Who's Who in the British War Mission in the United States of America 1918

£17.45 (plus £2.50 p&p) from S&N Genealogy Supplies, West Wing, Manor Farm, Chilmark, Salisbury, SP3 5AF. Tel: 01722 716121, Web: www.genealogysupplies.com.

The British War Mission in the USA was essentially a delegation of civil servants with responsibility for ensuring the smooth-running of the UK war effort. Different departments within the mission had responsibility for things such as shipping, and for the supply of items as diverse as foodstuffs, aeronautical equipment, timber, artillery including machine guns and small arms, petroleum and gas.

The biography of Captain Lionel John Bethell is typical of the shorter profiles included. His army service and his work in shipping is detailed and, when he was discharged from the army having been wounded in December 1917, he joined the Ministry of Shipping in New York.

There are far longer biographies included on the CD: primarily covering diplomats and those who were reaching the twilight of lengthy military careers.