sections of the Railway Divisions, Road Transport Divisions and the Ports and Inland Waterways Divisions in accordance with policies determined by the Committee of Imperial Defence. The section later served as the secretariat of the Defence (Transport) Council and, after the outbreak of war, this became its predominant role.

Emergency road transport measures were dealt with by the Road Transport (Defence) Advisory Committee and the wartime Emergency Road Transport Organisation established in 1939. Measures included the rationing of fuel for commercial transport; allocation of transport; availability of transport for armed forces; zoning of commodities; and repair and maintenance of vehicle fleets.

Additionally, the Inland Transport War Council, the Central Transport Committee and the Shipping Advisory Council were set up during the war to advise the Minister and to ensure that transport services were adequate and used to the best advantage.