‘Visited LONE FARM and Machine Gun Emplacements. Captain R. CARR, M. C., R. E. received orders to report to R.A.F., and handed over to new Adjutant – Captain G. S. HALLAS, M. C., R.E.’
War Diary / Intelligence Summary of University of Liverpool graduate J. H. Forshaw, Captain and Adjutant of the 55th Divisional Royal Engineers, entry dated 14th May 1918 [D113/1/2].
“Attended tactical exercise under the G.O.C. with infantry brigadiers and officers of various battalions. Enemy raided Portuguese.”
War Diary / Intelligence Summary of University of Liverpool graduate J. H. Forshaw, Captain and Adjutant of the 55th Divisional Royal Engineers, entry dated 2nd March 1918 [D113/1/2].
Reflecting the growth and achievements of the University since its beginnings The Archive of the University of Liverpool contains records recording the history of the University over 137 years from its beginnings as University College in 1881 through to the present day. The archive reflects the functions of the University through the records it produces and includes administrative records, personal papers of former staff and students, photographs, objects and ephemera relating to the history of the University of Liverpool.
This exhibition celebrates 50 years of the establishment in 1968 of the official repository for the University Archives. The repository currently comprises over 2000 linear meters of material and continues to grow, receiving a wide range of deposits from the University, it’s staff and alumni, benefactors, affiliated members and other external donors and individuals.
The exhibition is available to view on the Ground Floor Grove Wing Special Collections and Archives exhibition area during the opening hours of the Sydney Jones Library.
2017 was another busy year in Special Collections and Archives. To celebrate Burns Night, we have curated some of the highlights: collections that were conserved, catalogued, acquired, and the people whom we have been thrilled to meet and work alongside this past year.
January – The Mersey Sound exhibition ®McCoy_Wynne
February – Peers Symposium attendees
March – Dr Esme Miskimmin leading a seminar using SC&A material for ENGL573 Children’s Literature module. ®McCoy_Wynne
May – Thomas Rickman Exhibition
May – John Higgins (L) and Andy Sawyer (R) chatting about John Higgin’s work
July – a photograph of some of the beautiful spines and tooling work in our collections! ®McCoy_Wynne
August – International Cat Day featured Oldham 173, The Tale of Tom Kitten
September – Roscoe’s University: Liverpool Royal Institution 1817-2017 exhibition
October – D1169/1/2, The Queen Mary puzzle
November – Attendees of the Bicentenary event viewing the Liverpool Royal Institution material in our exhibition area.
November – an eager attendee viewing the Liverpool Royal Institution exhibition.
December – The merchandise table located in the SC&A reception area – available to purchase Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 4:45pm.
December – SC&A Merchandise, including notebooks, pencils, erasers, magnets, bookmarks, and more!
December – one of our lovely Special Collections items (reference JUV.530) found on the #livunisca twitter advent
We wish our readers and visitors a happy new year and we look forward to welcoming old and new faces in 2018. To arrange an appointment, please do email us on scastaff@liverpool.ac.uk and our staff will be happy to assist.
“The Bolsheviks here have realised the futility of their peace negotiations, and they’re trying to raise a volunteer army to replace the old army that they’ve destroyed. I fear they will have little success – the discipline of the existing units has been destroyed, and the officers’ authority has gone…”
Letter written by Lyon Blease to his mother during his service with the Red Cross, dated 14th January 1918, Anglo-Russian Hospital, Odessa, Ukraine. Letters of Professor Walter Lyon Blease [D55/26/5].
“Visited 419th field Co.R.E. at Heuchin. Inspected work on horse standings in 165th & 166th brigade areas.”
War diary of University of Liverpool graduate J. H. Forshaw, documenting his service as Captain and Adjutant of the 55th Divisional Royal Engineers, entry dated 2nd January 1918 [D113/1/2].
