Letters from Nellie Grant to Elspeth Huxley, 1939-1945

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MSS. Afr. s. 2154 box 2

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Comprises letters to Elspeth Huxley from her mother, Nellie Grant, with a few from her father, Major Josceline Grant, most written from Gikammeh Farm, Njoro, Kenya:

(file 1) - 3 Jan-20 Dec 1939 (59 letters, 165 fols). Letter of 9 Aug encloses an account by William Stanner of his work with the Kamba, and his thoughts on native administration. Photographs enclosed in 2 Nov (nine of cattle) and 15 Dec (eight of scenes in Kenya).
(file 2) - 15 Jan-19 Dec 1940 (25 letters, 46 fols). Letter of 12 May encloses letters from Margaret Trowell on her teaching of art at Makerere College. From 19 Jun, almost all letters are typed; from internal evidence, some letters are missing.
(file 3) - 12 Jan-18 Dec 1941 (24 letters, 77 fols). Letters of 25 Apr and 9 Oct are from Kampala, where Nellie Grant was attending Makerere Council. On 15 Sep, she wrote when on holiday at Malindi.
(file 4) - 8 Jan-14 Dec 1942 (30 letters, 36 fols). From 13 Mar, most letters were airgraphs - single sheets photographically reduced.
(file 5) - 3 Jan-8 Dec 1943 (23 letters, 26 fols). All airgraphs, except 7 Oct sea-mail.
(file 6) - 8 Feb-31 Dec 1944 (28 letters, 33 fols). A mixture of airgraphs and letters, until 2 Sep when the first airletter form was used. Letter of 14 Feb acknowledges receipt of cable announcing the birth of Elspeth and Gervas's son Charles Huxley.
(file 7) - 11 Jan-30 Aug 1945 (26 letters, 33 fols). No letters after 30 Aug as Elspeth Huxley came to East Africa, via West Africa, to advise on the setting up of the East African Literature Bureau.