Hi Jerry!
I don’t know about Sabrejet’s recent experience, and I have never actually been (currently spending quite a lot of cash on asking them to search on my behalf) but I am sure that the NA on-line catalogue is quietly changed all the time, as results do seem to appear or disappear from searches year-to-year.
I’d agree that some of the photos do seem to move about: some time ago I was looking at a squadron Operations Record Book and as I turned a page to reveal a loose photograph, one of the staff from the PRO (as it was then) walked up and quick as a flash removed it. He explained that loose photos should not be included in this type of material but I didn’t think to ask how I might locate it should I require it in future. I can only imagine that it was catalogued as an RAF Museum artefact instead.
On another occasion while researching an RAF Sabre accident I came across a number of very graphic photographs of the hapless pilot, which I know should not have been public domain. I alerted the staff and these were also removed.
So I guess it very much depends on circumstances because in the intervening years I’ve looked at a lot of these files, and in the case of ORB’s found a number of loose photos which TNA don’t now seem bothered about. Likewise the AVIA, BT etc accident files often contain photos of aircraft accidents which are not relevant to the actual file. With luck over the years the system will sort itself out, but I do have a strong feeling that even now, uncovering the full extent of TNA holdings on one subject requires a great deal of luck.
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