Arranged into the following sections:

• D874/1 Notes taken at lectures at the Royal Veterinary College, 1930-34
• D874/2 Publications of the Royal Veterinary College, [1928]-1937
• D874/3 Early appointments and applications for posts, 1934-45
• D874/4 WEA lectures, [1943]-1944
• D874/5 Papers and publications principally relating to the Veterinary Research Department, Boots Pure Drug Co.Ltd., 1948-[?1980]
• D874/6 Reports on overseas visits while with Boots, 1951, [?1948-55]
• D874/7 Sir Jack Drummond: obituaries, letters received on his death, 1952, 1959
• D874/8 Theses, 1952, 1959
• D874/9 Appointment to the Chair of Veterinary Pathology,1955
• D874/10 Undergraduate lecture notes, 1947, 1957-(1984), n.d.
• D874/11 Lectures, addresses and speeches, 1949-80
• D874/12 Photographs of Veterinary students, 1967-78
• D874/13 University of Liverpool: administrative, research and other papers as head of the department of Veterinary Pathology and as Warden of Roscoe Hall, 1937-89
• D874/14 Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons papers, 1959-86
• D874/15 British Veterinary Association papers, 1952-82
• D874/16 Research in Veterinary Science (Journal of the B.V.A.), 1958-66
• D874/17 North Wales Division of the British Veterinary Association, 1958, 1979-89
• D874/18 The Lancashire Veterinary Association (The Lancashire and Cheshire Division of the British Veterinary Association), 1983-89
• D874/19 Association of Veterinary Teachers and Research Workers, 1952-71, 1985, 1990, 1996
• D874/20 Agricultural Research Council, 1969, 1973-77
• D874/21 Animal Virus Research Institute, Pirbright, [1963], 1965-70
• D874/22 The Ladies Guild of the Veterinary Benevolent Fund, 1979-92
• D874/23 Publications (of Professor Hughes), 1935, 1946-74
• D874/24 Publications etc. on Veterinary education and research, 1944-85
• D874/25 Veterinary history: publications, etc. 1958-73
• D874/26 Personal correspondence, 1945-85

Professor David L. Hughes was born in 1912 at Alexandria, Egypt and educated at Merton House School, Penmaenmawr (1922-26) and Wycliffe College, Stonehouse (1926-30) before studying at the Royal Veterinary College, London (Oct 1930-July 1934), qualifying MRCVS in July 1934. Professor Hughes held an Agricultural Research Council Studentship in Animal Health, 1934-37. He was successively Research Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture's Veterinary Laboratory, Weybridge (1937-38), Lecturer in Bacteriology at the Royal Veterinary College (1938-40), and Second Scientific Assistant at the Agricultural Research Council's Field Station, Compton (1940-46), before joining the staff of the Veterinary Science Division of Boots Pure Drug Co.Ltd. as Bacteriologist (1946-48), becoming Head of the Company's Veterinary Science Division (1948-55).

Professor Hughes was appointed to the Chair of Veterinary Pathology at the University of Liverpool as from 1October 1955 and retired at the end of 1978. He was also Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, 1965-68; Warden of Roscoe Hall, 1965-72; and a Pro-Vice-Chancellor, 1975-78. He was a member of the Agricultural Research Council, 1973-83; a member of the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, 1964-76 (President, 1974-75, and Senior Vice-President, 1975-76); and President of the British Veterinary Association, 1963-64.