Monday 11th December marks International Mountain Day 2017, which this year will highlight as its theme ‘Mountains under pressure: Climate, Hunger, and Migration.’ As humans, our relationship with the dizzying heights of the world’s highest terrains is witnessed through the writings of generations of intrepid explorers, artists, and highlanders. Experiences of the harsh quality of mountain life, as well as the dangers of summiting the highest peaks, can be found in many of the writings found within SC&A. Ultimately though, the following items show that we are still captivated by majestic mountainous regions.
Spanish Mountain Life (1955) by Juliette de Baïracli Levy
Expert veterinary herbalist Juliette de Baïracli Levy writes in her memoir Spanish Mountain Life (SPEC Scott MacFie D.6.7) about her experience of living amongst the gypsy community of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. The memoir paints a stark portrait of the primitive nature of mountain life and details how the Lanjarón community was impacted by the shadow of disease. The author’s own battle and eventual triumph over typhus is evoked. De Baïracli Levy exclaims her gratitude to the mountain for its abundant herbs and ideal climate: “later the mountain gave us back our health.”
Illustrations of the Passes of the Alps, by which Italy Communicates with France, Switzerland, and Germany (1828 – 1829) by William Brockedon
A traditional ‘rite of passage’ trip for generations of upper class young men was to undertake an educational European adventure known as ‘The Grand Tour.’ From the 17th to mid-19th centuries travellers would be able to experience the cultural highlights that Europe had to offer, including the dramatic Alpine landscapes from Germany to Italy. Brockedon’s volumes containing illustrations and routes of passage through the Alps (SPEC SPENCE 91-92) offered an insight into what these young men were to expect when journeying through the monumental passes that would have been worlds away from the streets of London.
Brochures [1927, 1992] (Cunard Archive)
There is little else in the world of travel that is more luxurious than a relaxing cruise. These items found within the Cunard Archive depict just some of the incredible destinations passengers can be treated to on a Cunard cruise. For the more adventurous, destinations include the Norwegian fjords and Alaskan glaciers, where passengers are transported into the wild.
– D42/PR3/10/44
– D42-ADD/28/2
Mountaineering Club Papers [1958-1984] (University Archive)
– A161/117
Here at the University of Liverpool, one of the more physically active societies students can join is the Mountaineering Club. The Club recently celebrated its 80th anniversary and through the years has organised sponsored climbs, competitions, and trips both at home and abroad, traditions that are continued today by the modern Club.
Everest is Climbed (1954) by Wilfrid Noyce and Richard Taylor
This educational Puffin picture book for young readers details the first successful attempt to summit Mount Everest, relating the experience of English mountaineer Wilfrid Noyce, who was part of the British Expedition in 1953 (OLDHAM 600). The illustrations and diagrams vividly portray the extreme conditions the teams faced, whilst the words of Noyce remind the reader of the perilous nature of the climb and the endurance required to conquer and overall to survive the highest mountain in the world.
The Lord of the Rings (1991) by J. R. R. Tolkien, illustrated by Alan Lee
In Tolkien’s epic fantasy world of Middle Earth, ancient folklore and mythology come together to create an intricate narrative bursting with well-rounded characters and complex locations. The central journey that Frodo Baggins embarks upon in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (PR6039.O32.A6LOR 1991) revolves around the quest to destroy the One Ring, the most powerful and dangerous of all Rings. The volatile and mysterious qualities of mountains and volcanos that is commonly reflected in literature is portrayed in the ferocious fires of Mount Doom. The mountain being where the One Ring was forged and in turn where it must be destroyed.
All of the above are available to view in the SC&A reading room between our opening hours of 9:30am – 16:45pm. Please contact us at scastaff@liverpool.ac.uk for an appointment (but don’t worry, we don’t have ‘peak’ hours).
The works of James Wishart, former Head of Composition at the University of Liverpool, have been archived and catalogued by Ellie Pickles, a Music undergraduate working in SC&A as part of the School of the Arts work experience placement scheme. The project, which has taken place over the past seven weeks, has involved cataloguing and listing compositions, letters and posters belonging to Wishart into an Excel spreadsheet, as well as organising the documents physically.
