Papers of Mrs Noble: Miscellaneous correspondence, 1935-1965; 1976

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MSS. Pac. s. 83/12, Vol. 41

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Concerned largely with the anti-Cession campaign and her own participation in it. This included obtaining signatures for a petition to the Prime Minister, correspondence with Members of Parliament, and letters to the press. A letter from Anthony Brooke to her husband (MSS. Pac. s. 83/12, Vol. 40, folder 6, fol. 5) refers to her 'untiring energy, enthusiasm and pertinacity on behalf of the cause'. Comprises:

Folder 10, 1935-1965:

Letters from various correspondents to Bertram Brooke:

(fols. 1-4) official notices from Buckingham Palace sent with medals to be worn at the Silver Jubilee and the Coronation, and an invitation to a Garden Party, 6 May 1935-22 Jun 1937
(fol. 5) letter of thanks for his support from Sir John Hay concerning THE RUBBER AGE, 31 Oct 1942
(fols. 6-15) letters concerning financial settlement on Bertram Brooke, from (1) C.V. Brooke, and (2) Theodore Page, and a copy of the draft agreement between the Governor of Sarawak and the Tuan Muda, 15 and 16 May 1946, 8 and 12 Dec 1956
(fols. 16-20) The Whitehall Letter, No. 447, issued by the Anglo-Foreign Information Bureau Ltd., with passage headed 'Rape of Sarawak' annotated by Bertram Brooke, 3 Jan 1947
(fols. 21-22) letters from Emily Boxer from Kuching and Hong Kong, about collecting material on James Brooke, 19 Nov 1951, 30 Jul 1953
(fol. 23) letter from Emily Sadka (Hahn) asking for information connected with Sir Hugh Low, 9 Aug 1953
(fols. 24-25) two letters from Alan Dant, about Sarawak coins and items, 20 May 1955, 7 Apr 1956
(fols. 26-28) two letters from Ed Parnell about 'Sarawak Week by Week', 11 and 16 Oct 1963
(fols. 29-40) two letters and telegram from John Fisher about postage stamps, 27 Oct, 12 Dec 1963
(fols. 41-42) letter from Edith S. Andrews about teaching in Sarawak, 18 Dec 1963
(fols. 43-44) two letters from Anthony Brooke, in Kuala Lumpur, and Kuching, about the people he met in Kuala Lumpur, and plans for his visit to Sarawak, 3 Apr, 3 May 1965.

Folder 11, 1939, 1947:

Letters from Anthony Brooke to his sister Jean Halsey:

(fols. 1-12) letters from Sarawak about his engagement to be married, his work as Officer administering the Government during the Rajah's absence, conditions at Government House, and family affairs, n.d., 24 Apr and 7 May 1939
(fols. 13-17) letters from Singapore, about the visit and views of Admiral Boyd, official views about the anti-Cessionists, and the impressions of his wife Kay during her visit to Sarawak, 24 Aug and 24 Sep 1947.

Folder 12, 28 Feb 1946-11 Mar 1948:

(fols. 1-32) Correspondence between Mrs Noble and Members of Parliament, including the following:

Barrington, Brigadier Guy
Byers, Frank
Carter, Lady Violet Bonham
Churchill, Winston
Drewe, Cedric
Field, David
Gammans, Captain David
Granville, Edgar
Keeling, E.H.
Marshall, Fred
Ponsonby, Colonel
Rees-Williams, Col. D.R.

Folder 13, 1946-1947:

Letters from Mrs Noble (drafts and carbon copies) and other writings by her connected with her anti-Cession campaign:

(fols. 1-2) letter to the Rajah, praying that he should 'restore their Raj to Sarawak', 5 Mar 1946
(fol. 3) 'Suggestion for catty letter to The Times' concerning MacBryan, n.d.
(fols. 4-8) 'Some notes on Sarawak for Mr Drewe [Cedric Drewe, MP] in confidence', n.d.
(fol. 9) letter to the Editor, The Times, from 'Some lovers of Sarawak', referring to a letter from the Tuan Muja (The Times, 9 Feb 1946), n.d.
(fols. 10-15) 'Strange Parallels': paste-up of cutting from the Daily Mail about a captured eagle and parallels with Sarawak made by Mrs Noble under the heading 'A Prince fights for a People'; also two typed copies and a photograph endorsed 'Temonggong Koh', 22 May 1946
(fols. 16-17) letter to the Editor, The Scotsman, 29 May 1946
(fols. 18-20) two letters to Tom Harrisson, 14 and 19 Oct 1946
(fols. 21-23) correspondence with Abang Md. Kassim about the death of the Datu Patinggi, 25 Nov, 16 Dec 1946
(fols. 24-26) letter to Mr Casey about his letters in the Observer and Sunday Times under the nom-de-plume O.S. Edwards [sic], 2 Feb 1947.

Folder 14, 1946-1948:

Copies of protest materials (Malay National Union and Sarawak Dayak Association) and of other post-Cession correspondence:

(fols. 1-5) telegrams between Bertram Brooke, the President of the Malay National Union, W.C. Crocker, and the Datu Patinggi, about alleged bribes offered to Chiefs, 1-7 Apr 1946
(fols. 6-7) telegrams from Bertram Brooke to Anne Bryant about his visit to Sarawak, 7 and 9 May 1946
(fols. 8-39) telegrams about Cession, between the Datu Patinggi, Tuan Muda, and Rajah Muda, 12 May-4 Dec 1946
(fols. 40-48) telegrams between Anthony Brooke, W.C. Crocker, Malay National Union, and F.F. Boult, about the ban on Anthony Brooke's entry into Sarawak and on anti-Cession support by Government servants, 17-23 Dec 1946
(fol. 49) extract from letter from Dennis Law, Chinese Editor, Sarawak Tribune, to Mrs Boult about the policy of his paper and his own views on Cession, 28 Dec 1946
(fol. 50) telegram from Anthony Brooke to W.C. Crocker about his reception in Singapore, 2 Jan 1947
(fols. 51-52) 'Government and Liberty': article in Sarawak Tribune, 3 Jan 1947
(fols. 53-54) letters from the Malay National Union to Sir Charles Arden-Clarke and to W.C. Crocker about the ban on Anthony Brooke's entry to Sarawak, 18-21 Jan 1947
(fols. 55-58) extracts from letter from Anthony Brooke to Anne Bryant and from the local press, about anti-Cession feeling in Sarawak, 20-27 Feb 1947
(fols. 59-60) telegram from the Sarawak Dayak Association and the Malay National Union to the Prime Minister, about grievances regarding the annexation of Sarawak, and copy of this telegram sent by Anthony Brooke to Bertram Brooke in London, 1-3 Jul 1948
(fols. 61-62) 'Points from letters' from John Fisher (Sarawak Service), Rev. P.H.H. Howes, Mrs Anthony Brooke, and Muhammad Nor Ma'amon, 8-31 Dec [1946?].

Folder 15:

(fols. 1-7) photocopies of correspondence between Anthony Brooke and Johari Anang, General Secretary, Malay National Union, Kuching, about the wish for Brooke's continued interest in Sarawak, his views of the future status of the country in South East Asia, and the dangers of terrorism and Communism, 27 Aug 1952-13 Aug 1956
(fols. 8-23) 'The War Within (1)': typescript about Tom Harrisson and the part played by his special force against the Japanese in Borneo [his book World Within was published in 1959], n.d.

Folder 16, 1976:

Photocopies of correspondence with Robert H. Reece, Department of Pacific and South East Asian History, Australian National University, in connection with a thesis he was engaged in writing on the Cession:

(fols. 1-28) correspondence between Anthony Brooke (in Sweden) and Reece concerning Reece's research into the background to the Cession controversy and anti-Cessionist activities, including Brooke's comments on drafts of certain chapters, 28 Oct-19 Dec 1976
(fols. 29-30) three letters from Anthony Brooke to Mrs Noble about the above correspondence, 26 Nov-18 Dec 1976
(fols. 31-32) letter from Anthony Brooke to Christopher Dawson about certain points made by Reece which related to Dawson's role in Sarawak affairs, 24 Dec 1976.