The Ford Motor Company Ltd. collection is comprised of four series. The United Kingdom series consists of seven subseries. The Advertising subseries, 2.8 cubic ft., 1905-1990, includes advertising samples, tear sheets, and reprints of Ford's English products including cars, commercial trucks and vans, tractors, and product sales literature. The Briggs Body Works subseries, 0.4 cubic ft., 1953-1959, consists of equipment disposition reports, inventories, production schedules, and plant floor plans of machinery and equipment held by Briggs Body Works, Ltd. when Ford Motor Company, Ltd. purchased Briggs in 1953. The Burgess-Wise Research Files subseries, 0.8 cubic. ft., 1963-1990, is comprised of the office files and research material created by David Burgess-Wise during his career at Ford Motor Company, Ltd. The records relate to various company history projects headed by Burgess-Wise including regional histories of Dagenham, the Henry Ford Centenary, Ford Motor Company 75th Anniversary, biographies of Ford Executives including Sir Percival L.D. Perry, long-time chairman of Ford in England and Sir Patrick Hennessy, Perry's successor, as well as press releases, and clippings. The Correspondence subseries, 0.8 cubic ft., 1909-1964, includes correspondence from offices and departments covering general operations and procedures, contract negotiations with London power providers, customer service, customs and excise tax issues, and styling review committee minutes. The Dealer Agreements subseries, 0.4 cubic ft., 1932-1942, consists of sample copies of dealer contracts covering passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and tractors. The Production and Sales subseries, 0.4 cubic ft., 1928-1961, contains working papers, summary, and detail reports illustrating Ford production in England and across Europe. The Public Relations subseries, 2.8 cubic ft., 1911-1982, consists of original and reprinted publicity material of Ford's English products, company history, product promotions, production milestones, Dagenham plant construction, body styles, and press releases. The Other Countries series is made up of four subseries. The Asia-Pacific subseries, 0.2 cubic ft., 1930-1935, consists of advertising samples, general correspondence, dealer promotional material, and clippings from Ford operations in China, India, and the Philippines. The Europe subseries, 1.2 cubic ft., 1914-1982, is comprised of advertising samples, correspondence, and promotional material from Ford operations in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. The Mediterranean Region subseries, 0.2 cubic ft., 1932-1939, consists of advertising samples, correspondence, and publicity material from Ford operations in Ceylon, Egypt, Greece, Malta, and Turkey. The North America and South America subseries, 0.8 cubic ft., 1926-1980, includes correspondences, procedure and operations letters, accounting letters and instructions, and press releases from Ford operations in Brazil, Canada, and the United States. The Photographs series is comprised of three subseries. The Glass Plate Negatives subseries, 2 oversize boxes, circa. 1930-1950, consists of glass plate negatives documenting operations, product promotions, public demonstrations, and company events primarily at the Dagenham plant. The Photograph Albums series, 17 cubic ft., 1927-1964, is comprised of photograph albums documenting construction and plant renovation programs at various Ford facilities in Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, and Switzerland. Of special interest are the 42 albums that document the construction of the Dagenham plant from ground breaking to completion. The Photographic Prints subseries, 3 cubic ft., 1911-1972, includes prints of construction, renovation projects, and operations at Ford plants throughout England. The Scrapbooks series, 5 oversize boxes, 1935-1970, consists of scrapbooks of photographs and newspaper clippings, covering Ford operations, employee parties, war production, damage to plants, and relief operations in London during World War II. Researchers should note that oversize material is listed at the end of the collection finding aid found in the Benson Ford Research Center's reading room.