Ellie’s catalogue of the Wishart papers will now be available to search on the SC&A archives catalogue, and the works can be consulted in the SC&A reading room.
The catalogue has been created to coincide with a performance of James Wishart’s 23 Songs For A Madwoman, hosted by the Lunchtime Concert Series in the Victoria Gallery & Museum on 15th November at 1pm.
Today we are feline very good in Special Collections and Archives – August 8th 2017 is International Cat Day. As we are cat-loving librarians and archivists, we have selected a taster of our best cat themed items from the Children’s books, Science Fiction Foundation Collections, Cunard Archive, and University Archive fur you to enjoy.
Children’s Literature
SC&A houses more than 7000 pre-First World War children’s books, of which the tale of mischievous cats throughout is a common feature. In The Tale of Tom Kitten, Tom and his siblings Mittens and Moppet play outside in their best clothes, only for them to be stolen by ducks (Oldham 173). Tit, Tiny, and Tittens: The Three White Kittens are a handful, too – they get themselves in all sorts of predicaments (JUV 308:60).
Oldham 173
JUV.308:60
The History of Whittington and His Cat is the feline rags to riches story we are all familiar with. The copy held here in Special Collections is in the form of a chapbook, a small paperback for children which would sell for a cheap price and provide a story with a moral message. This copy also includes the alphabet, allowing children to practice their reading skills from the most basic stage (Oldham 43).
Oldham 43
Science Fiction Foundation Collections
Continuing the theme of children’s literature, the below novel from the Science Fiction collections is written for the young adults audience in the Bantam Action series. In this short novel, robot cats are created to clean-up the city, but are hijacked and used for evil deeds (PR6061.I39.C99 1996). Cats also crop-up regularly in Science Fiction as representation of earth-like normality and domesticity on space ships (for presumably a similar purpose as a ships cat; see below). A personal favorite is Jonesy, Ripley’s ginger tom, from the Alien franchise.
PR6061.I39.C99 1996
Cunard
Cats were commonplace aboard ships for many reasons – they caught vermin, provided comfort to crew, and even predicted storms through their enhanced sensitivity to low pressure environments. Some ships cats have become famous; ‘Unsinkable Sam’, a German cat, survived the sinking of three ships during World War II! From the Cunard archive here, we see below Captain Rostron’s cat and her adorable kittens aboard the Mauretania, from the Cunard Magazine during the mid 1920s (D42/PR5/12).
D42/PR5/12. Cunard Magazine, Vol. 16.
University Archive
A prominent deposit within the staff papers of the University Archive are the papers of Professor (and Sir) Charles Reilly. One of the most important figures in the history of twentieth-century architecture in Britain, Sir Reilly dominated architectural education and had a profound influence on architectural practice. The below photograph shows Sir Charles Reilly holding a rather uninterested Timoshenko the cat, in the garden of his home in Twickenham during the the World War II era (D938/2/15).
D938/2/15. Photograph by Louise Sedgwick ©
The Special Collections and Archives Cats
From the top left to the bottom right: Audrey and Lilly (Jo Klett, University Archivist), Clara (Katy Hooper, Special Collections Librarian), Chester (Robyn Orr, Library Assistant), Yan, Barry, and Hamilton (Jenny Higham, Special Collections and Archives Manager), and Reginald Ecclefechan (Lucy Evans, Assistant Librarian – Special Collections).
All of these items are available to view right meow in the Special Collections and Archives reading room (except our pet cats – we wish, though…). Please do see our website for more information on visiting us.
In June we had a very hairy time with with Convoys & just as things were becoming too thick I got a […]. Immediately got the job preparing a position in St Jean.
June. Diary of Professor Charles Wells, Emeritus Professor at Liverpool University [D81/1].